Vitality Fitness Assessment

Vitality offers you two different fitness assessments for knowing and improving your fitness levels. The Vitality Fitness Assessment done at a biokineticist in the Vitality Wellness Network and the Vitality Online Fitness Assessment.

The Vitality Fitness Assessment done at a biokineticist will tell you how fit you are. It allows you to understand your current fitness level and know which areas you need to focus on. You'll receive an exercise plan based on your areas of need and your fitness goals.

You can also complete the Online Fitness Assessment by answering a few simple fitness questions in the comfort of your home.

The Online Fitness Assessment

The Online Fitness Assessment will take only a few minutes to complete. After completing the assessment, you get comprehensive information about your overall fitness and physical activities you should consider participating in, like stretching or strength exercises. The fitness assessment will give you information to make sure you get the health benefits from physical activity that’s right for you.

You'll earn Vitality points

You'll earn 1 000 Vitality points for the Online Fitness Assessment. You can only earn points for the Online Fitness Assessment once a year.

The Vitality Fitness Assessment at a biokineticist involves

• A questionnaire that the biokineticist will complete with you to find out about your diet, exercise and lifestyle habits
• Your physical measurements such as weight, height (to calculate BMI*), waist circumference and body fat percentage will be measured
• A step or bike test (depending on your age and health problems) and abdominal crunches and push-ups

* Body mass index (BMI) – BMI is a widely accepted, reliable indicator of a person’s weight status. As a screening tool it is appropriate for the majority of the population. However, because the BMI calculation is dependent only on a person’s weight and height it may give an inaccurate indication of body composition in certain populations, for example in pregnant women and body builders. In these cases body fat percentage or waist circumference measures may be more accurate.

Health measures during pregnancy – Please speak to your healthcare provider about healthy weight gain during pregnancy and monitoring your health measures. BMI and waist circumference as health measures do not apply during pregnancy. Other measures taken during any Vitality screening may also change, which can affect the evaluation of your health status. If you put these results into your Personal Health Review, it can affect the accuracy of your Vitality Age, the feedback you get and the goals we recommend for you. A variation in your heart rate response to exercise means the Vitality Fitness Assessment is also not suitable during pregnancy.

The 6-minute walk test makes the Vitality Fitness Assessment more accessible

To accommodate more Vitality members with the Vitality Fitness Assessment, Vitality and Virgin Life Care have included a 6-minute walk test as an alternative to the step or bike test, for seniors and people with heart conditions, who are unable to do the usual tests.  The decision as to whether or not a member can do the walk test is made at the discretion of the Biokineticist.

Where to go

For the Vitality Fitness Assessment you can visit a biokineticist in the Vitality Wellness Network. You can find an accredited biokineticist online at www.discovery.co.za. To make an appointment with a Virgin Life Care biokineticist click here. To make an appointment with a biokineticist in a Planet Fitness gym, click here.

What you need to take with you

Remember to bring your Discovery membership card, identity document, exercise clothes and a fee of R185. If you have a Discovery health Plan, you can claim this amount back from your Medical Savings Account, if you have funds available.

If you are a Discovery Life policyholder, you will need to pay for the Vitality Fitness Assessment yourself. If you are a Bankmed member, you must refer to the scheme rules. You can call 0860 110 833 to obtain these rules.

You'll earn Vitality points

You'll earn 3 000 Vitality points for completing a Vitality Fitness Assessment. You can earn Vitality Fitness Assessment points twice a year if you have the assessments five or more months apart.  You can also sign a non-smoker’s declaration and earn 5000 points once a year if you don’t smoke.

You can earn bonus Vitality points for the Vitality Fitness Assessment based on your fitness level.

Your Vitality points will be automatically awarded approximately one week after your assessment. The Vitality points you earn contribute towards the maximum amount of fitness points of 15 000 per adult member per year. The maximum number of bonus fitness points you can earn is 24 000 bonus fitness points per adult per year.