StepBet Week 4

Dietbet has a new app to help people get more active called StepBet. I decided to try it after graduation to get myself moving more and work harder to get to a healthy weight. My husband said I was crazy to sign up for it right before going on the cruise, but I actually got more steps on the cruise than I did the previous weeks.

The app syncs with your fitness tracker (I have a FitBit Alta) and gives you personalized goals based on your historical activity level. My active goal is 6,301 steps, and my stretch goal is 8,987 steps. Each week I have to accomplish two stretch goals and four active goals, and I get one rest day. If in any week I don't make those goals, I am out of the game. In the end, all of the people who are still in the game split the pot of remaining money. Of course, StepBet takes 12.5% off the top, so you need at least that many people to fail before you make any money. It kind of sucks to think of it that way, but it is a competition so there's really no other way around it.

So far I have really enjoyed the challenge. My goals are really not that difficult to accomplish; which shows you how inactive I have been while studying. I assume that in future challenges my goals would be higher because my overall activity is higher. What I like is that you're really just competing against yourself; you don't have to worry about what anyone else is doing. If you make your goals each week, worst-case you get your money back. But at this point I've already made about $2. I also really like that it shows you how many people started, what the pot is, and how many people remain. So there's no question like there is in DietBet about how much you will get. You can actually watch your winnings increase as long as you stay in the game. And for me, the money, and the idea of having to admit I "failed" if I don't make it to the end, are huge motivators. In fact, right now I'm out walking while dictating this post. I have about 3,000 more steps to get in tonight for a third stretch goal this week. 

Again, the payouts are not huge. The initial bet is $40, and maybe I'll win $5 or $10. But that certainly is more than I would make having that $40 in the bank or stock market. And every day that I get at least 6,300 steps, I'm another day healthier and more active. It may seem a little sappy, but that's an even better pay off than the $5.

What are you doing this Fall to get active and stay active? Let me know in the comments.