Staying Fit
David Weissberg
When I joined AARP, I was introduced to the AARP Rewards program almost immediately. I wasn’t sure how it worked exactly, but I had enough time on my hands to take a quiz or two. I immediately began accruing points — 450 points to test my knowledge of driving laws. I measured my body mass index (BMI) for 75 points. Those 75 points were not much consolation, but I took them.
I didn’t know what I was collecting points for, but it was easy to do. Soon after, I started getting offers to enter sweepstakes in exchange for my points. Suddenly, I was hooked, playing games and entering sweepstakes — a $250 card to Macy’s or a $500 coupon for Delta Airlines.
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I was accumulating points like mad but not cashing in on deals. The points themselves became the reward for me, like the dopamine hit of a like on Facebook. I started to wonder if I was doing it right, so I asked AARP what the world’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization was doing with this program.
Turns out, AARP Rewards is designed to help people get ahead of the curve balls life throws at us as we age by making it easy, fun and rewarding to participate in challenges, games and quizzes to help loved ones, test your savings chops or walk 5,000 steps in a day. Program participants earn points for these activities, which they can use to reward themselves.
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The program incentivizes learning with quizzes, trivia, and brain-stimulating games. Each month, AARP offers a curated set of learning activities, offering a deep dive into topics like why sleep is good for your health or ways to spot cyberscams.
The AARP Rewards program also encourages users to earn points by connecting their fitness tracker or their iPhone Apple Health or Android Google Fit apps to the free AARP Now app. Once connected, participants can earn points while reaching their fitness goals. Walking 5,000 steps a day or biking 25 miles a week accumulates points. AARP also offers its own fitness videos, including a 5-minute strength exercise or 10-minute cardio class. The AARP Now app is useful for checking point balances and finding additional activities and rewards.
But back to those payouts. According to Megan Barrett, AARP Rewards Marketing Director, these are four of the best ways to get rewards and save in the program:
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