- Has the gym been whittling away at your bank account for month after month?
- When you refer to the gym do you not mention going, instead do you just say “I’m a member of…”?
- Lack of intent and wasted money aside somehow cancelling still feels like failure?
If all of the previous statements apply to you, but you aspire to break the viscous cycle, although, like me you have the motivation of a cup. Fitocracy might just be the app for you!
Fitocracy is a game and wonderful branch of social networking that allows its users to share help and advice on how they have achieved certain goals. Whether you’re new to the gym and need a little advice on how to get started, or you’re training for your fifth marathon and could use some tips on the correct diet plan, I can guarantee that thousands before you have had the same questions and needed the same answers.
You may have notice I referred to Fitocracy as a game. This is true. In August 2010 Richard Talens and Brain Wang had the idea of turning fitness into a game. Understanding the addiction behind gaming is the same addiction that drives others to the gym. The need to reach that next level or to get that higher score can be easily applied to personal progression. I know that if I had spent half the amount of time that I have done on FIFA, at the gym, then I’d be as fit as an Olympian by now. So using a series of challenges, targets and ‘quests’ set in place to be completed in order to progress to the next level, gets us drawn into the fun side of fitness.
Upon creating an account you are asked about your interests. This helps in connecting you to groups of users with the same hobbies and targets. I found this extremely useful; I had been a member for a mere 15 seconds before I’d learned something new.
After getting involved a little more I’ve found that Fitocracy is a fantastic place to meet people looking for the same motivation and advice I needed. Not everyone can be blessed with likeminded friends when it comes to fitness. Having the option to pop online and record recent successes and failures, as well as checking in on friends and keeping each other on track has made me more determined to stick to my goals.
The other side of it of course is for the competitive ones among us. This is where the game aspect really comes into it’s own. Fitocracy is the perfect place to develop those ‘healthy’ relationships that spur us all on. When advice and support just doesn’t quite cut it, there’s nothing like a little competition.
Now nearly four years and eight or nine staff later Fitocracy is helping millions in their quest to reach the next level of fitness and can’t be summed up better than by the cofounders themselves;
“And so Fitocracy was born. Fitocracy’s mission is to make fitness a more fun, more addictive experience. Play Fitocracy to beat challenges, push your boundaries and show your friends who’s boss. Get addicted to your fitness.”
By Content Assistant – Simon Weise
