Get monthly rewards from Vitality

"I joined Vitality in January 2020. Friends of mine could not stop talking about all the benefits of Vitality. I visited the website and saw it for myself. I wanted to improve my lifestyle, I thought if I can get rewarded for that, it will be an added bonus - so why not do that," she says.

"I am literally looking for ways to get rewarded. My food choices have improved a lot. I will think twice before putting anything in my basket that is not on the Vitality HealthyFood list. My daughter has joined me in the quest of only buying healthy food, and sometimes she will ask me if something I took is from the Vitality HealthyFood catalogue," she says.

The true reward is good health... but we love "rewards"

"Regarding the fitness part, I cannot wait to look at my 'points events' to see how many Vitality fitness points I accumulated for my exercise for the day. It was around 11 o'clock at night one Friday evening when I remembered that I did not make my exercise target for the week yet. I literally jumped out of bed, put on my gym clothes and did vigorous online exercises for 30 minutes! That was the craziest thing I have ever done to get points - but it worked. My exercise ring was closed," she says.

"The Vitality Drive app has definitely improved my driving. I can feel that I am more cautious than before. I always loved speeding, but those days are over," she adds.

"I think the biggest reward is getting 75% discount on my gym membership. This means that I did not cancel my membership, even during these difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic. The result is that I still go the gym to get my required gym visits. I would not have done this if I had to pay the full price," says Frelet.

"Savings on HealthyFood is a huge reward. I would rather buy the food at my favourite shops - Woolworths and Pick n Pay - because I know I will save money. In the beginning, when I was not really aware of my food choices. I could not believe all the unhealthy stuff that I bought. I am really grateful for Vitality for steering me in the right decision. I would not have done it without the programme," she says.

How it all adds up

"It was great that I could get the Apple Watch practically for free. In the past 14 months I only missed my target once and felt horrible about it. But I definitely save so much money. It feels like a bonus every month when I receive rewards from my healthy shopping. I love using the 20% in-store and online discount with my Discovery Miles which I get with Discovery Bank and Vitality Money. I cannot wait to accumulate enough to spend it," she says.

"I took up a new hobby, hiking, and have bought almost all my hiking gear with my Discovery Miles. And I had Discovery Miles left for something else because of the discount," says Frelet.

But what about those health benefits?

"I did not always exercise so diligently but since I get Vitality points and rewards, I cannot wait to exercise every day. During lockdown, I even ran up and down the stairs in my home to stay fit and earn Vitality fitness points," she says.

"I also do not want to miss any of the health checks that are recommended. I would not necessarily have done them if I was not a member of Discovery Vitality. I feel better, fitter, more alive and I thank Discovery Vitality for their innovative thinking. I applaud them for acting pro-actively and rather prevent health issues than treating them afterwards. I am a very proud Discovery Vitality member," she says.