Sherri Shepherd’s second ‘HealthyWager’ initiative to again leverage the power and efficacy of financial incentives and expert-caliber support to spur extraordinary success among those dieting-for-dollars through the program
By Merilee Kern, MBA
(The Hollywood Times) 1/12/21 – Celebrity Sherri Shepherd is at it again—endeavoring to lose weight, get fit and healthy and paid for her success related thereto. She’s also motivating America to do the same, as Sherri—an actress, comedian, and best-selling author who formerly served as an Emmy Award-winning network talk television co-host—recently kicked off her second A-list partnership with HealthyWage—the world’s leading purveyor of financially-induced diet contests for individuals and corporate/team-based weight loss challenges.
Amid the popularity of Sherri Shepherd’s initial “HealthyWager” initiative through which participants vied to win up to $10,000 by hitting their own personal weight loss goal, the esteemed television personality has again teamed with HealthyWage for a re-boot of the initiative … again giving participants a chance to win up to $10,000 by hitting their own personal weight loss goal. As an added bonus and point of motivation, those partaking in Sherri Shepherd’s HealthyWager challenge will also receive a $50 cash bonus added to their grand prize. Sherri’s own goal is to lose 15 pounds in 6-months for which she’ll win $500 if she does so. Interested parties may learn more and enroll in the challenge, which runs through June 18, 2021, online at www.healthywage.com/sherri. View a video of Sherri Shepherd announcing the exciting challenge on Facebook here.
“HealthyWage is actually making weight loss fun,” says Sherri Shepherd about the partnership and program at large. “Someone is going to pay me to lose weight? That’s a lot of fun for me. Accountability is so important to any weight loss goal. Going into 2021, I want to get my focus back on my health, and I just needed some incentive so I am excited to partner up again with HealthyWage. The fun part is finding out how much you can win for hitting your goal…it’s the ultimate secret in motivation! HealthyWage is not a fad diet and will actually change the way you look at weight loss. There’s no better kick start to your 2021 resolutions than a HealthyWager!”
How Sherri Shepherd’s HealthyWager works:
1) Calculate Your Prize
Use HealthyWage’s online calculator at www.healthywage.com/sherri to enter your goal and calculate your winnings.
2) Make Your Bet
Increase your winnings by adjusting your goal weight, how much you contribute, and the time you expect it to take! Find a prize you like and make your wager!
3) Lose the Weight
Stay on track throughout the contest with weekly weigh-ins and support from other contestants.
4) Win Money!
Meet your goal and win your prize!
HealthyWage is founded on research and a “double-incentivization” methodology that proves cash rewards triple the effectiveness of weight loss programs. As a case-in-point, HealthyWage payouts are proof positive. For their weight-loss achievements that collectively exceed an astounding 1,050,000 pounds for this year, alone—269 of which losing in excess of 100 pounds (and nearly 7.5 million pounds lost since the company’s launch), HealthyWage has reportedly paid more than 30,000 dieters over $13 million cash in 2020, specifically, and over $55 million cash since its inception in 2009.
A few notable HealthyWager success stories (both female and male) also exemplify the power of this approach. These include Jean N. who lost 71 lbs. and won $3,357.99 for her efforts, and Jeremy M. who also lost 71 lbs. and won $1,886.32 for his own slimdown success. From its website, HealthyWage.com shares yet more inspirational success stories of both women and men who gained financially for their pound-shedding achievements using the company’s unique gamification approach. This includes Kristin W. who lost a staggering 114 pounds and won $4,000 for her efforts, Anastasia W. who lost 41 pounds and won a whopping $10,000 in kind, and Blake S. who lost an impressive 151 pounds and won $4,670 for his own slimdown success. Figures that are tasty, indeed.
“Studies show that monetary incentives serve to enhance the effectiveness of, and duly complement, weight-loss programs of any and all sorts, especially when paid out quickly like our various programs,” said HealthyWage co-founder David Roddenberry. “The average participant more than doubles their investment if they are successful at achieving their goal. The financial upside potential is impressive.”
The efficacy of diet gamification is well-proven. For one, according to study findings published by JAMA Internal Medicine, behavioral economics-based gamification led to “significantly” increased physical activity among overweight and obese Americans. In this particular study, pairing a step-tracking device with social incentives led to sustained, long-term behavior change—prompting participants to take more steps than with a step-tracking device, alone. While the report explains that “gamification interventions significantly increased physical activity during the 24-week intervention,” with competition being the “most effective.”
Further validating HealthyWage’s well-honed approach, an additional study published in the journal Social Science and Medicine continues to prove that money is an effective motivator to “increase both the magnitude and duration of weight loss.” The same holds true in business for staff wellness initiatives. Results from one study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicated that “Loss Incentive’ Motivates Employees to Take More Steps,” finding that financial incentives framed as a loss were most effective for achieving physical activity goals.
“Throngs of studies reiterate the importance of the ‘stick’ in the design of a wellness incentive program, whether for individuals at home or for employee groups,” Roddenberry says. “Many studies have demonstrated that the threat of losing something of value is much more effective than the opportunity to win something of equal value. That’s precisely why we advocate that program participants ‘pay to play’ and make an investment out of their own pocket in order to win rewards—in our case large cash prizes—for losing weight and getting more active in the program.”
As a prolific corporate and group wellness purveyor, since 2009 HealthyWage has worked with an array of hi-caliber participants on workplace and staff wellness initiatives, including Halliburton, ConocoPhillips, and more than 25% of the largest school districts in the country. HealthyWage has, in fact, formally created competitive, money-motivated programs for more than 1000 Fortune 500 and other public and private companies, hospitals, health systems, insurers, school systems, municipal governments, and other organizations throughout the U.S., and their program has been more informally run at more than 7,000 companies and organizations seeking to bolster staff health and well-being, and boost bottom lines in kind.
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Forbes Business Council Member Merilee Kern, MBA is an internationally-regarded brand analyst, strategist, and futurist who reports on noteworthy industry change makers, movers, shakers, and innovators across all categories, both B2C and B2B. This includes field experts and thought leaders, brands, products, services, destinations, and events. Merilee is Founder, Executive Editor, and Producer of “The Luxe List” as well as host of the nationally-syndicated “Savvy Living” TV show. As a prolific consumer and business trends, lifestyle and leisure industry voice of authority and tastemaker, she keeps her finger on the pulse of the marketplace in search of new and innovative must-haves and exemplary experiences at all price points, from the affordable to the extreme. Her work reaches multi-millions worldwide via broadcast TV (her own shows and copious others on which she appears) as well as a myriad of print and online publications. Connect with her at www.TheLuxeList.com and www.SavvyLiving.tv / Instagram www.Instagram.com/LuxeListReports / Twitter www.Twitter.com/LuxeListReports / Facebook www.Facebook.com/LuxeListReports / LinkedIN www.LinkedIn.com/in/MerileeKern.