The Bermuda 100 Day Challenge

After last taking place in 2013, the Bermuda 100 Day Challenge will return to TV this month, now sponsored by Colonial.  The Challenge officially kicked off on February 16 and the first episode, which introduces the candidates, will air on Channel 9 on March 7th.

Colonial is looking forward to sponsoring the popular programme.  Naz Farrow, Colonial’s Chief Operating Officer – Health, said, “I remember when the 100 Day Challenge first started. It was great fun. I loved watching it. Of course there is a very serious underlying message to the fun. Bermuda has very high rates of chronic conditions like obesity and diabetes and it is absolutely essential that people take some responsibility for their health and well-being."

“The Bermuda 100 Day Challenge shows us, in a fun way, how we can improve our health through exercise and wise choices of food. We are very happy to be the title sponsor this year and hope that between Colonial and the 100 Day Challenge we can persuade people to take an active interest in a healthy lifestyle.”

All of the contestants received free enrollment to the the Zest Wellness Programme, which includes access to a private online account.  Jacqueline Perreault, Colonial’s Corporate Wellness Director, said, “Through the wellness programme, participants will be able to add up to 10 friends as their personal support team and they will get tips on how to make progress in terms of their health. It is the first time I have been involved in the Bermuda 100 Day Challenge and I’m really looking forward to see who the competitors are and how they get on.”

On February 16, Jacqueline Lightbourne, Colonial's interim Corporate Wellness Coordinator for Bermuda, was on hand to enroll contestants in the Zest Wellness Programme. Contestants were given a complimentary FitBit to record daily steps and physical activity.  Through the program partnership with Virgin Pulse, contestants will be able to easily take record of nutrition and healthy habits such as sleep, water intake and stress management through the online accounts.

Mrs. Lightbourne said, "Participants were thrilled to receive the devices and to learn more about the Zest Wellness program, which offers a variety of wellness activities to support their health needs and interests.  Colonial is proud to provide a tool to help them every "step" of the way."

Andrew Phillips, Project Director for the Bermuda 100 Day Challenge, said he was delighted that Colonial had agreed to be the title sponsor, adding: “The Colonial Insurance Bermuda 100 Day Challenge is an evolved show from the one that ran for six seasons straight and finished in 2013.

“By this I mean that although it is still very much a weight loss and exercise programme with the same format, this year the focus of the trainers is highly placed on increasing the contestants lean muscle. So some of the fat reduced will be replaced by muscle which does have its own weight, as a result the contestants may not appear to lose as much weight in previous years. However, we feel that they will look healthier than they did before."

Selected Saturday boot camps will also be opened up to the public to train with the 100 Day Challenge contestants.

For more information on the 100 Day Challenge, check them out on Facebook at The Bermuda 100 Day Challenge, and be sure to tune in for the premiere episode on March 7th.