prefect42 Posted January 28, 2011 Report Share Posted January 28, 2011 An interesting, if inflexible, approach to working out from a behavioral economics standpoint:http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2011/01/24/gym_pact_bases_fees_on_members_ability_to_stick_to_their_workout_schedule/I think it'd be great if they can work out (ha ha!) a system to allow people to design their own workout schedules. Mostly, it's just an interesting experiment in psychology and motivation.Would any of you ever do something like this if it could be more tailored? Quote "Did you go to the gym when you were alive?" "I died in 1938. For exercise, we drank sloe gin and smoked Lucky Strikes." - Dead Like Me Link to comment
Raincloak Posted January 28, 2011 Report Share Posted January 28, 2011 If you do the math, there is already a financial "penalty" of sorts for not going to the gym frequently when you have a monthly membership. Let me explain. If you pay $100/month for the gym and you go 1 time per month, that's a cost of $100/visit. But if you go 10 times/month, that's $10/visit. 20 visits a month, $5/visit. So the more you go, the better a bargain it becomes. Or, turn it around: if you're not using it a lot, you're wasting the money. In that case you might want to switch to a pay-per-use plan. This goes for any monthly subscription, like cable TV or World of Warcrack ... if you're not planning to use it a lot, don't buy it. (IMO cable TV is a ripoff either way; if you're not watching it's a waste of money, and if you do watch it's a waste of time. But that's just my opinion.) Quote Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. Hylian Assassin 5'5", 143 lbs. Half-marathon: 3:02It is pitch dark. You are likely to be eaten by a grue. Link to comment
nightlight Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 ha! those two gyms are within spitting distance of my gym. i worked out at that bally's when i first moved to somerville. it was GROSS. Quote "Come with me if you want to lift" -The Brominator "Later, I would learn that coincidences are the most planned things in the world. Later, I would learn that every single moment is a coincidence." - Douglas Coupland "Anyone who doesn't want french fries every day is a commie." - AngelaTheGeek Current Challenge INSTAGRAM!! find me on twitter Link to comment
Alethea Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 That's clever! A buddy of mine had a similar idea. Every time you miss a workout, you have to pay $x to a charity you HATE. My dear gamer buddy chose an anti-violent-games lobby group, and went to the gym religiously until Life Happened. Quote "Let another say. 'Perhaps the worst will not happen.' You yourself must say. 'Well, what if it does happen? Let us see who wins!' ". - Seneca, 63 AD "There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength." - Henry Rollins Link to comment
Raincloak Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 That's clever! A buddy of mine had a similar idea. Every time you miss a workout, you have to pay $x to a charity you HATE. My dear gamer buddy chose an anti-violent-games lobby group, and went to the gym religiously until Life Happened. Oh yeah, I heard of that trick. Although when I heard about it, the bet was to write a novel and the hated charity was the NRA. ^^ (Long story short: the NRA did not win.) The cheatproof way to do it is, you write a check and put it in an envelope and address the envelope, then give it to a trusted friend with instructions to mail it if you break the contract. If you keep the contract, you get the envelope back and you can shred it into little bitty pieces. It works better if you don't tell your friend what's in the envelope, because if they're a real friend and they know what's in there, they probably won't mail it even if you go back on your word.hmm, I know a guy with a three-foot pile of paper on his desk that needs to try that (the threat of hateful charity, not the shredder that is)...Personally I prefer a carrot to a stick. I tend to panic when I get threatened, and then I don't do anything. The hard part is finding a sufficiently tasty carrot to motivate the desired behavior. Maybe every time I work out, I should put a dollar into an account for that travel adventure I want ... Quote Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. Hylian Assassin 5'5", 143 lbs. Half-marathon: 3:02It is pitch dark. You are likely to be eaten by a grue. Link to comment
Mad Sci Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 Raincloak: I have a similar carrot plan through my health insurance company. Based on your self reported workouts, physical activities and preventative doctor visits they give points that can be redeemed for gift cards. I'm currently in a race with my wife to reach 250,000 points (which would turn into a $250 gift card). Loser has to buy dinner but we would have enough left over to go on a small vacation. Quote Mad Sci Dwarf Warrior Level 1 STR: 3.5 DEX: 3 STA: 1.5 CON: 3 WIS: 3 CHA: 2 My Challenge/Fitocracy Link to comment
Cacophony Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 Personally I prefer a carrot to a stick. I tend to panic when I get threatened, and then I don't do anything. The hard part is finding a sufficiently tasty carrot to motivate the desired behavior. Maybe every time I work out, I should put a dollar into an account for that travel adventure I want ...See, behaviorally, I'm not sure that works. What happens when there's no more carrot? You tend to drop the behavior.... I usually prefer goal setting and marking because if you're trying to do something like "go to the gym more" there are definitly "built in carrots". I've suddenly developed muscle definition I didn't have three months ago or, when I started, I ended up going down three jean sizes. I'm able to chase my daughter around the dojo on all fours without getting stuck in that position and requiring a winch to crank my back into an upright position. I'm starting to recognize people at the gym and it's starting to feel less like a place I have to force myself to go and more like a place I want to go. Don't get me wrong - carrots are good. My certification coming up in four months is a stick of dynamite on a string dangled in front of me but mentally I don't want to foster the mindset that I'm only doing behavior A to obtain unrelated reward B. Make sense? Quote . ~*~ Some things make ripples... I prefer to make waves. ~*~ . Link to comment
Alethea Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 My certification coming up in four months is a stick of dynamite on a string dangled in front of meI'm not sure you understand the theory of a carrot... It's supposed to be a GOOD thing to reach. I hear you, Cacophony, and I'm the same way. I did reward-based, and I found it didn't promote long-term lifestyle change. It's great for setting up habits, but I found I needed to decide the behaviors were worth it in themselves to perform, or I'd avoid them. Glory in the battle! Quote "Let another say. 'Perhaps the worst will not happen.' You yourself must say. 'Well, what if it does happen? Let us see who wins!' ". - Seneca, 63 AD "There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength." - Henry Rollins Link to comment
Cacophony Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 I'm not sure you understand the theory of a carrot... It's supposed to be a GOOD thing to reach. And if I don't get there soon enough the darn thing is going to blow up. LOL I'd count that as a good thing to reach, it just means I'm extra motivated to get after it. *beams* Quote . ~*~ Some things make ripples... I prefer to make waves. ~*~ . Link to comment
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