Application that pays to take a walk

A study by a Heart Foundation last year found that millions of people are classed as being physically inactive, which is defined as failing to manage at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week.

Basically, we all spend too much time sat down rather than moving about.

However, getting up and out isn’t just good for your health, it can also be turned into a way to give your bank balance a boost.

Sweatcoin is a mobile app that tracks the number of steps you take outdoors and then rewards you with, you guessed it, sweatcoins.

You can then convert those sweatcoins into various rewards, including things like Amazon credits, free Now TV passes and free audiobooks.

Sounds great, right? There are a few downsides to bear in mind. Firstly, if you are going for the free membership level (deemed as being a ‘mover’), then the number of sweatcoins you can earn in a day is capped at five. That’s what you’ll earn for a little over 5,000 steps (you get 0.95 sweatcoin for every 1,000 verified steps).

You can upgrade to the next level, which allows you to earn up to 10 sweatcoins a day, by ‘paying’ five sweatcoins each month.

What’s more, steps are only counted while you are outside - if you are really active, but indoors, it counts for nothing.

Unsurprisingly, it takes a fair while before you build up enough coins to afford the really good rewards - an iPhone 8 will set you back 20,000 coins.