Nutrition apps can help build healthy habits but the ‘gamification’ might carry risks

Nutrition apps can help build healthy habits but the ‘gamification’ might carry risks

Green means go, red means stop. Trophies or confetti come with good performance, and people who fall behind get nudged to do better. Those brightly colored engagement tactics long ago jumped from smartphone games to everything from online shopping to sports betting and classrooms. So it should come as no surprise that many nutrition-tracking apps like MyFitnessPal and … Read more

Exclusive | The gamification of exercise: New high-tech workout equipment has even couch potatoes losing weight and getting ripped

Exclusive | The gamification of exercise: New high-tech workout equipment has even couch potatoes losing weight and getting ripped

My hands were slick with sweat as I clutched the Wii controller, limbs flailing wildly as I struggled to keep up with the “Womanizer” routine on Just Dance. It was the late aughts, and I detested almost all forms of physical activity. But when my family became one of the first on the block to … Read more