Singaporeans can win prizes for walking

New app part of the National Steps Challenge - a novel way to increase activity.

Singaporeans can win prizes if they increase their exercise and take at least 5,000 steps a day. The National Steps Challenge, run by the Health Promotion Board, is designed to promote healthier lifestyles, encouraging more exercise and a change of diet. The HPB has also launched a new app to help citizens get on board. The Healthy 365 app counts the number of steps its user takes using the smartphone’s inbuilt accelerometer. It rewards them with 15 points for over 5,000 steps in a day. Every 600 points is worth $5, and users can redeem their points for grocery vouchers. They can keep track of what they eat everyday in their “diet journal”. The app has a list of over 1,000 local food and drinks to pick from. Users can look for their food by the type of cuisine, grocery or drinks, or simply type it out in the search bar. They can also add frequent items to their ‘favourites’ list. The app will also help them find healthy food by showing options within their preferred calorie range. Each item shows how much exercise is required to burn it off. The app provides warnings is users consume more calories than they have used, nudging them to go for a walk or a jog. It also shows them healthier eateries and jogging routes nearby. Three user-friendly dashboards show citizens their daily calorie count, how many steps they have taken, and any high-calorie food they’ve consumed. The National Steps Challenge is running from 7 November 2015 to 8 May 2016. Registration ends on 30 November 2015. Download the app for an Apple or Android device. Top image by Dickson Phua; licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.