The Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC) announced the 16th annual Crews Into Shape Challenge, Feb. 9.

Crews Into Shape is held every March in conjunction with National Nutrition Month® and is sponsored annually by NMCPHC.

The four-week challenge that runs from March 6 through April 2 uses a team approach to promote wellness, combining the support of friends, colleagues, and family members to work toward a healthier lifestyle.

The challenge is open to all active duty and reserve service members in the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard, as well as Department of Defense (DoD) family members and civilians.

"The Crews Into Shape challenge continues NMCPHC's ongoing commitment to provide programs that support lifelong healthy behaviors and lifestyles," said Diana Settles, the director of the 2016 Crews Into Shape at NMCPHC. "Through this challenge, our goal is to provide a fun, free, and team-oriented activity that helps promote and guide improved physical activity and healthy eating habits."

Participants generate teams comprised of up to 10n members, create a team name, and earn points based on NMCPHC's standardized rules and scoring system. Points are accrued for eating two cups of fruit and three cups of vegetables daily, performing 30 minutes of aerobic exercise or 15 minutes of vigorous exercise daily, maintaining or achieving a goal weight, and engaging in other healthy activities.

Since 2001, Crews Into Shape has been a staple health and wellness initiative within the DoD community and both participation and public response has been tremendously positive.

"In 2015, we had 1,941 registered crew members and 311 Crews from across the DoD family," said Settles. "According to the 2015 post-challenge survey, 187 respondents indicated that Crews Into Shape improved their daily fruit and vegetable consumption habits [82 percent] and improved their daily exercise routines 78 percent."

Get ready to get "Crewsin'" in 2016 and submit your registration to NMCPHC by March 5.

Visit the official Crews Into Shape website for registration details and resources supporting this year's challenge: http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcphc/health-promotion/Pages/crews-into-shape.aspx.

For more news from Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center, visit http://www.navy.mil/.