We get it: Changing behavior is hard. That is why we are relentless in our pursuit to incorporate the most impactful behavioral insights, personalized programs and smart incentives into our Vitality platform to help people create sustained behavior change and make healthy habits second nature.
A recent study of more than 34,000 Vitality members found that physical activity and other healthy lifestyle behaviors also improve nutrition, alcohol consumption, smoking and stress. Research from RAND Corporation demonstrated that Vitality program incentives linked to Apple Watch were associated with increased, sustained activity. The analysis found an average 34% increase in activity levels among 400,000 participants who used this rewards model, compared to those without these incentives — leading to an additional 4.8 days of activity per month.
Given the link to the virtuous cycle of physical activity and health, we’re inking partnerships to make it even easier for people to participate in seamless fitness experiences and engage in healthier lifestyles.
Most recently, our platform is the technology behind the new Orangetheory® Fitness program OTEarn. OTEarn is designed to keep their members motivated to achieve their goals and earn rewards in the process. With the new Orange Premier+ membership, they can use their Apple Watch to track their physical activities through an integrated connection to the Health app. When they complete physical activity challenges, they’ll earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards. This incentive-based approach increases activity levels for less active members and sustains them for those already considered active.
Crunch Fitness announced last week its new initiative that relies on the power of Apple Watch to help members stay healthy. Building off our Active Rewards with Apple Watch program, the custom-built CrunchTime Active Rewards app will provide new members with weekly fitness goals and reward them for taking these actions to improve their well-being. In working with Vitality, Crunch will leverage both the power of Apple Watch and the knowledge and insights Vitality has gained in incentivizing positive lifestyle habits.
These are just a couple of ways we encourage physical activity and healthy lifestyle behaviors to improve members’ well-being.
In March, we’ll host the Vitality Running World Cup giving everyone the chance to represent his or her country in an annual, free-to-enter, knockout, global running competition. Open to anyone, every participant who completes three kilometers (1.86 miles) in under 30 minutes on a smartphone or fitness device contributes toward his or her country’s total. Participation is free and you can sign up here: runningworldcup.com.
As this decade comes to a close, we’ll continue efforts to offer innovative solutions backed by science, paired with appealing technology, integrated with key partners and health initiatives, and reinforced by real results. At the end of the day, it’s about removing barriers to drive dramatic, sustained impact on healthy behaviors across broad segments of the population.
