Pokemon GO is already a game that encourages players to get up and walk about. Hatching eggs requires players to walk various distances and players will also get a decent workout traveling to and from PokeStops and Pokemon Gyms in their local community and beyond. But according to a new datamine, it seems that developer Niantic aims to ramp this up, giving players even more reasons to get fit.

Pokemon GO version 0.119.5 has now been released in some territories, and while the update is believed to be relatively small (in terms of live, available changes), by poking around in the APK file for the update, fans have uncovered plans for upcoming features. The 0.119.5 update files mention something called "Weekly Fitness Goals," and there are signifiers of different distances (in kilometers), as well as different levels (1, 2, and 3). There are also references to a "Fitness Report" (get_FitnessReportLastCheckBucket) indicating that players will be able to track their progress in getting fit.

The ability to track fitness will be crucial, as the APK also suggests that there will be rewards for completing these fitness goals. The strings "get_FitnessRewards," "set_FitnessRewards," and "get_FITNESS_REWARDS" have all been uncovered but at this point, it's unclear what these rewards may be.

As is the case with all rewards in the game, Pokemon GO players will no doubt be looking to cheese their way to completing these goals quicker. However, unlike eggs which can be hatched quicker with super incubators, for instance, the health-oriented nature of these goals means that there is unlikely to be an option to speed things up.

Some may be surprised that it has taken Niantic so long to develop such a feature. For quite some time, people have suggested that playing Pokemon GO could be good for one's health. A study published last year by the Journal of American Heart Association highlighted the game's positive impact on player health, saying that players walk thousands of additional steps because of the game. That in itself is impressive, but now these Weekly Fitness Goals will give Pokemon GO players the ability to track that data for themselves.

It's not currently known when the Weekly Fitness Goals update may land in the game. The uncovered info makes no mention of a release date. But with that said, the fact that this info was included in the update may indicate that Niantic is almost ready to make it public.

Pokemon GO is available on Android and iOS devices.

Source: Pokemon GO Hub