Perhaps the greastest hurdle faced by those just starting to exercise, beyond gym fees and planning workouts, is motivation. Sure, everyone who starts down the road has some reason to be there, but in an activity where results are usually only seen after a long-term commitment, sustaining enthusiasm can be an exercise in and of itself.  This challenge of motivation is precisely the issue that the website “Fitocracy” was designed to address. 

This browser game-meets-social networking site is built around the observation that some people in this world are content – perhaps even overjoyed – to spend hour after hour improving characters on video games by facing challenges, completing quests, and earning experience “points,” but may perhaps be less inclined to work on themselves.  Even if they are so disposed, they might enjoy the added incentive that some elements of video games could provide.  Fitocracy has therefore taken these elements – challenges, quests, experience points – and added them to the real-life experience of exercise.

How does this real-life video game work?  It all begins with creating a profile, at which time one can upload a picture, enter in physical statistics, and fill in other details.  Upon completion, one can then begin to undertake quests and earn experience points – simply “points” on Fitocracy.  Quests are completed by fulfilling certain criteria, such as performing so many sets of so many repetitions of a given exercise, or running a mile under a specific time.  Finishing quests earns one xp, which can also be gained by logging one’s regular, non-quest related workouts – the more strenuous, the better.  The ultimate purpose of these points is to advance in level, levels being numeric shorthand for the amount of experience one has accrued which correlates with how much exercise one has done.  Each level requires progressively more points to achieve – for example, one reaches level 2 after earning 100 points; to reach level 3, one much have 300. The net effect is a set of results more immediately visible than those long-term ones that people normally shoot for.  They serve as a sort of stopgap – a carrot on a stick to keep people interested by short-term achievements so that they reap long-term benefits.

If the simple pleasures of patiently working up the level is insufficient to keep one interested, Fitocracy’s social dimension allows for both synergetic and antagonistic relationships to add incentive.  One can work with friends, following each other’s progress and offering encouragement, or one can compete against them, trying to get higher levels faster.  Fitocracy’s interface makes it easy to find and follow friends and invite more to join the fun.

In the interests of full disclosure, it should be noted that there is something of a learning curve to using the website.  The interface isn’t entirely intuitive and takes some getting used to – for example, it can be difficult to log workouts.  However, this is only a temporary inconvenience, quickly eliminated by practice. Beyond that, the only real difficulty is the exercising itself.

If this sounds appealing, either as a serious motivational tool or as an idle diversion, Fitocracy can be found online at fitocracy.com.  It’s free to join, but does require invitation.  These can either be requested by entering an e-mail address on the website or sent to prospective members by current players.  Fitocracy is also now available on mobile devices, so you can more easily level up on the go – if you’re game.