Verified activity

Verified activity is a workout PATO can confirm actually happened — imported automatically from a member’s watch or phone — as distinct from one they typed in themselves. Both count. Verified ones are worth more points, because the system knows they’re real.

Any rewards programme where members award themselves the points has one inevitable problem: eventually someone works out that typing “90-minute run” is easier than going for one.

You can respond to that by making rewards worth so little nobody bothers gaming them — which also makes them worthless as motivation. Or you can make honest effort worth more.

Verified activity is the second option. A workout that arrives from a member’s watch was recorded by a device, not typed into a box.

Self-logged activity is not treated as suspect. Plenty of real training never touches a device — a lifting session, a class, a swim with the watch left in the locker. Members should log it, and it earns points.

The gap between the two is deliberately modest. It’s enough to reward the honest path, not so much that members without a wearable feel like second-class citizens.

The moment you attach real rewards to points — a free month, merch, a session — the points become a currency, and currencies get gamed. A rewards programme that can be cheated stops motivating the people who don’t cheat, which is most of your members and all of the ones worth keeping.

There’s a second benefit that’s easy to miss. Wearable data means PATO knows about training your gym never sees — the Sunday run, the ride to work. That makes the picture of a member’s consistency more accurate, which makes the at-risk read more accurate too. Someone training hard outside your gym isn’t drifting, and you don’t want to send them a “we’ve missed you” message.