IF there ever was an incentive to work out, Mexico City has probably hit the nail on the head.

    The Mexican capital is now offering free subway or bus tickets in exchange for 10 squats. And if the train ticket is not necessary, then the 10 squats can be exchanged for a pack of condoms.

    The new program is part of a broader effort to battle the growing obesity problem in the country.

    The squats are measured by machines that, once the workout is completed, shoot out a slip redeemable for a train or bus ticket — or the condoms, Milenio newspaper reported.

    The program started out at 15 stations across Mexico City, with 30 machines donated by FEMSA, a Mexican multinational beverage and retail company.

    “The idea is that people go and get the message about being active,” Armando Ahued, health secretary for Mexico City. “We will also be offering free medical checkups.”

    Mexico faces the most acute obesity crisis in the Americas, with 70 percent of adults overweight or obese, according to Mexico’s National Institute for Public Health. The problem costs the Mexican economy an estimated US$5.5 billion in 2008, and if the problem is not addressed, the figure is expected to hit US$12.5 billion by 2017.

    The goal, Ahued said, is for people to start incorporating physical activity to their daily lives.(SD-Agencies)