Campus Rec and Dining Services Partner with Plyo App to Reward Student's Healthy Habits

Utah State University Campus Recreation and Dining Services have entered into a partnership with the fitness app Plyo to offer rewards to students who are working toward their fitness goals. While logging their time in the app at Campus Rec facilities, USU students can earn reward points that are redeemable in the app for discounts and special offers at campus affiliates and partners, including rewards at USU Dining Services.

“Campus Recreation truly cares about the health and wellbeing of the USU community,” said Campus Rec Director Daniel Lawrence. “It is our goal to provide easy access to all programs and services we offer to USU students and create fun and innovative experiences. Plyo is very unique in rewarding students for what they are already doing, utilizing our recreation facilities for their overall health and wellbeing. Plyo honestly reinforces living a healthy lifestyle and provides rewards along your fitness journey.”

Plyo is a free mobile app that provides users with rewards for logging time within on-campus rec facilities. Using GPS to log student’s time inside campus rec facilities, students earn points while achieving their fitness goals. The app is currently configured to record students’ time inside the Aggie Recreation Center, the HPER building and Aggie Legacy Fields and will also record time at the Fieldhouse when it reopens in the spring.

USU Competitive Sports Graduate Assistant Adam McClanahan worked with Plyo to become partners at USU. Seeing the impact the app has had at other universities, he was excited to help bring the partnership to USU, adding an additional way the university is helping students achieve their health, wellness and fitness goals.

“Campus Recreation’s mission is to create opportunities for student to enhance the college experience through play, wellness, and adventures,” McClanahan said. “We do this through our facilities and programming, so partnering with Plyo was a no brainer. The rewards they offer reinforce the positive nature of utilizing these programs and facilities to live healthier lifestyles with external rewards.”

Campus Rec will also use the information on the app, such as how much time users spend in certain areas and what rewards are the most utilized, to create an even better experience for USU students. McClanahan hopes to see all USU students take advantage of the app and its rewards, while working toward living a healthy lifestyle.

“As a current graduate student, I think I can speak for most students when we say we like free stuff,” he said. “Many of the rewards are discounts on gym and fitness related items we were already going to purchase. And between those and campus rec free guest passes and free block meal plans with dining services, free is always better.”

Because many USU students are utilizing online learning, the app also is currently rewarding students who are working out at home. Syncing the app with a smart watch, students can work out from home or at facilities in their area and earn points. This also expands the service to USU students at all statewide campuses.

“With the new pandemic world, they have grown to include at-home rewards including additional points for steps per day and elevated heart rate for 30 mins per day, trackable using a smart watch,” McClanahan said. “They have also added the ability for students to apply to add new locations like parks and other gyms in their hometowns for those students who are not on the Logan campus and are attending school virtually or on other statewide campuses.”

Currently, USU Campus Rec is reporting more than 1,000 users have begun using the app in the three months of the partnership. McClanahan hopes to see that number grow, so more students can take advantage of USU facilities and work toward their fitness goals.

“We hope to see students continue to use the facilities and pass along the message of health and fitness rewards to their friends and classmates,” he said.

Students looking to download the Plyo app can find it for free in the App Store and on Google Play.