Cash for calories

I've endured one too many spinning class in the middle of a power outage - it's dark, because there's no lights; it's hot, because there's no air-con; but worst of all, it's awkward, because there's no music and you're subjected to the grunts and heavy breathing coming from the bike behind you.

It's during these very dull sessions that I wonder why some engineer has not yet developed a system that harnesses the kinetic energy of stationary bikes, treadmills and rowing machines in gyms, which could be used to power the lights and sound system - it's been done before.

In turn, these exercise machines could record the amount of energy produced by each person, which could count towards gym fee discounts. There could even be a leader board in the spinning class to show who produced the most electricity during their workout, and it would be a great motivator too!

Technology has simplified our lives in more ways than we thought possible, but the flipside is that it's also made us incredibly lazy. Instead of heading to the gym, we leave bigger dents in our couches as we watch yet another episode of Grey's Anatomy. Instead of taking the poor dog out for a leg stretch, we waste hours on social media.

According to the SA Medical Research Council, 61% of the South African population is overweight, obese or morbidly obese. Even more alarming is that 70% of all South African women over the age of 35 are overweight or obese.

Ironically, while technology may be fuelling this trend, it could provide the motivation we need to get more active and stop our muscles from atrophying. So what would it take to give the couch a break and give Fido some much-needed attention? Money? Discounts at your favourite store? I'm in.

Fitness technology has been around for years - from gaming consoles designed to get you moving, like the Wii, to the unfathomable amount of fitness apps available for download, not to mention devices that monitor your fitness progress.

However, the novelty of the virtual rewards offered by these devices and apps - a gold star next to your meme, or a trophy on your heart rate monitor - is likely to wear off pretty quickly. And unless the "personal fitness trainer" in my smartphone app, who is giving me the third degree for not completing 100 push-ups, will actually climb out of the screen to kick my butt, I'm not going to take him seriously.

Gamification of exercise can be fun and motivating. I particularly like the Zombies, Run! app, which drops the runner into the middle of a zombie apocalypse. The mission: save lives and collect crucial supplies while avoiding zombies; 450 000 are currently using the app to improve their fitness and make their morning runs a little more exciting - and I'd think becoming a virtual hero and earning the bragging rights that comes with that can get quite addictive. Pity, I don't run.

There are plenty of apps that gamify exercise, but the rewards are not tangible. Dangle a R100 note in front of my face while I'm on the bike, or entice me with 20% off my next pair of gym shoes if I hit my goal weight, and I'm more likely to stick to an exercise routine.

Which is why I love the idea of Nexercise. The free iPhone app, which only works in the US, encourages users to log their physical activity, which is confirmed by the motion of the iPhone, to score points that can count towards prizes. The more points a user has, the greater his/her chance of winning a prize, with the creators saying there's a 25% chance of winning. Users even get extra credit for exercising on a rainy day or partnering with a gym buddy. The odds are still against you with this app, however.

With GymPact, on the other hand, if you don't exercise, you get hit where it hurts. Essentially, users make a pact to go to the gym a certain number of times a week and decide how much they are willing to pay if they don't go to gym. Checking into a gym with a smartphone records the exercise, and every week, "the money paid by non-exercisers is tallied up and divided among those who got to the gym". Obviously, those who didn't, have to cough up. GymPact works in more than 75 countries; sadly, SA is not on that list.

So why am I talking about services we can't use? Well, I'm hoping it will give developers, health insurance providers and wellness companies some ideas - there's revenue in this for them too.

My health insurance provider, through its wellness programme, gives me decent discounts off my gym membership - the more I gym, the more I save. Before joining the programme, I might have diligently seen the inside of a gym for the first two months of the year, but this would gradually taper off until, six months later, my membership card started to disintegrate.

Since joining the incentive programme, though, I have been active for nearly three years. Knowing I'll have an extra R300 in my pocket every month if I drag myself to the gym three times a week is all the motivation I need - money talks.

Dieticians have suggested a 5% reduction in body fat can reduce the risks of ill health. And healthier members equal money savings for insurance companies. See where I'm going with this? A healthy body means fewer visits to the doctor - and fewer medical aid claims.

Incentives needn't be tied to gyms only. Any encouragement to get moving can have results. In Russia, for example, to promote the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, commuters were able to "pay" for their train tickets in squats. Thirty squats were good for one ticket. For me, if I had to choose between shelling out cash or, in gym speak, "putting ass to grass" 30 times, the decision would be a no-brainer.

Even kids can get in on the action. GeoPalz offers pedometers that track children's activity. The more active they are, the more points they earn, which can be exchanged for gifts.

It might be a while before we see initiatives like this in SA, but through partnerships between businesses, a little motivation and a bit of technological innovation, it's possible.