Ever wondered whether or not you should get a fitness device? Here are five reasons why it's the best digital health and wellness coach you'll ever need. Plus, one quick and easy way to change your life with a fully funded fitness device.
A groundbreaking study from Wits Sports and Health (WiSH) at Wits University and Discovery Vitality has revealed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, engaged Vitality members continued to achieve their exercise goals and get rewarded for them.
The secret? They used a heart-rate device to measure their online workouts. Here are five reasons why a fitness device is the only digital coach you'll ever need on your journey to health and wellness.
- It keeps you accountable
You know that one friend who keeps you on track with your life goals? Your fitness device does exactly that. First, you can use it to set health and fitness goals, for example:
- Take 10,000 steps a day
- Drink 8 glasses of water a day
- Sleep 7 hours a day
And then, your fitness device will prompt you to stick to your goals. Most devices even tell you when it's time to get up and move, when you should have another glass of water, and when to go to bed. You'll thank yourself!
- It helps you stay motivated
You know that one person at the gym you're secretly competing with? A fitness device keeps you motivated by matching you up against your biggest competitor. You! It also tracks your progress so you can see yourself improve over time. And there's nothing more motivating that beating your personal best again and again. And again!
Plus, when you link your fitness device to your Vitality Active profile, you can get rewarded for getting healthier. You can earn rewards from coffees and smoothies to shopping and entertainment every week for achieving your personalised exercise goals through Vitality Active Rewards.
Find out more about rewards you can earn for getting active.
- It helps you create healthy eating habits
A fitness device measures so much more than just your fitness. Most Apple, Garmin and Huawei devices also help you keep track of your eating patterns. It's so quick and easy to track your meals and make healthier choices.
Plus, you can even save money when you shop for healthier groceries. Vitality Active members get up to 20% back on HealthyFood at Pick n Pay or Woolworths. All you have to do is:
- Activate the HealthyFood benefit in the Discovery app.
- Find out your Vitality Age online to get 10% back.
- Complete a Vitality Health Check to get 20% back.
Find out more about your HealthyFood benefit.
- It monitors your heart rate
A fitness device makes achieving your weekly exercise goal easy by measuring your heart rate when you go for a run, cycle or engage in a wide range of heart-rate workouts. It educates you about your heart-rate zones and keeps you from overtraining. Plus, most fitness devices come with built-in workouts and training programmes, so you're spoilt for choice.
Here's how many Vitality points you can earn for tracking your heart-rate activities:
- Earn 100 Vitality points for light workouts at 60 to 69% of your maximum heart rate
- 200 Vitality points for moderate workouts at 70 to 79% of your maximum heart rate
- 300 Vitality points for vigorous workouts at 80% or more of your maximum heart rate.
You can earn up to 30,000 Vitality fitness points a year for your daily physical activity, and a fitness device can help you get there.
- It tracks your sleep
According to clinical research, most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night.
Vitality wellness practitioner Dr Seranne Motilal says: "We know how sleep is essential for boosting immunity and bolstering physical wellbeing. Sleep may be as important as diet and exercise in maintaining our physical and mental wellbeing. It's also an indicator of other mental health challenges and therefore could be understood as an indicator of wellbeing."
Understanding your sleeping patterns is the first step to improving it, and a heart-rate fitness device can help you track your sleep every night.
One quick and easy way to fully fund a fitness device
Each adult on your Vitality Active membership can sign up for a flexible, month-to-month fitness device subscription with no activation fee.
You'll be charged a monthly subscription fee on your fitness device. However, you can fully fund your fitness device based on how many exercise goals you achieve with Vitality Active Rewards. Here's how:
The more goals you achieve, the bigger your discount. It's a win-win!
Vitality Active Rewards exercise goals are dynamic and will increase or decrease based on your exercise history and risk profile. You can track how many exercise goals you've achieved using your Vitality dashboard in the Discovery app.
To get started, visit the Vitality Active fitness device benefit page or log in to the Discovery app to activate your Vitality Active fitness device benefit today. Simply go to ,Vitality > Vitality Active Rewards > Health > Rewards > Get a device and follow the prompts to activate the benefit.
Once you have your fitness device, link it to your Vitality profile to get active and rewarded. You can earn up to 30,000 Vitality fitness points a year for your daily physical activity.
That's how you live life with Vitality.
Download the Vitality Active device benefit guide to learn more.