Realising how far I’ve come makes me feel really proud, says Vidya

Vidya’s family has a history of diabetes, so staying healthy is particularly important for her. In 2014, she had a health scare that required emergency surgery and a series of subsequent operations. The surgery was a success but drawn out, and she lost her motivation to keep fit. BetterPoints helped her get it back.

Vidya’s sudden health scare prompted a string of operations every three months for a couple of years. ‘This meant that, every three months, I would need bed rest and would feel extremely tired,’ she told us.

‘By the time I recovered, I would have about four weeks to exercise before going in for the next op.’

Her surgeon was wonderful and resolved her condition, but the surgery itself had taken its toll on Vidya. She had now got out of the habit of regular exercise and was putting on weight.  

‘I had put on a few stone,’ she says. ‘I was walking less than an hour a week and felt no motivation to get out the house.’

Then Vidya discovered BetterPoints.

‘I came across BetterPoints by chance on a health forum, where someone was saying it was a good app. I was a little dubious at first,’ she says, ‘but thought I’d give it a try, and I’m so glad I have!’

The incentives offered by the BetterPoints app have helped Vidya get outside more and for longer periods of time.

‘I have started getting up and walking at times where I would have just been sitting in front of the TV,’ she says, ‘and extending some of my walks from just 10 or 15 minutes to an hour or two.’

‘They are all small changes, but I already feel so much fitter and healthier and I am sleeping a lot better too.’

Vidya tries to spend her reward points on healthy indulgences. ‘The next treat I’m looking to get is exercise clothes,’ she says, ‘as I need a size smaller now!’

But BetterPoints incentives are not limited to reward points. A rich mix of incentives is used to meet the motivational needs of different people. For Vidya, it’s about seeing progress and building on it. ‘It’s meeting goals and then looking back and self-reflecting,’ she says.

‘With a family history of diabetes, I know every day I get out there and exercise, I am reducing my risks and giving myself a better chance at a healthier and longer life with those I care about,’ says Vidya. ‘Realising how far I’ve come makes me feel really proud.’

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