Welcome Wednesday: Gamification for Exercise?

[#1]

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

A couple of weeks ago, I jumped back into playing Pokémon Go, and my son as started enjoying it as well. Since the weather has been getting better (and the days are getting longer) we have been doing more evening walks and playing Pokémon Go at the same time.

My question for everyone this week: Do you prefer some form of gamification with you exercise?

In the past I have been a part of workplace leaderboards and Fitbit challenges and I personally enjoy either some form of gamification or playing sports for exercise.

How about you? Let me know in the comments below.

Have a great rest of the week!

[Amanda Barber]

I also enjoy some gamification for exercise. My gym gives out rewards for every 100 classes you take in a year. I'm almost to my first 100. 💥

In the past, I've loved Fitbit leaderboards, too! Also, Zombies, Run! is a fun running game. 🧟‍♂️

[Stephen_Lugton]

It depends a lot on what I'm doing and where; if I'm going out for a lunchtime walk around London / along the Thames I definitely don't want any form of gamification as avoiding tourists or fast walking office workers looking at their phones is enough of a game. 

But saying that I do a lot of charity events and meeting the targets for those is a form of gamification, for instance in May I'm doing 100 Miles in May for Cancer Research UK, in June I'm doing March for Men with Prostate Cancer UK as well as 60 Miles in June for Pancreatic Cancer UK, and I'm going to be signing up for 1 Million Steps over July to September for Diabetes UK

[Rodrigo Borgia]

I work by delivering gamification for team engagement. So, this said, for behavioural purposes such as performance management and for learning curriculums, works perfect.

I'm also looking to have a plug in for ticket closures with my application motivarnos.com :)

[Barbara Szczesniak]

I don't like to do anything that I call "exercise." 😀 I prefer to do activities that I enjoy that also happen to be exercise—line dancing class, walking outside (on a treadmill, it's exercise), swaying while holding a baby counts as weightlifting, etc. 

[Svenja Lorenzen]

I'm absolutely love gamification for exercising! 

I have not tried it out yet, but I came across this website that offers medals for fitness challenges: https://www.theconqueror.events/

I really believe that a little incentive can help you stick with it.

[Stephen_Lugton]

@Svenja Lorenzen I used https://www.theconqueror.events/ throughout lockdown and beyond, the medals are nice with a hefty feel to them.

[Albert Chirighin]

I enjoy gamification as part of exercise as well.  I've been playing pokemon go since 2019 and have walked a ton of miles because of it.  Great part is that friends and family join in.

[Summer_Hogan]

I enjoy the challenges and badges on the Apple Watch Fitness app! Those kinda keep me going and encourage me to close all my rings each day. 

[Amanda Barber]

Look what came today in the mail!

[Teodora V]

I do some form of exercise every day, and this activity alone motivates me so much that I never needed a gamification app to help me stay on track. However, I think it's a great way to add a new habit or skill, especially if you struggle to find the time and/or energy for it.

[Valerie Knapp]

Hey @Jimmy Seddon , thanks for this topic. I used to commute a big distance for work in my bicycle and there were some great programs to incentivise active commuting in the UK, where I lived at that time.

I even won a bicycle one time! 

Home : The Bike Month Challenge 2024 (lovetoride.net)

[Andy Gladstone]

Now that I think of it, almost ALL of my exercise is gamified. As an avid cyclist, I'm recording all of my rides on Strava, and in the winter and poor weather when I'm on the indoor trainer, I'm on Zwift - which is gamification through a game. I enjoy having the gamification of my data, and it certainly gives me a bit more motivation to push that extra 5% to beat a personal record or get on to a leaderboard.

Over a decade ago my employer at the time brought in a personal trainer to give us desk jockeys some tips on weaving activity into our days. He gamified push ups and sit ups with a deck of cards. Each of us was to keep a deck of cards on our desk and throughout the day shuffle them and pick out a random card. Whatever number was on the card was the number of push ups and sit ups we should do. We were asked to do this 3x per day to get into healthier habits, and it worked for many of us.

[Shannon Gagliardi]

OMG!!! My kids and I found this game during COVID and really helped us to have a purposeful walk everyday. Still love to play & will play when we go to 1 kids practice in the park with our other. Still loving it after all this time. 

[Padmakshi Venkateswara Rao]

Hey there!

I absolutely love the idea of gamifying exercise! It adds an extra layer of fun and motivation to staying active. Pokémon Go is such a fantastic example of how technology can blend with physical activity seamlessly. I've found that having goals, challenges, or even just friendly competitions with friends or colleagues really helps me stay on track with my fitness routine. Whether it's hitting step goals on my Fitbit, competing in a virtual race, or simply trying to beat my own high score in a fitness app, gamification definitely keeps things interesting and keeps me coming back for more. Plus, it's a great way to bond with family and friends while getting some exercise in. Here's to more adventures and Pokémon-catching walks ahead!

[Ciara TN]

Oh I loved playing Pokemon Go before. Perhaps this is a sign to restart.

I use the step/stand up/calories targets on my watch. It helps in the decision to drive or walk to my destination or take a nice evening walk.  

[Daniel Domene_Kolekti_]

+ 1 on Strava! Route leaderboards are a great way to get (and stay!) motivated

[KS]

walks and Pokemon go sounds like fun

[Tim Jansmann]

OMG yes, without some sort of carrot I'll "stick" to the couch... see what i did there. :)

[Peter Van de Voorde]

Gamification is a great way to get anyone to start anything, I'm certainly a big fan.

I've used gamification to get myself to exercise more, to eat healthier, and to read more.

Gamification is basically a way to give ourselves a dopamine rush. It can be used for good (like with exercise) and for bad (like with gambling or social media).

Great topic @Jimmy Seddon !

[Noemi Flores]

We were recently asked if we could gamify some of our data hygiene metrics. I would love to have a way to configure my settings that gives people stars as they fill in the required fields. If we could give badges that would be amazing too.

[Rodrigo Borgia]

Hi @Noemi Flores , i work in an application called motivarnos.com, that does that.

If you are interested we may pursuit a trial integration.

Ping me in case of interest.

R

[Jay O_]

I currently use Apple Watch and Apple Fitness to earn badges with a Move Streak of 972 days!