BMI Challenge

SierraSil wants to help you get fit - and there is money on the line for you!

What's your Body Mass Index (BMI)? Can we help you get into the zone? What are we talking about, and how can you make money (legitimately) by focusing on your BMI?

First, some background. Apparently, nearly 60% of Canadians are overweight or obese, and the numbers may be worse for our US friends. I confess that I, too, qualified as overweight. It hit home a few years ago, as a family photo showed my 'Dad bod' all too clearly. As the leader of a health products company, that was no good! While I didn't think I was "fat", my BMI was about 26, in the overweight category. With a little self-work, my BMI is now about 22.5, which is within the normal (healthy) weight range of 18.5-24.9. I feel good, and I’m trimmer and fitter for activities such as hiking and playing sports!

To be clear, BMI is not a perfect indicator of ideal weight. Fit people with more muscle mass may score as “overweight” when they are simply strong. There can also be “normal BMI” people who aren't fit. So it’s not a perfect indicator, but I think it’s still helpful.

So how can you make money paying attention to your BMI?

We are honoured to be one of the first companies to partner with the Canadian Health and Fitness Institute (“CHFI”) on a BMI challenge where you can make money while getting fitter. We hope you like the concept and will engage with us.

CHFI's goal is to “Make Canada the Fittest Nation on Earth by 2030”. You can learn more at their website. It nicely dovetails with our mission at SierraSil - helping you be healthier and more active, naturally. So here's the challenge and the opportunity. Assess your BMI here.

If your BMI is in the 25-29.9 range (overweight), the challenge is between now and January 15, 2020, to lower your BMI by 1. If your BMI is over 30, the challenge is to lower your BMI by 2 (examples below). Please note this important warning: You should only attempt this if it is physically safe for you to lose weight (consult with your health care advisor if you have any doubt). If you are successful, we pay you C$30.00 by cheque (in honour of CHFI's goal by the year 2030). You can spend it (or save it) however you want. But, if you accept the challenge and aren't successful, we want you to donate the same amount to CHFI. Does that make sense? $30 to you from us or to CHFI from you - carrot and stick!

What does dropping 1 BMI look like? If you are 5'10' and 190 pounds, your is BMI 27.3. Thus, dropping 7 pounds to 183 would take a point off your BMI to 26.3 and get you $30, some extra pride and feeling better, too!

What does dropping 2 BMI look like? If you are 5'10" and 210 pounds, your BMI is 30.1. Thus, dropping 14 pounds to 196 would take 2 points off your BMI to 28.1 and again, get you $30, extra pride and feeling better, too!

To help you with the challenge, Nanci Guest - a nutritionist with CHFI - has some dietary and emotional tips listed below to help you be successful. We encourage you to consider these tips because we want you to be successful - shedding pounds and keeping them off is not easy.

So are you up for the challenge? Here's what to do.

Email us at Info@SierraSil.com, subject line “BMI Challenge”. Let us know your name and current BMI. Be honest! There will be no shaming. Then in January, email us with the subject line “BMI Challenge Results”. Let us know if we owe you C$30 (the carrot) or you owe CHFI $30 (the stick). Here's the catch. We are limiting the contest to the first 200 entries (as our accountants won't let us have open-ended offers - hey, they need to balance the books!). If you want to share the BMI challenge on your social media, please include #BMIChallenge, #CHFI and #SierraSil. You can be an inspiration to your friends!

May we add that if you have a business or know of a business that would like to partner with CHFI on a BMI challenge, to sweeten the pot on this one, or in other ways, please let us know. This challenge isn't about us; it’s about you. And our goal at SierraSil is to help you be healthier and more active naturally.

Okay, but what about those already in the healthy BMI zone? Well, let us say, well done and add our apologies that this contest isn't targeted for you, but we are considering another contest that you could participate in. Regardless, consider following CHFI on social media and supporting its mission as you can. Also, consider sharing this challenge (kindly and gently) with others who might benefit.

Regardless of your BMI, if you are a SierraSil customer, order any SierraSil product online from us before September 30, 2020, and fill in the promo code line with “CHFI” and we will send $5 from your order to the Canadian Health and Fitness Institute.

Health is a blessing never entirely within our control, but we can help improve the odds with good lifestyle, diet and exercise choices. At SierraSil, we want to encourage you on that journey and that’s why we are glad to initiate this BMI challenge with CHFI. We believe that our products can help you be healthier and more active. That’s our mission as we strive to return joy and ability to people with mild to moderate chronic pain.

Healthy eating is more than the foods you eat. It is also about where, when,

why and how you eat.

• Be mindful of your eating habits.
• Take time to eat.
• Notice when you are hungry and when you are full.
• Cook more often.
• Plan what you eat.
• Involve others in planning and preparing meals.
• Enjoy your food.
• Culture and food traditions can be a part of healthy eating.
• Be aware of emotional/stress eating.
• Limit passive eating and snacking while watching tv, etc.
• Eat meals with others, but be mindful of not eating too much at meal gatherings.

Make it a habit to eat a variety of healthy foods each day.

• Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods and protein foods. Choose protein foods that come from plants more often.
• Choose foods with healthy plant-derived fats instead of saturated fat.
• Limit highly processed foods. If you choose these foods, eat them less often and in small amounts.
• Prepare meals and snacks using ingredients that have little to no added sodium, sugars or saturated fat.
• Minimize dessert and sugary snack consumption.
• Choose healthier menu options when eating out.
• Limit the amount of sauces, dips and dressings you consume.
• Add flavour with herbs and spices.
• Make water your drink of choice.
• Replace sugary drinks with water or herbal tea.
• Limit or avoid alcohol consumption, opt for sparkling water with a splash of fresh fruit.
• Use food labels.
• Be aware that food marketing can influence your choices.

Choose Eating Patterns that are Sustainable and align with Planetary Health.

• Explore the variety of plant-based proteins and incorporate these into daily meals.
• Eat more beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and whole grains.
• Eat less red meat (beef, lamb, pork) and dairy products.
• Choose fish and lean poultry more often than other meats.
• Aim to eat and shop locally whenever possible.
• Think about starting a small garden in your backyard or on your condo balcony.