Shifting goal posts come to Active Rewards

Discovery are past masters at shifting goal posts, whether it be medical aid benefits, requirements to maintain your free gym membership or your vitality status. It's hardly surprising then that they have brought this to bear onto what is otherwise a truly innovative way to change behaviour. I joined Vitality's Active Rewards programme last year, and, with a short interruption over Christmas, achieved my weekly points goals. Of course the points requirements kept being adjusted upwards - understandable, to progressively encourage you to exercise more. In the meantime the other shifting goal post technique kicked in - gym visit points dropped from 150 to 100. And then last week they managed to push it too far. With my weekly points goal at 500, they had managed to get me to go to gym 5 times a week (from barely managing to maintain my 36 annual visits). But no, they then had to notch it up another 50 points. I'd now have to go to gym (my chosen activity) 6 times a week to make that, or I'm forced to spend money on some activity tracking device, or acquire an iPhone to take up the Apple Watch offer. What have they achieved - I'm going to gym less this week. A good thing, turned bad.