Earn miles when you run miles?

[bencrozier]

Wouldn't it be cool if we could earn miles on our credit cards for every mile that we run?  Every year you might earn enough miles to fly somewhere exotic.... and go for a run! 

[Jennifer Schmidt]

That would actually make a great idea for a wellness benefit.  It could be a perk for those of us that really care about our bodies.  Another thought would be if the credit card companies worked with the shoe manufacturers and we could earn points towards new running shoes.  Obviously, earning miles for running miles would be pretty cool too as I travel to New York and now Florida a few times a year.

 

[bencrozier]

Jennifer,

I think you should be our next president!  I love the way you think.  Some shoe company should take your idea and team up with visa or an airline company and give miles every time you buy new shoes!  They could give you 500 miles every time you buy a new pair of running shoes.  I love it!

Ben

[Sasha Pachev]

There would need to be a way to protect against cheating. Possibly you could require that the trip be done to a race, you pay for your ticket upfront,  and if you meet a certain reasonable time standard (e.g 5:00 in the marathon for a man under 50) your expenses are reimbursed.  The race must be chip timed with checkpoints that you must cross.

Per dollar spent this program would do more for solving our health care crisis than anything they are trying right now. Unfortunately our public is too dense to see it. So at this time the proposal will not pass. But possibly with some education we can change it. Remember - the power of one!

[Jennifer Schmidt]

Thanks, Ben.  I worked in Human Resources/ Benefits, prior to becoming a teacher and I always noticed how so many things were geared towards those that are overweight or obese, which of course, makes sense, but there doesn't seem to be anything for those of us that lead healthy lives.  Of course, we are probably going to live much longer and healthier lives because of how we treat our bodies.  A nice perk, like free shoes or airline miles would be an awesome way for healthcare companies to say, thank you for caring about your body and not running up our costs! 

As a teacher, I am amazed at how many overweight kids there are out there.  Although, when I see what they eat for lunch, and the kids that I taught the last two years received free breakfast and lunch, the shock starts to wear off.  They also are not required to take physical education at the middle school and high school level. 

If the situation ever comes up, I will definitely suggest it! 

[Sasha Pachev]

I thought - why in the world are kids not required to meet a certain physical fitness standard to graduate from high school? Then I thought, well if somebody dared suggest it we would have a public uproar. We have a democracy after all.

One problem with democracy is that it only works when people are willing to vote for high standards for themselves to reach. America got to be America not because of the democracy, but because of  high standards of conduct and achievement. When those standards are present you can afford democracy.

What we are seeing today is that the American population is losing those standards. Without those democracy does not work. That is what Russians found out right after they got rid of the Soviet system. Life is going to be interesting in the next 20 years.

[Tony]

Insurance companies ought to have this benefit. I imagine runners suffer from far less health problems than say, the person that plays World of Warcraft all day in front of a computer and eats microwavable burritos for meals and 60 oz of soda each day.

I've cost my insurance company less than 5% of what my employer has paid for my coverage in the last 2 and 1/2years. So..... I'm gonna try and make up for it with cosmetic dental work now =P

[steve ashbaker]

Yeah, Thats the attitude to solve things...

[Sasha Pachev]

Tony:

I think part of the problem is that the returns are not immediate. By the time the video game playing junk food eater starts racking up a health care bill he is with a different insurance company or very likely his health care costs are being paid by the government at this point.