THE RUNNING
MANN the running mann by STUART MANN
Running for Ice Cream
Due to the COVID-19 lockdown , I have not been able to get my usual marathoning and travel fix in for a while , but I have been able to find novel ways to keep my legs ticking over until we can race again regularly . And I ’ ve also managed to get my daughters exercising regularly as well . This is how I gamified my kids ’ physical and mental health ( so that I could spend more quality time with them ).
COVID has been tough for parents , but even tougher for kids . Everyday interactions that we took for granted have disappeared , and even the most imaginative and creative parents have eventually acquiesced to the ‘ mother ’ s little helper ’ of the digital age , the electronic device .
The mental strain of COVID on children is well documented . Extra murals and regular play dates with friends were replaced by Netflix binges and online gaming with friends . For children , the house became a prison , and parents the wardens – and the inmates grew increasingly reluctant to leave the confines of their bedrooms . As wardens , my wife and I found it increasingly difficult to get our kids outside for a daily dose of Vitamin D , as exercise in any form was shunned , and their fitness gear got less use than the indicators on a BMW !
Too much sugar and too little sunshine is a lethal combination . We could see the sedentary slide , both physical and mental , but seemed powerless to halt the COVID-induced inertia that had gripped our family . I was also starting to feel more and more disconnected from my daughters , who were resolute in their refusal to leave the house for any excursion . To be fair , even once lockdown conditions were relaxed , options were limited – new movie releases were infrequent and there are only so many times you can do the ‘ Leap of Faith ’ at Bounce Inc .
3 . The third is that I am a devious bastard … and COVID lockdowns provided plenty of idle time to hatch cunning plans .
These three factors provided the ingredients for a perfect brainstorm : I could spend more time with my daughters by gamifying their fitness activities and rewarding them with Paul ’ s Ice-Cream if they achieved a weekly fitness goal – 400 points for one scoop ; 700 points for two scoops , with bonus points awarded if they do fitness events with dad .
Here ’ s How it Worked
• 150 points for a hockey match or karate practice .
• 200 points for extra mural swimming .
• 50 points for five out-and-back driveway laps . ( That ’ s just under one kilometre – we have a long driveway !)
• 50 bonus points for 10 out-and-back driveway laps with dad .
• 50 points per five minutes of cycling around the neighbourhood ( with dad ).
• My wife also does a long morning walk on the weekend , so they would get points if they joined her .
• A maximum points cap of 300 per day .
Timely Intervention
Fortunately , three factors combined to effect a change :
1 . The first was my daughters ’ discovery of Paul ’ s Homemade Ice Cream , the undisputed cream of the frozen confectionary crop .
2 . The second was my move to Vitality Group , the masters of behavioural science , fitness gamification and the corrective nudge .
Any objections to the points system were met with “ Don ’ t moan at me , this is how Vitality does it .”
Here ’ s What Happened …
Initially , there were some serious negotiations and legal challenges to the points scoring system . I met every argument with “ Don ’ t moan at me , this is how Vitality does it ,” or “ If you don ’ t like it , email Adrian . gore @ discovery . co . za .” ( I have no idea if that is his real email , but it will be pretty funny if one of them does eventually email him in a fit of pique !)
The allure of Paul ’ s Ice Cream proved stronger than any electronic enticement . Screen time ends at 6pm in our household ( although this often proves to be a loosely defined target , rather than a hard stop ). However , with the best ice cream in Mzansi at stake , I would frequently finish my last meeting of the day , emerge from the sanctity of my home office and immediately get seconded into a driveway march , or some speedwork in the street as I tried to keep up with an energetic peddler intent on earning an extra scoop of ice cream .
Father-Daughter Time
The interesting thing is that my daughters always chose to earn their points individually with dad , never together , which provided some great one-on-one time . Although conversation was usually sparse on the speedy cycling legs , the driveway
Images : Martin Mulder & Stuart Mann
70 ISSUE 147 DECEMBER 2021 | www . modernathlete . co . za