TAMPA, Fla. — In an effort to encourage physical fitness among its membership and local community, GTE Financial CU has offered a cash incentive for individuals who exercise, lose weight and shed belly-fat.
Under GTE Financial's "Get Fit" free rewards program, launched in January 2014, participating members can receive up to $145 annually simply by walking, running, biking or other forms of routine exercise.
The $1.66-billion CU offers the program to members with an active checking account with GTE. Members can then "track" their daily physical activity by downloading apps — namely either of two wearable mobile activity tracking applications: Fitbit or RunKeeper (which can be downloaded for free from an Android or iPhone).
Members earn points for each step measured by the app. Every 250 steps translate into a penny in cash or discounts. Thus, according to GTE, 70,000 steps generate $2.80 per week — over a whole year, that equates to almost $146.
According to a GTE spokesperson, 2,484 members have joined the "Get Fit" program since its inception in January 2014.
GTE members have walked or run more than 100,000 miles through this program, GTE added, resulting in the awarding of more than $4,000 to participants.
GTE also noted that, to the best of its knowledge, GTE is the only financial institution in the nation that offers such a program.
The program is still in the pilot stage, and GTE said it has not yet decided on adopting the program permanently.
The Sunshine State makes an ideal location for such a fitness program. Despite the popular image of Florida as a haven for retirees and senior citizens, the greater Tampa Bay area actually boasts a vibrant youthful population.
According to data from the Tampa Bay Partnership's Center for Business Intelligence, as of 2012, almost half (45.5%) of the area's 4.35-million people were between the ages of 18 and 54.
In addition, Florida has a problem with obesity, but is faring somewhat better than most of the country with this epidemic. Between 2012 and 2013, although the state's adult obesity rate edged up slightly on the whole, with an obesity rate of 26.4%, there were 36 other states in the country with a higher rate, said a report from Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Florida's obesity rate peaked at 26.6% in 2011.
