HealthCode Rallies U.S. Armed Forces for Battle of the Branches Global Virtual Activity Challenge

All Active Duty, Veterans, Family and Friends Are Encouraged to Support Readiness, Resilience and Unity During May’s Military Appreciation Month

AUSTIN, Texas (April 21, 2021) – HealthCode is calling on all active military and veterans, family and friends of the U.S. armed forces to step up for its inaugural Battle of the Branches virtual activity challenge in May.

May marks Military Appreciation Month and HealthCode is launching the inaugural Battle of the Branches virtual activity challenge to pay tribute to the U.S. armed forces while encouraging the community to embrace physical activity and healthy living.

“At HealthCode, we value our military community in every respect,’’ said Steve Amos, CEO and founder of HealthCode. “That is why we created this fun global competition designed to encourage active service members, veterans as well as family and friends of the military to maintain active lifestyles and support readiness, resilience and unity.”

The event is open to branches of the U.S. armed forces stationed in the United States or abroad.

The Battle of the Branches was developed through HealthCode’s longstanding work with the U.S. Air Force. Since 2016, the Air Force has been using the HealthCode’s virtual activity events to engage military personnel globally and the nonprofit is teaming with the U.S. Air Force’s 517^th Training Group to introduce the Battle of the Branches to promote readiness, resilience and unity.

Colonel Stephanie Kelley, commander of the 517^th Training Group, said: “HealthCode was the perfect platform to launch the 517th TRG’s first virtual fitness challenge during COVID. It motivated individuals of all fitness levels (military and civilian staff, students, family members) to log a total of 16,000 miles of their favorite physical activities while contributing to a little friendly unit competition … promoting healthy habits and building esprit de corps in a time of social distancing! It was so much fun, we made it an annual event.”

Participating in the Battle of the Branches is simple. Participants sign up on Battle of the Branches 2021 registration page at https://events.healthcode.org/battle2021 and select a branch, including Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy and Space Force. Then participants select a group – including active duty, guard, reserve, veteran, family or friend – and set a goal for the number of miles of activity to be achieved.

Throughout the month, the program’s international leaderboard is updated with miles achieved globally, including running, walking, cycling or swimming.

At the end of the month the winning branch will be determined based on key factors including the most participants from each branch, the highest average miles per participant and the highest percentage of participants from each branch.

In addition to bragging rights, the winning branch will receive a Battle of the Branches virtual trophy and the 2022 Battle of the Branches challenge T-shirt will be printed in the winning branch’s color. More details can be found at https://healthcode.org/battle/.

Amos said: “There is nothing like a little healthy interservice competition to build comradery among the hard-working women and men in our armed forces. Thousands of our service members have worked tirelessly on the front lines throughout the last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is especially important that we honor them during Military Appreciation Month – and have a little fun at the same time.’’

HealthCode is committed to raising awareness on living healthier, happier lives through physical activity, nutrition and supporting the environment. Since launching its first virtual activity challenge with Million Mile Month in 2014, HealthCode has developed a series of virtual activity and educational programs to promote healthy living.

Throughout the year, HealthCode offers goal-based challenges with more than 50,000 participants and organizations across all 50 U.S. states and in 30 countries. More information on HealthCode events can be found at https://events.healthcode.org/events.

About HealthCode

HealthCode, a nonprofit based in Austin, Texas, is dedicated to empowering people to live healthier, happier lives through education and encouraging physical activity, promoting healthy eating habits, supporting the environment and cultivating community connections. For more information visit www.healthcode.org.