Every year from about October, my diary fills with the same request: “I need to do my Vitality fitness assessment before the end of the year.” Most people know the assessment earns points. Fewer know what actually happens in the room, how the points are calculated, whether they can claim the cost back, or what to do the day before.
I am an accredited Discovery Vitality assessment provider, and I do these assessments in my practice in Westville, Durban. This is the honest, practical version of what to expect.
The Short Answer
The Discovery Vitality Fitness Assessment is a 30-minute exercise and health assessment. I measure your blood pressure, resting heart rate, height, weight, BMI and waist circumference, then test your cardiovascular fitness on the treadmill. I submit the results to Discovery electronically, Discovery calculates your Cardio Fitness Level, and you earn up to 10,000 Vitality points depending on the result.
You pay the practice upfront. If you are on a Discovery Health plan with a Medical Savings Account, you can usually claim the cost back from available savings. You do not need to fast, and you should not exercise beforehand.
That is the summary. The rest of this article is the detail I wish every client had before they walked in.
What Happens in the 30 Minutes
The assessment is not complicated, but it is thorough. In a typical session I look at:
- Blood pressure, as a measure of cardiovascular health.
- Resting heart rate, which gives an indication of cardiovascular fitness.
- Height and weight, used to calculate BMI.
- Waist circumference, an indicator of abdominal fat and cardiometabolic risk.
- Cardiovascular fitness, assessed with a submaximal fitness test. In my practice we use a treadmill test.
- Your exercise response, where applicable. I monitor how your heart rate and perceived exertion respond to the treadmill test.
- General health and exercise history: current activity levels, medical history, medications, injuries and your goals.
Discovery currently describes the assessment as having two components, cardiovascular fitness and strength and flexibility. The cardiovascular component is what determines your Cardio Fitness Level and your points.
Submaximal means exactly what it sounds like. You will work, and your heart rate will climb, but I am not pushing you to exhaustion. The test is designed to estimate your fitness from how your body responds to a controlled workload.
What I Am Really Looking At
Here is the part that matters to me as a biokineticist, and the reason I would encourage you to do the assessment with one rather than treating it as a box to tick.
The Vitality score is the output. The assessment itself is a baseline. The same 30 minutes tells me:
- How efficiently your cardiovascular system responds to exercise. This is the core of the fitness test.
- Your strength and functional capacity. An indication of how well you can handle everyday physical activity and tolerate exercise.
- Body composition and health risk. BMI and waist circumference together say a lot about weight and where fat is distributed.
- Cardiovascular risk factors. Blood pressure and the screening questions can highlight things that need further attention, sometimes from your doctor rather than from me.
- What exercise you should actually be doing. The results let me give you appropriate recommendations for cardiovascular exercise, strength training, mobility and general activity.
In simple terms, this is what I tell clients: the assessment takes about 30 minutes, I measure the important health and fitness markers, and I use the results to give you a clear picture of where you are now and exercise recommendations suited to your needs and goals. The points are a bonus. The information is the value.
If the assessment shows that your back, knees or general conditioning need work, the next step is often a structured programme. My articles on biokinetics for back pain and back pain from sitting explain what that looks like.
How Vitality Points Work
The Vitality Fitness Assessment can contribute up to 10,000 Vitality points through your Vitality Cardio Fitness Level. Discovery awards points on a sliding scale:
| Cardio Fitness Level | Vitality points |
|---|---|
| Superior | 10,000 |
| Excellent | 7,000 |
| Good | 4,500 |
| Fair | 2,500 |
| Low | 1,000 |
One thing worth knowing about how this works in practice.
Every level earns something. Even a Low result earns 1,000 points. Nobody fails the assessment, and a modest result is still a starting point you can improve on.
How Your Results Are Submitted
Once I have completed your assessment, I submit your results electronically through the Vitality Wellness Network. Discovery then processes the submission and calculates your Cardio Fitness Level and the points that apply.
The points do not always appear immediately. Please allow some time for Discovery to process the submission before checking your Vitality profile. If the points have not shown up after a reasonable period, contact the practice and I will confirm the submission went through.
What It Costs, and Whether You Can Claim It Back
The assessment is paid upfront at the practice. Discovery’s current Fitness Assessment guide is clear that this applies to Discovery Health members and Discovery Life policyholders alike. It is not automatically free because you have Vitality. For the current fee, contact the practice and we will confirm it before you book.
Can you claim it back? Yes, where your medical scheme provides the relevant cover. If you are on a Discovery Health Medical Scheme plan with a Medical Savings Account and you have funds available, you can generally claim the assessment cost from your savings, subject to scheme rules and any waiting periods.
The practical process is:
- You pay the practice.
- I give you an invoice and receipt.
- You submit the claim to Discovery Health.
- Discovery reimburses you from your available benefit, where covered.
Discovery Life only? If you hold a Discovery Life policy but are not on a Discovery Health medical scheme, there is no Medical Savings Account to claim from, so you would generally pay for the assessment yourself.
How to Prepare
This is the message I send clients before their assessment. It covers everything.
What to wear. Comfortable activewear or gym clothing and training shoes suitable for walking on a treadmill. Bring a water bottle.
What to bring. Your Discovery membership details or card, or other proof of Vitality membership, and proof of identity. Discovery’s provider guidance requires identity verification. If you use the Discovery app, have it handy, but it is not a requirement. Also bring any relevant medical information or medication details that could affect exercise.
You do not need to fast. This is the most common confusion. Fasting applies to the Vitality Health Check, where Discovery recommends avoiding food for four to six hours because of the blood glucose and cholesterol tests. The Fitness Assessment is different. Eat normally and stay hydrated, but avoid a heavy meal for at least two hours beforehand.
Do not exercise before the assessment. Keep exercise light the day before, and do not train immediately before your appointment. A hard session that morning will distort your resting heart rate and your test result.
Tell me about anything that could affect exercise. Medical conditions, medication, recent illness, injury or symptoms. This is not paperwork for its own sake. It determines whether the test is safe for you.
Who Needs Medical Clearance First
This is the part I take most seriously as a biokineticist. Discovery’s current guidance says that people with a cardiovascular condition or other high-risk factors should obtain medical clearance before doing the assessment, and Discovery’s consent form lists the criteria. Among others, they include:
- Men over 45 and women over 55
- Current smokers, or anyone who quit within the last six months
- Blood pressure of 140/90 or higher, unknown blood pressure, or taking blood pressure medication
- Cholesterol above 5.2 mmol/L, or unknown cholesterol
- A close family history of premature heart attack
- Prediabetes, or unknown prediabetes status
- Physical inactivity, meaning less than 150 minutes of activity per week
- Cardiovascular, metabolic or renal disease, or signs and symptoms suggestive of these
If one or more of these apply to you, Discovery’s form advises consulting your doctor and obtaining medical clearance before the fitness test. The assessment is also not suitable during pregnancy.
I would rather you arrive with a letter from your GP than have to send you away on the day. If you are unsure whether any of this applies to you, contact the practice before booking and we will talk it through.
How Often Can You Do It, and Why December Matters
You are not limited to one assessment a year. As covered above, you can repeat the Vitality Fitness Assessment during the year, provided there are at least 90 days between assessments for additional points to be awarded.
There is, however, a good reason for the year-end rush. Vitality points are valid in the calendar year in which they are earned, and the fitness assessment contributes towards your annual fitness point limits. An assessment done in the first week of January earns points for the new year, not the old one. If you need the points for this year, you need to be assessed, and the submission processed, before the end of December.
My practical advice: do not leave it until the last two weeks of December. Diaries fill, Discovery’s processing takes time, and if your result comes back lower than you hoped, there is no room left to repeat it.
Momentum Multiply Members
If you are on Momentum rather than Discovery, I also offer the Multiply Health and Fitness Assessments. The structure and preparation are similar. Contact the practice and we will confirm what applies to your Multiply status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be on Discovery Health medical aid to do the assessment?
No. You need Vitality membership. Discovery Health membership only matters for claiming the cost back, because that is where the Medical Savings Account sits.
Is this the same as the Vitality Health Check?
No. The Vitality Health Check measures things like blood glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure and BMI, and it is the one that may require fasting. The Fitness Assessment tests your cardiovascular fitness on the treadmill and does not require fasting. Both earn points, and many members do both.
What if I am very unfit?
Then the assessment is more useful to you, not less. A Low result still earns 1,000 points, and you leave with a clear baseline and specific recommendations. Come back in 90 days and improve it. If any of the risk factors above apply, get medical clearance first.
How long until the points show on my profile?
Discovery processes submissions after I send them through the Vitality Wellness Network. It is not instant, so allow some time before checking. If nothing appears after a reasonable period, contact the practice and I will confirm the submission.
Why do it with a biokineticist?
What a biokineticist adds is clinical interpretation: what the numbers say about your health risk, what to do about them, and a properly prescribed exercise plan if you need one. If the assessment flags something, you are already in the right room.
Book Your Vitality Fitness Assessment in Westville, Durban
The Discovery Vitality Fitness Assessment is a 30-minute appointment at my practice in Westville. Book online, choose the Discovery Vitality Assessment option, and you will receive the preparation notes above before you arrive.
If you want the assessment and a plan to act on it, tell me when you book and I will allow time for both.
Vitality rules, points values and fees are set by Discovery and are correct according to Discovery’s published guidance at the time of writing. Discovery may change them. Check your Vitality profile or contact the practice for the current position.
