Families could get supermarket discounts if they hit NHS exercise targets

Families could get discounts on their supermarket shopping if they hit weekly exercise “step targets” under radical NHS proposals. Free bikes, sprinting tracks on pavements and outdoor public gyms are also proposed as part of efforts to drive out couch potato lifestyles and reward those who try to shape up.

The head of the health service said the schemes, which will be piloted in new towns, aimed to create a “design for life” which would persuade young and old out of sedentary habits. Under the proposals, those who meet weekly activity targets, tracked on apps, could be offered discounts on weekly supermarket shopping and sports gear, free cinema tickets, or cut-price gym membership.

Housing developers will be asked to provide new homes with free bikes, in a bid to “cut car use and promote cycling”, health officials said. The ideas are part of an NHS policy to create 10 “Healthy New Towns” which are piloting new ways to encourage more active living.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/21/families-could-get-supermarket-discounts-hit-nhs-exercise-targets/

How sad that it's come to this. I can't see anyone being able to prove they exercise, and in any case, there shouldn't be a reward for it. If they want to be fat and unhealthy, that's up to them, and if they want to be a normal weight and healthy, that's also up to them - it shouldn't be rewarded by anyone else.

I can't believe how many fat people I see around these days.

How about rewards for stopping smoking?