Fined to get fit

Now here is a clever idea. A new app has been developed that fines people when they don’t stick to a pre-agreed gym programme, and rewards those that do with the money collected in fines.

According to the people who developed www.gym-pact.com it’s all to do with behavioural economics and the fact that people hate losing money more than they enjoy receiving it.

It’s a nice idea that could help people stick to those over-ambitious New Year’s resolutions, and it’s certainly generated some good PR for the Gym Pact team, with a leader in The Times this morning.

But could this concept be developed elsewhere? An app that mimics the office swear jar perhaps? With our phones picking up curses automatically and debiting our account as appropriate. Or maybe GPS will allow our phones to fine us as we enter a pub during ‘Dry January’. As long as it can’t pick up on the number of drinks consumed, by the end of a long January, the hard-pressed gym-dodgers out there might think the fine is worth it for a bit of respite.