Resolving to lose weight is easy, i.e. getting started – but maintaining your motivation levels is often a challenge. What if you stood a chance to make some money out of achieving your weight loss goals? From placing a weight-loss bet with yourself, and earning a profit if you succeed, to just making money through healthy living in a variety of other ways, you really can monetize your weight loss.
First up, talk to your insurance company
Since being overweight is a health risk, health insurance companies are often willing to reduce your premiums if you lose weight. Since this is a direct, long-term benefit, it’s worth asking whether you’ll be eligible for reduced premiums is you shed the extra flab.
Many companies also offer discounts and benefits on healthy lifestyle options, allowing you to slash the cost of a gym membership or buy healthy fruit and veg at discounted prices.
HealthyWage
HealthyWage is hugely popular. It’s a clever concept and provided you to lose weight as planned, you’ll make money. Here’s how it works.
- Use the HealthyWage calculator to see how much you can win.
- You commit to a monthly payment.
- You say how much weight you’ll lose and how many months you’ll take.
- If you stick to your commitment, you win back more than you spent!
Obviously, the source of the money is the cash paid by people who didn’t lose weight, so be very sure you can meet your weight loss goals before committing. Get this: a top prize is $10,000! That’s some strong motivation right there!
Want to make it even more fun? Get a group of workplace friends together and commit to a team challenge.
DietBet
The idea is very similar to that of HealthyWage, but the way it works differs slightly.
- You assemble a team or join an existing one.
- You pay a stake, and so does everyone else.
- At the end of the period, those who achieved their goal get to split the total.
- DietBet takes a small commission.
Of course, you’ll only make money if some of your teammates don’t succeed. Resist the temptation of plying them with chocolate cake – that’s cheating!
As a nice extra, you can bet on maintaining the weight you lost in the first round. It’s a good way of making sure you don’t fall into bad habits again.
Achievement
Here’s another way to make a little bit extra out of your weight loss. Achievement syncs with all the top fitness apps we can think of plus a few more. Earn points for your healthy habits, and get $10 for every 10,000 points.
Achievement covers all healthy habits including sleeping! And if you’d like to make a little more, you can earn up to $100 for participating in health and fitness research projects. Is that cool or what?
Pact
When you want to lose weight, you make a pact with yourself. You’ll exercise several times a week, and you’ll eat healthy foods. But apart from feeling guilty if you break your pact and not losing weight because you did, there are no penalties. On the flipside, what if you could earn a small money reward for keeping your resolution? That’s how the Pact app works.
- Log your runs with RunKeeper, count steps with your FitBit or log time spent at the gym.
- Verify your food choices by taking pics that the community evaluates.
- Pay penalties when you don’t keep your pact.
- Get rewards when you do.
People who have tried it say you can easily make $50 by keeping up a healthy lifestyle. True, your rewards are not weight-loss based, but a healthy lifestyle should help you to reach or maintain a healthy weight.
Higi
Have you seen those machines that take your blood pressure, measure your weight and even tell you what your body fat percentage is? If they’re marked with the Higi brand, you should consider signing up. By doing so, you stand to win Higi points, and although you can’t turn them into cash, you can redeem them for special offers and discounts.
Walgreens
Walgreens is keen to keep you healthy, and it’s offering lots of motivation with bonus Balance Rewards points for those who track their fitness activities and calories with MyFitnessPal and RunKeeper. Are using a FitBit? That counts towards more points for you too – provided you walk your steps.
You don’t get cash directly, but you’ll save on your Walgreens purchases, so it’s almost as good as money in your pocket.
Start a fitness class
Before you begin to earn, you’ll need to invest in training courses to become an instructor, but once you’re certified, you can start running fitness classes from home. For example, Yoga and Pilates classes are very popular, and people will be willing to pay to work out with you.
If you want to, you can even become a personal trainer and turn fitness into your new career.
Become a Postmates courier
Postmates is a bit like Uber for people seeking a convenient delivery. Use it to get you out and about on your bicycle for cash. Ride, deliver, and be paid. It’s hard work, but at least you get paid for it. And remember: cycling is a full-body workout.
Get physical in a part-time job
There are many ways to get active and earn bucks. Take care of people’s gardens on the weekend, agree to run errands on foot or by bike, or get a few waiter shifts at a popular restaurant (you’ll walk A LOT). Remember, the sweatier it is, the better!
FIT4MOM
This company helps women to prepare for pregnancy through exercise, helps moms lose their unwanted baby weight and even has “stroller strides” classes in which moms bring babies along. You’ll have to learn how to become a trainer, but once you are one, you’ll be paid to exercise with your classes. This is a great option for stay-at-home moms.
Maybe you’ll need new clothes, so remember to save your earnings!
If you have a few pounds to lose, you’ll feel so much better when you achieve your weight loss goals. But you may find that you’ve dropped a couple of clothing sizes, so remember to save your weight-loss pay for clothes that will show off your trim figure. Let’s make 2017 our healthiest year bet!
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