Zenaida Arroyo

I first heard about StepBet from Kim in this post.  But it wasn’t till later on when she wrote about her experience that I actually signed up.  I asked myself “How hard can it be?”  Well, it wasn’t easy but it wasn’t hard either.  🙂

What is StepBet?
“StepBet is a fitness game that motivates you to be more active.  Players “bet” on themselves to meet their personalized step goals during every week of the game, and win money if they do.  The cash prize, accountability, and community support help you build a more active lifestyle.”

Each game is $40.  If you win, you automatically get it back.  Depending on the number of players and the money in the pot, you can also win more money.  I cannot remember how many players and money was at the beginning of the game, but when it was over, there were 365 players and $21,680 in the pot.  StepBet retains 15% of the gross pot to pay referees, transaction fees, game hosts, and administrative support.  For this game I received $50.49.  Overall, I made $10.49!!!  🙂

How does it work?
Your weekly goals are calculated based on previous data from your FitBit, Apple Watch, Garmin, Apple Health, Google Fit, or Samsung Health.  You will get an Active Day Goal and a Power Day Goal.  You need to hit your “active” steps at least four days a week and “power day” steps at least 2 days per week.  You also get one free day per week.  My step goals were 15,310 for an an active day and 18,511 steps for a power day.  The first week is a warm-up week to get you used to the game.  You do not have to meet any of the goals.  The next 5 weeks are the interesting and challenging ones.  

Thoughts
• I enjoyed the accountability and support.  When you sign up for the challenge, you are in a group (similar to a Facebook group) where you can post and “talk” to other members.

• It got me walking more than usual.  As a teacher I do walk a lot.  However, there were days in which I left school with less than 10,000 steps.  I would then walk for about 1-2 hours to meet my daily goal.  Luckily the weather was decent and nice enough to walk outside.

• Is it worth it?  Yes!  I didn’t do it for the money.  Well, maybe just a little since I didn’t want to lose my $40.  There were days that I was exhausted (especially the day of and after a power day) but I didn’t want to quit.  I am glad we had one free day to rest or simply not worry about meeting the daily goal.

• Will I do it again?  Maybe.  For now I am taking a break from my FitBit (haven’t worn it since January 1st) but might start wearing it again in the upcoming months.

I’ve been wanting to do a RunBet and signed up for one hosted by Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner.  It is a 4 week challenge where you’ll need to run 4 days each week for at least 30 minutes.  Interested?  Sign up HERE.  The challenge starts Monday, March 4th.

• People get injured and couldn’t participate anymore.  They would submit a doctor’s note and would get back their $40.  With this the money in the pot would decrease and there is less money available for the winners.  I know this is wrong (and greedy) of me to say it, but I think that money should have been left in the pot.  More for the winners!  Or maybe half of it should have been refunded?

This week’s Tuesday Topic is a FREE topic.  Feel free to post any running related blog post.  Remember to Link-up with Kim and Zenaida!  Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Remember to come back for later linkers!