Discovery Health - Vitality & Team Vitality plus everything else you need to know

[Rowl]

not sure if you have had a reply yet - but I had exactly the same issue (literally only from this morning). Discovery called me - they said I needed to remove the vitality permissions from Garmin connect:

Steps to get permissions GarminConnect:

• Log in to Garmin Connect.
• Select profile icon.
• Select ‘Settings”.
• Click on ‘Account information’.
• Permission are listed at the bottom of the screen.
• Click on the option to switch permissions off

Re-link through the vitality app / web page.

 

A bit of a pain, but I did it - and it seems to have worked, but for how long, no-one can be sure!

Have been struggling with this since mid-December. I changed password on Connect and have since not been able to delink my Garmin account from Vitality. Not even my Suunto account can delink.

 

Spoke with Discovery today, we are tending to your issue...

[Veebee]

Does anyone know how do I downgrade from High Performance to couch potato? 

 

I was on High Performance last year when I trained for the Comrades, but this year I won't make my goals as it sits at 1200 - I want to be more lazy this year  

 

IMO It is easier on this High Performance when you lazy, as there's more options to get points. I have been very lazy since 947, maybe have done 6-8 outdoor rides since but do a few indoor sessions and then gym and I havent missed a goal since.

 

You just have to know how to work the system.

[g3n151d3]

not sure if you have had a reply yet - but I had exactly the same issue (literally only from this morning). Discovery called me - they said I needed to remove the vitality permissions from Garmin connect:

Steps to get permissions GarminConnect:

• Log in to Garmin Connect.
• Select profile icon.
• Select ‘Settings”.
• Click on ‘Account information’.
• Permission are listed at the bottom of the screen.
• Click on the option to switch permissions off

Re-link through the vitality app / web page.

 

A bit of a pain, but I did it - and it seems to have worked, but for how long, no-one can be sure!

Wonder if I should try this with my Suunto account. Stopped syncing Monday... 2 workouts' points pending and Friday is getting closer. Mailed them but so far only received a ref#

 

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[ADJ]

Have been struggling with this since mid-December. I changed password on Connect and have since not been able to delink my Garmin account from Vitality. Not even my Suunto account can delink.

 

Spoke with Discovery today, we are tending to your issue...

Thanks for the replies, still an issue - hopefully it gets sorted out soon.

[Lurch the stalker]

It's interesting how they calculate the data for points.

 

Wednesday morning I did a 20+km commute to the office and got 100 points, which I'd expect.

 

That afternoon, I rode straight home instead of extending, which is only about 8.5km, but, when I got home, I accidentally paused my watch instead of ending the activity. Took the watch off and put it aside and only looked a few hours later, and then ended the paused activity.

Yesterday I noticed I had gotten 600 points for that activity, obviously because it went over 3 hours.

 

Quite an easy flaw to manipulate...

[WrightJnr]

It's interesting how they calculate the data for points.

 

Wednesday morning I did a 20+km commute to the office and got 100 points, which I'd expect.

 

That afternoon, I rode straight home instead of extending, which is only about 8.5km, but, when I got home, I accidentally paused my watch instead of ending the activity. Took the watch off and put it aside and only looked a few hours later, and then ended the paused activity.

Yesterday I noticed I had gotten 600 points for that activity, obviously because it went over 3 hours.

 

Quite an easy flaw to manipulate...

I’ve heard a lot of people exploiting that particular flaw.

 

Gotta love how creative people can get when the need arises to cut corners.

[Andymann]

I've given up trying to talk point allocation with Discovery and just accepted that it's a blanket model that needs to satisfy the majority.  The last discussion I had with them revolved around Multisport events - before TTA Duathlon champs in December I did a mini duathlon the day before, just to do a race simulation - 5km run, 12km cycle, 2.5km run. Total time just over an hour, ave HR about 70%.  Total points - 0.  Their argument - I mustn't use the Duathlon/Triathlon function on my Multisport watch because it splits the workout into 3 sections which were all under 30mins.  My argument - I bought the watch to use for Multisport, because it has that specific function and I want to be able to see the 3 events separately including my transition times.  When I asked them how it was possible to get more points by ordering a Macdonalds Supersize meal and eating it on the couch in the gym, than by doing a sprint duathlon at a HR of 70% they didn't seem amused!

[Rowl]

I've given up trying to talk point allocation with Discovery and just accepted that it's a blanket model that needs to satisfy the majority. The last discussion I had with them revolved around Multisport events - before TTA Duathlon champs in December I did a mini duathlon the day before, just to do a race simulation - 5km run, 12km cycle, 2.5km run. Total time just over an hour, ave HR about 70%. Total points - 0. Their argument - I mustn't use the Duathlon/Triathlon function on my Multisport watch because it splits the workout into 3 sections which were all under 30mins. My argument - I bought the watch to use for Multisport, because it has that specific function and I want to be able to see the 3 events separately including my transition times. When I asked them how it was possible to get more points by ordering a Macdonalds Supersize meal and eating it on the couch in the gym, than by doing a sprint duathlon at a HR of 70% they didn't seem amused!

I guess this is where the event participation should produce points instead of the HR level. They haven't produced a Tri event calendar yet, right?

[lechatnoir]

It's interesting how they calculate the data for points.

 

Wednesday morning I did a 20+km commute to the office and got 100 points, which I'd expect.

 

That afternoon, I rode straight home instead of extending, which is only about 8.5km, but, when I got home, I accidentally paused my watch instead of ending the activity. Took the watch off and put it aside and only looked a few hours later, and then ended the paused activity.

Yesterday I noticed I had gotten 600 points for that activity, obviously because it went over 3 hours.

 

Quite an easy flaw to manipulate...

 

Still... you'll need to have avg HR over 60% for the 3 hrs.

[Lurch the stalker]

Still... you'll need to have avg HR over 60% for the 3 hrs.

Apparently not...the watch wasn't even on my arm...

[HOEKVLAG]

Still... you'll need to have avg HR over 60% for the 3 hrs.

 

 

Apparently not...the watch wasn't even on my arm...

 

It is possible that the watch uses the average HR at the time when the watch was removed and there was no HR signal, i.e. it sees the activity as being finished even though you did not stop the timer. When you then stop the timer it takes the total time from the manual stop, but doesn't recalculate the average HR, hence the discrepancy.

 

To add: If you left it on your arm for that time the average would be below 60%...

Edited January 4, 2018 by HOEKVLAG

[Vetplant]

It's interesting how they calculate the data for points.

 

Wednesday morning I did a 20+km commute to the office and got 100 points, which I'd expect.

 

That afternoon, I rode straight home instead of extending, which is only about 8.5km, but, when I got home, I accidentally paused my watch instead of ending the activity. Took the watch off and put it aside and only looked a few hours later, and then ended the paused activity.

Yesterday I noticed I had gotten 600 points for that activity, obviously because it went over 3 hours.

 

Quite an easy flaw to manipulate...

 

 

It is possible that the watch uses the average HR at the time when the watch was removed and there was no HR signal, i.e. it sees the activity as being finished even though you did not stop the timer. When you then stop the timer it takes the total time from the manual stop, but doesn't recalculate the average HR, hence the discrepancy.

 

To add: If you left it on your arm for that time the average would be below 60%...

Hoekvlag seems to be onto something. I wonder if this flaw/loophole is limited to only one brand or a specific watch.

 

Lurch, which watch do you use?

[Lurch the stalker]

Hoekvlag seems to be onto something. I wonder if this flaw/loophole is limited to only one brand or a specific watch.

 

Lurch, which watch do you use?

Fitbit Blaze

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Hoekvlag seems to be onto something. I wonder if this flaw/loophole is limited to only one brand or a specific watch.

 

Lurch, which watch do you use?

Nope. Works with Garmin as well. 

 

Tried it, it works. Get the HR up before you start the session, wait for it to hit 150bpm or whatever your 80% / 70% / 60% whatever is, then start the "exercise" (press record) and immediately (within 10s) remove the HR belt. Keep the watch ticking over until you've hit your desired "exercise time". Hey presto. You've only got 10s of recorded HR data, but over that period you were at >80% and your exercise was >30min. 300 points. 

[Andymann]

I guess this is where the event participation should produce points instead of the HR level. They haven't produced a Tri event calendar yet, right?

The events do, but not all of the ones I do are official timed events - as I get closer to goal races a lot of my training involves mini race simulations on the indoor trainer and the treadmill - so run 20min, bike 30min, run 10min - if you don't have an official number and time, you can't claim as an event.  Anyway, it's not a train smash - I'm not training for Discovery points!

[Cyclewizz]

Nope. Works with Garmin as well. 

 

Tried it, it works. Get the HR up before you start the session, wait for it to hit 150bpm or whatever your 80% / 70% / 60% whatever is, then start the "exercise" (press record) and immediately (within 10s) remove the HR belt. Keep the watch ticking over until you've hit your desired "exercise time". Hey presto. You've only got 10s of recorded HR data, but over that period you were at >80% and your exercise was >30min. 300 points. 

 

I discovered this one day when my HR monitor stopped working.

I was busy with my session and my avg HR was at 60% or 70%+ and then there was nothing for a period of time.

Finished with the same avg HR as when it stopped working.

 

The "flaw" is actually on the device side.

The device records your HR and works out your avg HR and then if there's nothing it just leaves it there. Suppose that it doesn't know what to use and it can't use zero (because you'd be dead) and so it just stops calculating HR.