Working out is great for our mental and physical health but sometimes it’s tough to find the motivation to exercise.
A huge motivator for many of us is money and that’s why getting paid to exercise is such an appealing idea.
According to a study from Mayo Clinic, weight loss study participants who received financial incentives were more likely to stick with a weight loss program and lost more weight than participants who didn’t receive any incentives. 62% of those who did get paid to lose weight, actually lost weight, whereas only 26% of the group that didn’t get an incentive lost weight.
And, in the incentive groups, participants’ mean weight loss was 9.08 pounds, compared with 2.34 pounds for the non-incentive groups.
There are plenty of ways you can get paid to work out from programs that offer cash to people who exercise to jobs that keep you on your feet.
In today’s post, I’ll cover the best ways you can get paid to exercise.
Get Paid to Exercise!
Let’s start out with apps and programs that pay people for exercising and for doing other healthy activities. These apps and programs pay you for everything from walking to cycling.
Here are some places that pay you to workout…
1. HealthyWage
HealthyWage is an app where you can bet on your weight loss goals.
Use the HealthyWage calculator to enter your weight loss goal and calculate your winnings. You can increase your winnings by adjusting your goal weight, how much you contribute, and how much time you expect it to take.
You can find a prize you like and make your wager.
The app helps you to stay on track throughout the contest with weekly weigh-ins and support from other contestants.
If you lose the assigned weight, you win the bet and the cash! For example, if you set a 30 lb. weight loss goal, then you could win anywhere from $490 to $1009.
For more details and a few tips, check out our HealthyWage review.
Get the app:
2. Achievement
Achievement is a super popular app with more than 4 million downloads. With it, you can choose from more than 20 apps and start earning points for healthy activities, like walking and meditating.
For every 10,000 points you earn, you’ll earn $10. You can redeem your points for money to your PayPal account or by direct deposit to your bank account.
You can also donate your earnings directly to a charity. Rewards are paid within 7 business days.
Get the app:
3. Sweatcoin
Sweatcoin is a step counter and activity tracker app that pays you a digital currency called sweat coin. You earn sweat coins for your steps and you can spend this digital currency on gadgets, sports kit, fitness training, healthy nutrition and more.
Basically, you can spend sweat coins on goods, services, and experiences, or you can donate them to charity.
It’s a good way to earn money from your steps and for exercising at home and outside.
Get the app here:
4. DietBet
DietBet is a website and app that you can use to put a bet on your weight loss. You join a game, lose weight, and when you win, you split the pot. You’ll get your winnings as points that you can redeem for money to your PayPal account, or you can request a check but there’s a $5 charge to cover the cost of writing and mailing the check.
Get the app:
5. Virgin Pulse
Virgin Pulse is an app that partners with corporate wellness programs. So this could be an option for you depending on your company’s corporate wellness program. If your employee doesn’t offer a rewards-based corporate wellness program yet, then you can ask your HR department about Virgin Pulse.
With Virgin Pulse, you can take part in individual and group challenges and win cash and prizes. And, with a pedometer, Fitbit, or your smartphone, you can also track your exercise progress.
Get the app:
6. StepBet
With StepBet, you can bet money on yourself during weekly, health-focused games. You’ll be encouraged to walk and exercise to meet your personalized step targets.
With the app, you can select a step source with Fitbit, Garmin, Samsung Health, and Google Fit all being supported.
You can find a game and join it by placing a bet into the game’s pot.
Then, you can walk, exercise, and stay active to meet your fitness goals every week of the game.
If you win, you split the pot with other winners.
Get the app:
7. AARP Rewards
With AARP Rewards, you could get paid to be fit. Through AARP Rewards, you can choose from hundreds of good for you activities and earn points every time you tackle a rewards activity.
Then you can redeem points for things like discounted gift cards, sweepstakes entries, local deals, charitable donations, or adventures.
The AARP rewards program is now part of the AARP Now app. So you can earn rewards points for downloading AARP Now and sync your favorite fitness tracker or Apple Health app to Rewards in the app so that you can earn even more points for steps, swimming, and cycling.
Get the app:
8. Charity Miles
With Charity Miles, you can raise money for charity by doing activities like hiking or jogging. You can choose a charity, with more than 40 charities to choose from, and then start moving. The app will track your movement, and for every mile you log, you help to earn money for your chosen charity. Get sponsored by companies too.
Get the app:
9. Vitality
Vitality is another corporate wellness program like Virgin Pulse. Vitality partners with employee wellness programs. Log your fitness activities and you’ll earn points called Vitality Bucks that you can use to purchase merchandise, services, or travel at the Vitality Mall.
Send a request to HR if your employer doesn’t currently partner with Vitality.
Get the app:
10. MapMyFitness
MapMyFitness is a mobile fitness tracking app from Under Armour. With it, you can participate in challenges that keep you active, and you can win prizes. Each challenge comes with different activities, rules, and prizes. You can also track gym workouts, walking, cycling, yoga, and more.
Get the app:
Jobs that Pay You to Work Out!
The apps and programs above all pay you to exercise. But those aren’t the only options for making money from exercising.
You can also get a job or side hustle that pays you to be active.
Here are some great jobs that pay you to be active:
11. Skillshare teacher
Skillshare is a website where people can take video classes on everything from cooking to photography. And, you can even teach fitness classes there.
If you enjoy working out and would like to get paid for it, then you should definitely consider teaching on Skillshare.
According to Skillshare, its top teachers make $1,000s each month!
12. Yoga instructor
Yoga is a great activity, and you could actually get paid to teach it. You could rent a space and start making money teaching a yoga class.
You could teach groups in a workplace setting as well. Or you could try hosting online yoga classes.
While pay varies from state to state, yoga instructors earn from $22 to $30 an hour.
13. Martial arts instructor
Are you trained as a martial artist? If so, then you could make money as a martial arts teacher.
You could start your own business and rent a space or use an existing space that you have to teach martial arts classes or private lessons.
From BJJ to karate, to Tae Kwon Do, there are plenty of martial arts that you can get paid to teach.
14. Landscaper
Landscapers build and maintain outdoor areas. This is a physical job that’s great if you want to get paid for exercising. It involves everything from trimming hedges to cleaning outdoor areas – all of which keeps you on your feet!
Here’s where you can find work:
Landscapers can earn anywhere from $10 to $20 an hour with the average pay being about $14 an hour.
15. YouTube Fitness Instructor
YouTube is a super popular platform and lots of people nowadays make a living from the site. You could start your own fitness channel where you teach people to work out.
Once you gain enough subscribers, you’ll be eligible to become a YouTube Partner. YouTube Partners earn money from the ads on their videos. Some YouTubers are even sponsored to create content for brands.
While YouTube isn’t that forthcoming with how much its content creators earn, online figures suggest that for every 1,000 views, YouTubers earn from $0.25 to $7. You get paid through your AdSense account. There’s the potential to make $1,000s a month if your channel becomes popular.
16. Dog walker
Being a dog walker sure does keep you fit. And you can get paid for it. Lots of people are too busy with work and other commitments to find the time to walk their dog. So, they hire a dog walker to do it for them.
Dog walkers earn anywhere from $10 to $29 an hour with the average pay being $14 an hour.
You could advertise your dog walking service to people nearby or online on sites like Craigslist.
And, you can find plenty of dog walking jobs online on websites like Rover and Indeed.
17. Window cleaning
Another job that keeps you fit is window cleaning. People always need someone to clean their windows, so this can be an in-demand job.
You could offer a window cleaning service to homeowners and businesses near you. The startup costs for window cleaning can be low too, making this a great side hustle for staying active.
Window cleaners earn $15 an hour on average.
18. Bicycle messenger/courier
Cycling is an activity that many people do in order to stay fit. If you enjoy cycling, then why not get paid for it as a bicycle courier or messenger?
This is a good option if you live in or near a big city.
Bicycle messengers earn $9 to $12 an hour with the average pay being about $11 an hour.
You can find bike courier jobs on sites like Indeed and SimplyHired. And you can also search for gigs by entering the term “bike messenger jobs near me, “bike courier jobs near me,” or “bike delivery jobs near me.”
19. Tour Guide
Being a tour guide involves quite a bit of walking making it a good job for anyone who wants to get paid to exercise.
Consider working as a tour guide in your city.
You could find tour guide jobs on:
Tour guides earn anywhere from $9 to $23 an hour with the average pay being about $13 an hour.
20. Cleaning
Cleaning is a very active job that can help you to stay fit. Since cleaners are always in demand, this can be a profitable job. You can make money cleaning people’s homes or workplaces and stay active in the process.
You could advertise your services in the local paper or on a platform like Facebook or Craigslist. Or you could find work on Housekeeper.com.
Cleaners can earn anywhere from $9 to $20 an hour with the average income being $12 an hour.
Get Paid for Fitness!
You could try out one of the apps and programs above and get paid to be healthy, lose weight and move more. Or you could try out a job or business idea that pays you to stay active.
Teaching fitness classes, like a yoga class or a martial arts class online or in person can be a great option because you can fit in classes that suit your schedule.
Also, jobs like cleaning, being a tour guide, or being a bike messenger are great because they keep you active.
Give these apps, programs, and tips a try and you’ll make money working out!