RunKeeper and GymPact want you to get paid for tracking your fitness

Staying motivated to achieve your fitness goals is always difficult. But would you be motivated if someone actually decided to pay you for sticking to those fitness goals? That's the idea behind GymPact, which today announced a partnership with RunKeeper to link the latter company's fitness tracking app to its pay-for-workouts motivational service.

The idea behind GymPact is simple. You make a "pact" each week basically setting a monetary amount you'll pay if you don't make your exercise goals. For example, your pact may be to pay $25 if you don't work out five days this week for at least 30 minutes. If you've made or exceeded your goal at the end of the week, you get paid by the money of those who didn't meet their goals. If you decide to sit around and watch TV every night instead of working out, you are out $25.

How does RunKeeper come into this? There's now a way to link your RunKeeper account with GymPact. If you already use the RunKeeper (free) app to track your physical activity, then you can click on the new RunKeeper button in the free GymPact app to link the two accounts. RunKeeper activities that count towards your GymPact include any runs, walks or bike rides that are tracked by RunKeeper's GPS and include a minimum of 1/2 mile distance and 30 minutes of activity with a pace above 2 miles per hour.

GymPact is a unique way of staying motivated to keep active, and the integration with the very popular RunKeeper app makes a lot of sense.