April 20, 2020

Stay active and connected with this spring’s Health & Wellness Challenge

Orchard Park, NY – Independent Health and the Buffalo Bills are encouraging Western New Yorkers to stay active and connected by taking part in this spring’s Health & Wellness Challenge. This fun and engaging program will take place from April 27 through June 7 and is open to the entire community.

At a time when it’s become extremely important to manage your overall health and practice social distancing, the Independent Health and Buffalo Bills Health & Wellness Challenge incentivizes people to adopt healthy habits and provides helpful ways to do that – even at home! By moving more, eating better and drinking enough water, participants will earn points for a chance to win a variety of daily and weekly prizes, as well as the Grand Prize VIP Bills Experience, which includes:

• Lunch and a private tour of the Sports Performance Center with Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Harrison Phillips
• Buffalo Bills home opener prize pack with four game tickets, pre-game on-field passes, Bills gift bags and limousine transportation

Those interested in joining the Health & Wellness Challenge for the first time can sign up now at buffalobills.com/thechallenge. Past participants need only to log in to take part again. Anyone who registers prior to the April 27th kickoff date will receive early access to special discounts, at-home workout videos, healthy recipes and health tips from Harrison Phillips.

“Now more than ever, it’s important to take all the necessary steps to protect your health and well-being, and Independent Health and the Buffalo Bills are here to help,” said Michael W. Cropp, M.D., President and CEO, Independent Health. “Even though we need to maintain physical distancing, it is important to stay connected with family members, friends and neighbors virtually. So, engage and encourage others to join the Health & Wellness Challenge. Have friendly competitions, challenge each other, but most important, keep both your body and your mind active.”

“For more than five years, the Health & Wellness Challenge has provided our community with simple, effective ways to increase focus on living a healthy lifestyle,” said Dan Misko, Senior Vice President of Business Development, Pegula Sports & Entertainment. “Since the goals of the challenge all fall within social distancing guidelines, this year’s Health & Wellness Challenge gives all Western New Yorkers great incentives to remain active during this time and safely enjoy the arrival of spring weather.”

Get healthy, get points, get prizes!

Health & Wellness Challenge participants can earn points by achieving three main daily goals:

1. Get at least 20 minutes of physical activity
2. Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables
3. Drink eight glasses of water

In addition to the daily goals, there are “extra points” challenges designed to push participants further and keep things interesting. These challenges can be modified to suit each participant’s fitness level and ability. The daily goals and “extra points” challenges are worth 5 points each. Plus, by referring friends and family, participants can earn 10 extra points for each person who registers.

The more participants do, the more points they’ll earn, and the greater their chance to win the Grand Prize VIP Bills Experience as well as the daily and weekly prizes, including:

• Autographed Buffalo Bills jerseys
• VIP training camp tickets
• Buffalo Bills preseason tickets with post-game on-field passes
• Billy Joel concert tickets
• Fitness trackers
• Bose wireless earbuds

As an added bonus for joining the Health & Wellness Challenge, all participants will receive special discounts from the BFLO Store and Rachel's Mediterranean Grill.

About the Health  Wellness Challenge

The Independent Health and Buffalo Bills Health & Wellness Challenge was created as a way to help motivate individuals to live healthier lives by offering them opportunities to win prizes. The first initiative kicked off in October 2014 and drew 2,300 participants. Since then, 11 more rounds of the Health & Wellness Challenge have been held, with participation steadily increasing each round, bringing the total number of registered participants to 33,407.

By logging in at buffalobills.com/thechallenge, participants can keep track of their progress and learn about that day’s “extra points” challenge. The number of points earned throughout the Health & Wellness Challenge will determine the number of chances they have in the random prize drawings. To be eligible to win a prize, participants must be at least 18 years of age and a legal resident of New York State at the time of entry. Due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 situation, certain prizes may no longer be available due to evolving safety guidelines, in which case a prize substitution of equal or greater value will be awarded.