Summer’s here and there are smiling photos of young people frolicking on the beach just about everywhere. I’m happy for them but some of us just don’t have perfect beach bodies and probably don’t even have okayish pool bodies either. Like my cousin recently said to me, “The beach is gonna get whatever body I give it,” but wouldn’t it be nice to be just a few pounds lighter?
According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 70% of Americans are at least overweight. Yikes! Losing weight is a bit more important than having the perfect beach body since Dr. Oz says that losing just ten pounds can help to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, dementia, and cancer.
Alright, so you’re ready to lose weight but the idea of just chomping away on salad all day doesn’t exactly motivate you? How about getting paid to lose weight and practice some healthy habits like sleeping? Yes, there are companies that will actually pay you to get fit and fabulous. Whip out your phone because it’s time to explore these apps that will put money in your pocket while your jeans get slimmer. Oh, and you might need a fitness tracker to make your life easier.
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DietBet
First up is DietBet which is probably the most popular of these kinds of apps. If you think that you’ve got this weight loss thing down, why not put your money where your mouth is? With this app, you join a group of players who all put up money to bet that they will lose the most weight in a set period of time. You can choose to lose 4% of your starting weight in 4 weeks, 10% of your weight in 6 months, or a whole year of keeping your weight loss off. Bets can get super lucrative but start at $35. Checking out current listings, pots have reached tens of thousands of dollars that winners split.
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HealthyWage
With HealthyWage there are three different ways that you can get paid to lose weight. First, you can join your company’s challenge if they have one. Next, you can sign up as a team to compete against other teams. You get your friends to sign up in teams of 5
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Walgreens Balance Rewards
Another really simple and easy way to earn money is by logging your activity on your Walgreens Balance Rewards account. You earn points for things that you’re going to do anyway, like walking and sleeping. Logging your weight and blood pressure as well as your exercises all earn points that add up to money that you can redeem at Walgreens in the form of purchase discounts. Every 100 points work out to the equivalent to $1. They have a point schedule but just logging your sleep earns 20 points and you do that every day. Want to make life simple? Just add your fitness tracker to your account and your walking, sleeping, and exercise will be automatically synched. I’ve been cashing in $5 discounts just about every week. Hey, babies will do that to you.
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FitCoin
If you’re into cryptocurrency but don’t feel like shelling out thousands of dollars, to buy some, you can earn fractional amounts just for doing what you normally do. Once again, this is where a fitness tracker comes in handy. You create an account to sync up your fitness tracker which of course logs your exercise and such. The more calories you burn, the more fractional shares of FitCoin you’ll earn. You can create a wallet and cash in your calories for FitCoin shares or use them to purchase items in the FitCoin shop.
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Your Health Insurance Coverage
Many health insurers know that it is in their best interest to keep you healthy because it keeps their costs down. The larger insurers are now implementing wellness programs that also come with incentives. Pick up the phone or call your employer to ask if your health insurance company offers gym club reimbursements or any other wellness incentives. Some will pay hundreds per year for your participation.
These are just a few of the most popular programs that incentivize you to lose weight. The most important thing though is getting you to be happy and healthy. Having a fatter bank account and a smaller waistline doesn’t hurt either.