Last week, I was invited to check out the newly opened Discovery Store in our neighbourhood. I’m pretty militant about going for my annual check ups and the like, but I also really like the idea of being able to undergo a quick assessment to see how I’m doing on the health front whenever I like.
The Concept
Simply put, the Discovery Store is a one-stop shop for you to pop in, check on your health status, undergo some assessments and rack up those Vitality points we all love to have. It’s a one-stop shop for you to see how you’re doing on the health front, without having to book a consultation at your GP to find out how your blood pressure’s looking nowadays.
My Assessment
As you walk in to the Discovery Store, there’s a bank of swishy new iMacs for you to use. You can check on your medical plan and other Discovery services, and do some of the online assessments as provided on the Discovery website. After that, I stepped into a wellness room with my consultant, and filled in a short form before beginning a series of short assessments. She checked my blood pressure, cholesterol and a few other things, and it took just a few minutes. Analysing my BMI and body fat percentage was easy too, and the whole process made that much sweeter with friendly conversation going on. Of course, we chatted about our dogs (I will talk about dogs to anyone who will stand and listen nowadays. Officially a Dog Lady).
A little perspective
A lot of people avoid checking on their health status because they’re scared to really know what’s going on, or they’re a tiny bit afraid of their doctor. The Discovery Store makes it really easy to do and, something that normally stresses me out a bit, ended up being a fun experience. There’s also a nutritionist, dietician and biokineticist on-site, and a bunch of super helpful Discovery team members on hand to help you through any queries you may have. I’m also told that the team will be setting up events and group fitness activities soon – I’m looking forward to those!
All in all, I ended up being a little surprised at how much I enjoyed this experience, and pleasantly surprised at how well I’m actually doing on the health scales – better than I expected!
<Disclaimer: I am a Discovery Health member, and was invited to experience the Discovery Store on my own terms. I was not reimbursed for this post.>