There’s been so much in the media recently about our growing obesity crisis here in the UK and that perhaps the way forward is to pay people to lose weight.
Here at the Academy of Fitness Professionals we hold strong opinions on this so we just had to put pen to paper or rather keyboard to blog.
In our view the simple reality is that exercise, healthy nutrition and weight loss go hand in hand. We don’t promote quick fixes but long term lifestyle habits that deliver lifelong change. So what instils the change? Every time it’s led by the individual; they want to change for a whole host of personal reasons and are prepared to take the steps that help them get there.
There is always a catalyst for this – and it’s always led by the individual.
If this catalyst was replaced with a financial return what would happen once the cash was in the bank and the financial rewards fell away?
I’m not saying incentives can’t work – they can play a massive part in motivation. But why not motivate in other ways that support those who are seeking the help for non-financial returns. For example, support is provided to kick-start weight loss through free exercise sessions and weight loss clubs but this is short-term and doesn’t support the individual to their end goal. Why not reinvest funding in those who are making good progress so that they can achieve the lifelong change they are seeking. For those not making the progress rebalance the books by withdrawing this funding and reallocating it elsewhere
Peter Lemon is the Founder of the Academy of Fitness Professionals and advanced Personal Trainer
