StepBet is a platform that blends personalized step goals with group competitions and financial incentives. Operated by WayBetter, which specializes in behavior change games, the company believes this innovation can drive long-term behavior change in the fitness landscape. Kerri Walsh, Chief Business Development Officer at StepBet, spoke with Athletech News about how gamification can foster consistency, community and motivation in fitness.

StepBet tailors daily step goals to individual activity levels and incorporates a financial component that makes staying active more engaging. The company has paid out millions of dollars in winnings to users.

“B“By making fitness a rewarding habit rather than a chore, we help individuals stay motivated,” Walsh told ATN. “Our platform is designed to tap into intrinsic and extrinsic motivation—people love the satisfaction of hitting their goals, but the financial incentive gives them that extra push to stay committed.”

Research has shown that financial rewards can be a strong motivator for behavior change, but StepBet wants to ensure that these incentives lead to sustained engagement rather than just short-term participation.

“Our challenges typically range from 2 to 6 weeks, striking the perfect balance between immediate motivation and long-term habit formation,” Walsh said. “We want people to start a challenge and feel that sense of accomplishment, but the real goal is to create a stepping stone for a more active lifestyle.”

She added that StepBet’s dynamic goal-setting model ensures that the challenges remain accessible yet effective. “We take into account a person’s past activity levels and gradually push them toward improvement, making the experience both achievable and rewarding.”

The platform’s setup, where friends invite friends, also helps strengthen engagement and foster long-term participation. This ecosystem makes movement more enjoyable and habitual.

“Community is at the heart of StepBet,” Walsh explained. “Our in-app social features allow users to share progress, exchange motivational tips and hold each other accountable. The camaraderie built through these challenges is what keeps people coming back.”

Beyond motivation, Walsh also sees StepBet as a tool for reshaping how people perceive fitness. “Many people think of exercise as something they ‘have’ to do, but we’re changing that mindset,” she said. “StepBet reframes movement as something fun, social and rewarding.”

Looking ahead, Walsh foresees continued advancements in wearables, AI-driven personalization and interactive social connections shaping the future of fitness.

“We are committed to investing in these areas to stay ahead of the innovation curve,” she stated. “Technology is evolving rapidly and we see a future where fitness platforms like ours become even more adaptive, intuitive and integrated into people’s daily lives.”

She emphasized that StepBet is designed for a broad range of users. “Whether you’re just starting out, a seasoned fitness enthusiast, or simply looking for a new way to stay motivated, StepBet is for everyone. Movement should be accessible, fun and rewarding for all.”

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Tennis champion and entrepreneur Venus Williams has invested in the walking game. WeWard, the app that rewards over 20 million users for every step they take, has announced Williams as both an investor and ambassador.

The World Health Organization reports that 31% of adults and 80% of adolescents fall short of recommended physical activity levels. WeWard’s reveals that many Americans walk only about half of the daily steps they should, ranking among the lowest in walking activity compared to other developed nations.

In a 50-second video campaign, Venus Williams was seen engaging with the WeWard app—tracking her steps, and celebrating a milestone during a tennis match.

“A large part of staying well and active is simply by moving your body whichever way you can,” Williams said. “With WeWard, walking becomes a fun and rewarding experience, and I’m excited to help inspire people to take that first step towards a healthier lifestyle.”

This partnership is also about giving back; WeWard has pledged an initial donation of $25,000 to CARE, the charity of Williams’s choice, which focuses on alleviating global poverty through improved health, education, and economic opportunities for women and communities. WeWard will also host a month-long “Venus Williams Championship” within the app. Users’ collective steps can unlock increasing donation amounts, potentially culminating in a total donation of $40,000.

Founded in 2019 by Yves Benchimol, WeWard gamifies the walking experience. Users can track their daily steps and redeem rewards ranging from cash deposits and retail gifts to charitable donations. With strategic partnerships with over 1,500 major brands—including names like Amazon, Adidas, and Nike—the app touts an increase of nearly 25% increase in daily walking activity among its global user base. The recent expansion into 20 new countries and achieving over 1 million downloads in the U.S. signal a growing movement toward healthier lifestyles through simple, accessible activity.

 “We couldn’t have found a better partner to help us inspire more people to walk,” Benchimol said. “Venus has been a huge inspiration throughout her multifaceted career, and her energy and advocacy perfectly align with our mission.”

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Urban Poling Inc. has announced that its Urban and Activator® poles are now eligible for reimbursement through Health Spending Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA). This approval provides people with a new option to support their health and mobility goals using pre-tax dollars.

The Activator® Poles are designed to improve balance, mobility and joint health. They can be useful for those managing pain, recovering from injuries, or seeking low-impact exercise options. Their patented design helps distribute the force of walking more evenly across the body, reducing strain on lower-body joints.

“Walking with poles engages up to 90% of muscles by involving the arms, shoulders, back, and core—compared to 50% to 70% with regular walking,” said Andrea Christoforou, a physical therapist at the Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Outpatient Center Cambridge, in a Harvard Health article. “Using poles can also encourage longer strides and improve gait, which may help reduce the risk of falls.”

Research indicates that walking with poles can burn more calories than walking alone, with increases ranging from 20% to 46% depending on walking speed. A study conducted by the Canadian Heart Institute also found that pole walking can improve functional capacity more effectively than other moderate to vigorous exercises.

The poles are designed to promote core activation, improve posture, and provide stability. These features make them a practical tool for a wide range of users, including older adults or individuals with mobility challenges.

Personal trainers and group fitness instructors can incorporate Urban and Activator® Poles into their programming to offer clients a versatile and effective way to improve strength, endurance and balance. The poles are particularly useful in rehabilitation settings or for clients seeking low-impact exercise options. Trainers can use them for outdoor walking sessions, mobility drills and core-strengthening exercises, providing an accessible way to diversify workout routines while addressing individual fitness needs.

The HSA and FSA eligibility of the poles makes them more financially accessible for individuals looking to incorporate them into their exercise routines. The reimbursement option may also encourage more people to explore walking with poles as a way to support their health.

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Could neighborhood “walkability” promote better health through increased walking activity? A new study suggests the answer is yes.

A paper published this month in the American Journal of Epidemiology explored the connection between infrastructure that supports walkability and increased weekly walking time. The study found that a 55% improvement in walkability leads to a 23% increase in weekly walking minutes.

Using data from roughly 11,000 twins taken from 2009 to 2020, researchers found that walkability can add up to 18 extra minutes of walking per week for each resident. Perhaps unsurprisingly, residents of more walkable areas, such as urban neighborhoods, showed higher levels of walking participation.

Lead author Glen Duncan, a professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at Washington State University, told ScienceDaily that these findings could be transformative for a nation that is largely sedentary.

“We have so many people in the U.S. population who don’t get sufficient activity,” he said. “If we could shift the percentage of the population that just took on more plain old walking, we would see real health benefits.”

Duncan also highlighted the simplicity of walking – which does not have to be as extreme or advanced as rucking. 

“You don’t have to spend loads of money on fitness clothing and the best gear,” he pointed out. “Walking is a very natural thing. You just lace on some shoes and head out the door.”

And, walking doesn’t have to be boring. Some fitness enthusiasts have adopted “retro walking,” where they walk backward to improve balance and speed. 

Wearables and apps can also support the habit of walking, making it easier for individuals to track steps. This year, Texas-based startup Card.io, a gamified cardio fitness app, secured an investment on the Season 16 premiere of ABC’s “Shark Tank.” The app – which will now target corporate wellness programs – encourages communities to band together and compete in Turf Wars, claiming (and defending) their neighborhood by walking, running or cycling. 

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When it comes to fitness modalities and products, some stand the test of time while others fade into obscurity. History is filled with flashy fads that made big promises and generated buzz but ultimately fell short.

Take sauna suits introduced in the 1970s, designed to induce sweating for weight loss, which were eventually debunked as unsafe and unsustainable.

Or the infamous ThighMaster of the ’90s, whose laser focus on thigh toning proved too limited to deliver real gains.

The turn of the century brought us Ab Rollers and Ab Belts, which claimed to sculpt abs with minimal effort but were quickly replaced by more effective, holistic core workouts.

And who could forget the Shake Weight? It had its moment, but it left most of us shaking our heads.

Now, another unexpected trend is making waves, fueled by influencers and social media.

Enter Retro Walking – or simply, walking backward.

Is it just another fleeting fad, or does it hold real merit for fitness enthusiasts? To get to the bottom of it, we turned to ACE-certified personal trainer Chris Gagliardi for expert insights.

Unique Benefits 

“Walking, regardless of the direction, offers significant health benefits, including improved cardiorespiratory fitness, enhanced longevity, and reduced risk of chronic conditions like hypertension, type 2 diabetes and cancer,” says Gagliardi. “It also positively impacts function, pain management, sleep, mental health and resilience.”

However, walking backward, or retro walking, adds unique advantages.

“Retro walking can improve balance, walking speed and cardiorespiratory fitness to a greater extent, particularly for individuals recovering from stroke,” he explains.

Studies also show that retro walking can lead to greater reductions in pain and functional disability and enhance quadriceps strength in people with knee osteoarthritis. Additionally, it may outperform forward walking in reducing BMI, inflammation markers like C-reactive protein and blood pressure in individuals with overweight or obesity.

“While walking in any direction is beneficial for many, retro walking could offer superior results for specific populations, especially when done in a supervised setting,” Gagliardi notes.

When asked if this trend might catch on beyond niche use, Gagliardi remains cautiously skeptical.

“I am not familiar with exercise professionals who regularly program this activity for their clients, and I do not see people walking down the street backward,” he says. “However, I often see backward walking and running performed in sports conditioning programs, especially for athletes who may need to move backward as part of their sport’s demands.”

He points out that backward walking has been proven to burn more calories.

“Looking at the data from the 2024 Compendium of Physical Activities, you can see that walking backward has a greater MET value than walking forward at a similar pace. And the higher the MET value, the greater the caloric expenditure,” he explains.

Intentional Programming

When incorporating backward walking into client routines, Gagliardi advises trainers and coaches to approach it thoughtfully.

“One of the best ways to introduce backward walking is to go slow and low and to be supervised,” he says. “Starting at a slow pace and low intensity is key, as backward walking offers a greater balance challenge, requiring caution during its introduction. Trainers might incorporate brief backward walking intervals into a client’s existing walking routine or include it as part of warm-ups and cool-downs.”

For clients with specific goals like improving strength, balance or preventing injuries, backward walking can be tailored to fit their needs.

“It’s important to understand why you’re adding a new exercise – whether it’s for variety, to overcome a barrier or to meet a specific goal,” Gagliardi emphasizes. “For instance, if forward walking causes discomfort, backward walking might be a pain-free alternative to include cardio in a client’s regimen. Regardless of the purpose, safety and clear intentions should guide its implementation.”

In the end, Gagliardi believes this new modality could have staying power.

“Retro walking has staying power when it comes to improving health and wellness,” he says. “I can’t say, however, how popular this will become in non-clinical settings. But when done in a safe manner, retro walking can lead to health benefits and is a good option for adding variety to a workout or challenging your body in new ways.”

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