Wearable Tech

REVIEW

KrowdFit Gives Fitness Trackers a New Motivational Dimension

Do you welcome physical fitness like a fish in water, or does it take a trip to the clothing store for larger sizes to get you moving?

If you need a push, perhaps a new motivational tool called KrowdFit will be more to your liking. It pays you cash to put your fitness tracking devices on.

The KrowdFit wellness app uses a novel twist to a childhood motivational method. It pays you cash to keep physically active.

Forget the gym! Getting more active physically is the aim. You do not need equipment, stretch outfits or locker rooms to improve your fitness. Variety and activity are the keys to your improved fitness success.

Just stick your smartphone in your pocket and go for a walk, or a run, or go climb some stairs. It can be that simple.

The KrowdFit wellness app is part of a beta wellness incentive platform that rewards members with cash rewards for tracking sleep, mindfulness, walking, food logging, and physical activity. Testing results so far, according to KrowdFit, show significant improvement in users’ overall health and fitness commitments.

KrowdFit began developing its fitness-for-cash program with enterprise-based membership. As of November 2020, the fitness program is open to consumers as well as enterprise members.

How It Works

KrowdFit connects to the fitness trackers you already own or health kits you already have on your smartphone. It syncs your daily health and wellness activities for an innovative and motivating way to earn cash and build long-term sustainable healthy habits.

Each time users log an activity, they automatically earn an entry into KrowdFit’s weekly, monthly, and quarterly cash giveaways. The amounts vary up to $5,000 or more for each award, depending on the available cash pool. Over the past several years, the company has paid out more than $2 million in cash rewards, claims Jim Miller, CEO and founder of KrowdFit.

The KrowdFit wellness incentive program and behavior modification methodology platform are founded on research and proven science by the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Mayo Clinic, according to the company. KrowdFit reinforces and rewards small, achievable goals that lead to long-term behavioral change.

“If you haven’t heard of us, we’re the largest cash-back wellness incentive program in the U.S. and Canada,” noted Miller.

KrowdFit is the only cash-back wellness incentive program in the U.S. and Canada. Other fitness platforms focus strictly on granting prize money for weight loss, he said. KrowdFit makes its payouts every Monday.

“Research has shown that monetary incentives enhance the effectiveness of attaining fitness and wellness goals of all sorts, especially when tied to a social network,” said Miller. “There is no silver bullet. Change occurs over time, step by step, which is why we’re committed to rewarding our members for the effort they make to consistently engage in healthy activities regardless of how much they weigh or how fit they are.”

Wellness Results Positive

Based on the current testing results, the method works. KrowdFit members are seeing results, as 62 percent of active members report walking and moving more, 67 percent report improved eating and sleeping habits, and 53 percent report weight loss.

The average KrowdFit member engages in 35 percent more physical activity, 23 percent more sleep, takes 30 percent more steps, tracks 33 percent more meals, and wins $450 a year, according to KrowdFit.

Through operant conditioning, KrowdFit reinforces and rewards small, achievable goals that lead to long-term behavioral change. The process includes the latest wearable devices, smartphones, and popular diet, fitness, sleep, and mindfulness apps.

KrowdFit members’ sleep, steps, mindfulness, and fitness activities areautomatically logged into the KrowdFit app. Each time an activity is logged, members automatically earn an entry into one of five different cash giveaways.

“An ever-increasing number of Americans already have a smartphone, a wearable device, or a fitness app of some sort. So, why not connect them to KrowdFit for free and be rewarded for the effort you make to eat, sleep, walk, and meditate? It really is that simple,” said Miller.

Behind the Science

KrowdFit, is a milestone-driven, cash-incentivized wellness reward program. It works because it rewards the effort, not the results, of living a healthy, active lifestyle, according to Miller.

The goal is to empower registered members with meaningful, unlimited, cash rewards for consistently engaging in and modeling a healthy, active lifestyle. With each activity entry logged on, KrowdFit, members become eligible for one of the five cash giveaways listed below. Winners are randomly selected, and rewards are not based on activity results or performance.

The cash payouts follow this schedule:

$600 Bi-Monthly Mindfulness Cash Giveaway — Six winners are selected twice a month to split a $300 cash prize at $50 each. Members can earn one entry per five minutes of mindfulness, with a maximum of two entries per day.

$1,500 Weekly Meal Logging Cash Giveaway — Twelve winners are selected weekly to split a $1,500 cash prize at $125 each. Members can earn one entry per meal logged, with a maximum of five entries per day.

$2,000 Monthly Sleep Cash Giveaway — Eight winners are selected monthly to split a $2,000 cash prize at $250 each. Members can earn up to three entries per day for eight hours of sleep.

$5,000 Quarterly Steps Cash Giveaway — Two winners are selected quarterly to split a $5,000 cash prize at $2,500 each. Members can earn one entry for 5,000 steps or four entries per day.

$20,000 Quarterly Physical Activity Giveaway — Four winners are selected quarterly to split a $20,000 cash prize at $5,000 each. Members can earn one entry for 30 minutes of activity or a maximum of four entries per day.

Too Good but True

KrowdFit’s motto is, “You Sweat, We Pay.” It is a legitimate description of what the company does.

This program differs from others in three ways. One, it presents a unified app experience with the process of earning cash for the active lifestyle you are — or should be — already living.

Two, it uses the tracking devices and smartphones you already own — mostly. Three, these rewards arrive regularly with no limit on member winnings, according to KrowdFit.

The rewards pool comes from corporate support and premium membership fees of $1.99/month or $17.99/year. Otherwise, KrowdFit is free to use. KrowdFit generates revenues from employers, health plans, PEO’s, HCM’s, HSA providers, population health platforms, brand-sponsored BringIt Challenges, and individual subscribers.

KrowdFit users can choose to subscribe. This gives members the ability to Level-Up and receive the automatic bonus “Amp’d” entries to maximize their chances of winning, according to the company.

The money pool increases as new members join, allowing KrowdFit to pay out more people every week. There is no limit to how much cash members can win. The only limitation on member winnings is the same member cannot win the same reward in back-to-back periods.

Getting Started

Go to the company’s website and fill in the registration information. Relax, it is free!

This registration form has spaces for your full name, email address, and date of birth. Next, add the tracking device you use from the short list of devices.

The only thing else required is to set up your tracking connection between KrowdFit and your devices.

You have two options for engaging with the platform’s record-keeping. You can download a traditional app to your Android or iOS phone or use the progressive web app (PWA) through your phone’s web browser.

After you select your tracking device, a login screen to your tracker account appears. Log into your account to grant permission for KrowdFit to access your fitness records.

When that process completes, download the KrowdFit Connector app for your smartphone. The app lets your phone collect your activity data from your phone.

Let the Installation Begin

KrowdFit works on Android and iOS devices.

KrowdFit wellness app

To install KrowdFit on Android devices:

Option 1: Start the install process by selecting “Install KrowdFit” from the app menu.

Option 2: If Option 1 is not supported with your device, install KrowdFit with the Google Chrome browser. Follow these two steps:

1. Open KrowdFit in Chrome on your Android and select the “vertical ellipses” button.

2. In the browser menu select “Add to Home Screen.” An “Add to Home” screen confirmation message will appear. Select “Add” on this window to complete the process.

Installing KrowdFit on iOS devices is similar and just as simple. Share it to your device’s home screen. This action will place the krowdfit.app icon on your home screen and change the navigation to the mobile app experience. The process mimics Android’s two-step method.

1. Open KrowdFit in Safari and select the “Share” button.

2. Scroll up and select the “Add to Home Screen” button. An additional step lets you change the name of the app once you install it. Select the “Add” button to complete the process.

Tracking Integrations Limited

You can also add a tracker to your Android app by visiting the Fitness Trackers page within your KrowdFit account by going to your Profile > Settings (gear icon) then > Trackers > Add a Tracker.

To connect to Apple Health and Google Fit, use the KrowdFit Connector app using a browser. To access the Connector app visit the Fitness Trackers page within your KrowdFit account by going to your Profile > Settings (gear icon) > Trackers.

Select either the Google Fit or Apple Health connection options. A screen will display in your browser window that includes a link to the appropriate app store and your activation code.

This code is important. You will need to enter it when you install the KrowdFit Connector app on your device. Once you enter your code andselect “Submit,” the KrowdFit app will begin syncing the data to your account.

Given the growing number of fitness apps and tracking wearables, I was surprised at the relatively limited number of devices that work with the KrowdFit platform. Hopefully, as the platform grows in popularity, users will see more device options they can integrate.

KrowdFit directly integrates with three fitness tracking platforms.

  • Fitbit tracks sleep, meals, steps, and activity
  • Misfit tracks sleep and steps
  • Garmin tracks sleep, steps, and activity

The app also integrates with the Apple Health and Google Fit health kits. They both track steps and activity as long as the phone is attached to you during exercise.

KrowdFit is compatible with additional apps such as MyFitnessPal, LoseIT, Stop Breathe & Think, Calm, Headspace, Pillow, Sleep Cycle, Sleep ++. To connect these apps to KrowdFit, simply grant Apple Health or Google Fit permission to write to these apps.

Final Thoughts

KrowdFit deserves considerable credit for developing this innovative approach. Personal wellness takes commitment.

For those who need a motivational push, this fitness tracking program can make a difference. Getting paid — or even the chance of getting paid — to keep one’s body moving on the path of mental and physical wellness is an opportunity worth taking.

KrowdFit might be offering a technological twist on the “carrot and stick” methodology. The app working in conjunction with a wearable tracking device, however, is a motivation too enticing to pass up.

Of course, you have no guarantees of actually receiving a cash prize. But the subtle reward of better personal wellness is a sure fit with KrowdFit.

To sign up, visit the KrowdFit website.

Jack M. Germain

Jack M. Germain has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His main areas of focus are enterprise IT, Linux and open-source technologies. He is an esteemed reviewer of Linux distros and other open-source software. In addition, Jack extensively covers business technology and privacy issues, as well as developments in e-commerce and consumer electronics. Email Jack.

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