Using gamification to get unhealthy hackers into an exercise program | Hacker News Reader

Using gamification to get unhealthy hackers into an exercise program

economist.com

26 pointsdamian200016 comments

I stopped using fitocracy because putting in info about my workout was actually more annoying and boring than the exercise. Perhaps if it was automatic somehow using a GPS app?

When I was using it, I had the idea of creating NFC tag/ QR code stickers and get gyms to put them on each machine/area. Then you could create an API for apps like Fitocracy to link in with that lets them read what each machine is, and the possible (and perhaps most popular?) exercises are for each.

So instead of clumsily tapping out 'lat pull down' you can just tap/scan the tag, and select from the list of exercises. Or at the very least the app could record the machines you tapped so at home you can enter in more detailed information.

Or if it inferred the exercises you've been doing from some initial training and your phone's accelerometer data/camera.

Whilst this is about Fitocracy, I think Fitbit deserves a shout here, I've been using it for two months to keep track of my activity which in itself isn't much. Once two more friends got them it became a real competition, and now that there's 7 other people in my area the first topic of conversation when we meet up in the pub is about how many steps we've done.

I wouldn't be going to the gym daily if it weren't to either keep my 2nd position in the leaderboard.

( I was really impressed by the hardware too, it's got 2 weeks battery life and you totally forget its there )

Hi, co-founder/CEO of Fitocracy chiming in here.

I'm incredibly curious about how the HN community views devices like the Fitbit and similar products commonly associated with the so-called Quantified Self movement. Not counting the folks who simply want to track their behaviors for data geekery's sake, I assume that many people who use these devices do so for the purposes of weight loss, improved health and fitness, better body composition, etc.

Assuming that that's the case, I wonder how effective these devices really are for the average person?

Hi Brian,

This is Joe from the Healthy Games panel. I used a Fitbit, until I lost it. I just got the Fuelband. What I found with both is that they are helpful to gauge level of activity ("it's noon and I only have 1000 steps, move!"), but lack a second gear. What I'd love to see in products like these is a coaching feature - If my goal is to lose 10 pounds, how much more do I have to walk?

It would also be great to see a similar thing in Fitocracy. I have no idea how to start with lifting. Your UI is really nice, but assumes I have a plan. Pre-populating it with a starter plan would be a huge step forward. Same for Nike and all these other products.

Hey Joe,

Great to hear from you. A coaching feature is most certainly planned on our roadmap.

It should be no surprise, but one of our key learnings has been that when a user signs up for Fitocracy and has little to no experience with exercise, they are incredibly likely to drop off. However, if they stick around long enough to start interacting with the community, the story completely changes. So our core belief is that minimizing the friction to get to that point is key, and that will most likely involve greasing the wheels by providing easy-to-follow starter plans for new users.

For me, and everyone else it's always been about the need to passively keep stats. Remembering to note when I start or finish an activity is just something I've never got used to ( and I've 'used' runkeeper since it first came out and you couldnt do background audio. ) So the advantage of just leaving it clipped and occasionally pressing the button on the walk to the gym, or as you're going to bed has been the selling point for me.

I think your point is valid though, and alas, I can't really say, the average people in our group aren't quite as active as the people who're more interested in the stats.

One of the problems I have with what are essentially glorified pedometers is that while tracking your steps / "activity level" throughout the day is a good first step, it is grossly insufficient for inciting the sorts of changes that are necessary for most folks to reach their particular goals.

The app's website is here: http://www.fitocracy.com/

title: "Fitocracy | The Fitness Social Network To Level Up In Real Life"

Come on now, we can't start calling websites "apps".

Fitocracy has both a website and an app: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fitocracy/id509253726?mt=8

Pain also works.

I threw out my back somehow this weekend, so I ended up learning that stretching and exercise is the way to combat back pain. Fortunately, I'm still young, so I'll probably benefit from those a lot more.

But it also makes me wonder what other lessons about diet & exercise I will someday wish I had known about sooner.

try going to mobilitywod.com a lot of the "mobilizations" there are just ten minutes long but it's helped me a lot in many ways - if you only need to learn one thing, do the 10 minutes squat test - http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/01/episode-150365-10-min-squ...

Looked like a competitive activity rather than a game -- scoring points is not, per se, fun. Where's the game?

I like the idea of this, but so far I have not found it to be a good fit for me. I already familiar my fitness through kinect. One of my biggest problems is knowing what to do. I can't go to the gym, which seems to be what fitocracy revolves around.

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