News and press releases

Montréal, March 15, 2016 – The beginning of the Health Challenge is right around the corner and registration is in full swing on the HealthChallenge.ca site. As of March 31, participants will take up the Challenge and try to reach the three daily objectives for 6 weeks: eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, get active for at least 30 minutes, and take a break for increased wellness in life. Anaïs Favron, the campaign’s spokesperson, invites all Quebecers to join the movement!

The Challenge is accessible and motivating

For the past 12 years, the Health Challenge has been encouraging participants, young and old, to integrate small healthy changes into their daily routines to improve their lifestyle habits, in a fun, non-competitive way. Alone, with the whole family, or as a team, the Health Challenge is a simple and accessible formula that’s good for you! To encourage and motivate participants during the 6 weeks of the campaign, they will have access to several free tools and exclusive offers. Those who register before March 31 will get the chance to win one of many prizes, including groceries for 1 year from IGA!

An improved campaign courtesy of the TELUS Fund

Once again this year, the participation of the TELUS Fund has helped the Health Challenge improve participants’ experience, by updating the online account. Thanks to the new dashboard, participants can track their objectives daily, in addition to having access to healthy menus and recipes, exercise videos, and wellness breaks to help them stay on track.

For the second consecutive year, the TELUS Fund also collaborated on the production of the Health Champions campaign, a series of web and TV clips profiling inspiring celebrities who take their health to heart and promote healthy habits in their environment. Discover the stories of Danielle Danault, President of Cardio Plein Air; Geneviève O'Gleman, nutritionist, TV host and producer; comedian André Sauvé; Caroline St-Hilaire, the mayor of Longueuil, as well as of Dr. Gilles Julien and Ms. Hélène Sioui Trudel, from Dr. Julien’s Foundation, at championsdelasante.com (in French only).

“The TELUS Fund is proud to support the Health Challenge’s mission to help Quebecers adopt healthy habits. By creating inspiring, entertaining content that promotes healthy choices, we are confident that we are contributing to their physical, mental and emotional well-being,” states Mr. François Côté, Vice-chair of the TELUS Fund.

Activities throughout Quebec

To motivate participants, the Health Challenge and Cardio Plein Air are collaborating for the first time to present the Rendez-vous Défi Santé, a free outdoor 60-minute workout that will take place simultaneously in 50 cities and boroughs. The event is scheduled for Sunday, March 20, and is open to everyone, regardless of age or fitness level. A great opportunity to get active as a family! To find out more, visit www.cardiopleinair.ca/defisante (in French only).

It is also important to mention that the many participating municipalities—575 this year, a new record!—are also promoting the Health Challenge and organizing a host of activities for their citizens to help them kick it into gear.

“Adopting healthy habits is an important issue for Quebecers today, and access to opportunities and sites where they can get active and buy fresh and varied ingredients is something citizens have repeatedly communicated to their municipalities. It is because of initiatives like the Health Challenge that every year healthy habits are becoming more prevalent in municipalities. I congratulate the 575 municipalities registered for the Health Challenge: you are leaders and the values you are promoting to your citizens are guarantors of Quebecers’ health and vitality,” adds Éric Lamothe, CEO of Québec en Forme.

Registration is open until March 31 at HealthChallenge.ca!

About the Health Challenge

Launched in 2005, the objective of the Health Challenge is to promote healthy habits. Since its creation, there have been over 1.3 million registrations. The Health Challenge is presented by IGA in collaboration with Sun Life Financial. It is made possible by the support and funding of Québec en Forme in partnership with the Directions régionales de santé publique and Québec’s Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux. This project is carried out in partnership with the TELUS Fund, Hydro-Québec, Uniprix, Becel, Oasis, Fontaine Santé, High Liner, Attitude Fraîche, ATHENTIKOS and Cardio Plein Air. To find out more, visit HealthChallenge.ca.

The Health Challenge for Municipalities and Families is made possible with the support of the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Occupation du territoire, the Union of Quebec Municipalities (UMQ), the Fédération québécoise des municipalités, and the Réseau québécois de villes et villages en santé.