Sometimes we all need a little extra bit of encouragement to get ourselves out of the house – which is why Pact, (the new name for what was formerly GymPact) could well be the answer to many of our prayers.
Pact’s monetary rewards system could be that extra bit of motivation we all need…
To use the app, users can chose to make a “pact” to exercise, log your meals on MyFitnessPal.com or eat vegetables for a certain number of days. When you sign up for a pact, you select a certain monetary amount that is deducted from your credit card or PayPal account for each day you miss. If you hit your goal, then you get paid a reward, paid from the pool of money from people who didn’t make their pact.
Company founder Yifang Zhang told TechCrunch that the company’s rebrand was down in the most part to many users not understanding the ‘impact’ pun.
The “gym” part of the name was also apparently confusing for users, as the app not only counts gym check-ins, but also check-ins at other fitness centres, outdoor runs, walks, bike rides and activity measured by the wearable tech devices and apps it integrates with, including RunKeeper, Jawbone UP, Fitbit, Moves, MapMyFitness and MyFitnessPal.
The app’s latest version includes two new features focused on healthy eating, which Zhang says the company has been beta testing for three months now, claiming that “they are just as effective, if not more, at keeping people eating healthy consistently as our gym pact feature.”
Healthy eating features prominently in the new version of the app
The company has attracted a lot of support so far from investors, following up an $850,000 investment in June 2012, with an even greater $1.5 million seed funding investment last month, so expect to see much more from them in the future.
Pact is available to download for free from Google Play and the App Store now.
[Via TechCrunch]
Tech Runner 