SAN DIEGO, Aug. 1, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Silver&Fit, a fitness program for older adults offered by American Specialty Health Incorporated, announced today a comprehensive new Exercise and Healthy Aging program. Silver&Fit currently serves over 50 Medicare plans nationwide covering over 1.2 million Medicare beneficiaries with the Silver&Fit Basic and Plus programs. Silver&Fit will begin offering its new Exercise and Healthy Aging program effective January 1, 2013. Silver&Fit will replace its current Basic and Plus programs with its new Exercise and Healthy Aging program for health plan clients' benefit plans becoming effective January 1, 2014. 

"We created the new Silver&Fit Exercise and Healthy Aging Program to broaden the choices and resources available to our members, and to increase member engagement in exercise," stated George DeVries, chairman and CEO of American Specialty Health. "Clinical research has demonstrated that healthy seniors who exercise routinely can maintain their health. Older adults who have a health risk such as obesity, hypertension, depression, arthritis, back pain or heart disease can benefit significantly from regular exercise. Regular exercise may reduce the risks, slow the progression of illness, and in some situations resolve the health condition. Ultimately, older adults who consistently exercise live longer, healthier lives than those who are inactive and sedentary." 

Silver&Fit Exercise & Healthy Aging Program will offer the following components:

• Silver&Fit Fitness Facility Network, which offers over 10,000 participating fitness facilities and exercise centers nationwide. Silver&Fit primarily contracts with coed fitness facilities that offer a full range of features and amenities, including cardiovascular and strength equipment. A key feature at many of its fitness facilities will be Silver&Fit exercise classes. Silver&Fit currently offers exercise classes such as the Silver&Fit Signature exercise classes, Zumba Gold^® and Senior Yoga classes. Under the new Exercise and Healthy Aging Program, Silver&Fit will add fall prevention, Tai Chi, aquatics and additional strength training exercise classes to the class options that may be offered by the fitness facilities. All Silver&Fit members will have access to any fitness facility in the network and will be encouraged to use Silver&Fit exercise classes and other program services at the fitness facilities. Silver&Fit also will continue to offer gender-specific fitness facilities, such as Curves, as part of its network, in addition to exercise centers such as recreation centers, Yoga studios and others. 
   
• Silver&Fit Healthy Aging Education Program, which provides access to 48 healthy aging education classes designed for at-home use. The classes are accessed online at SilverandFit.com. Or, if a member prefers, he/she may request to be sent the healthy aging education program by mail. If a member requests the healthy aging education program by mail, he or she will receive a quarterly mailing that will include a DVD and workbook with 12 classes for home use each quarter. Previously available to only Silver&Fit Plus members, the Healthy Aging Education Program will be available to all members under the Silver&Fit Exercise and Healthy Aging Program, given its popularity.
   
• Silver&Fit Home Exercise Program, which allows eligible members to select a home exercise program in lieu of the fitness facility or exercise center membership. If a member selects the home exercise program, he/she may select two home exercise kits. Options may include the following:

• Walking Kit
• Strength Exercise Kit
• Stress Management Kit
• Pilates for Seniors Kit
• Yoga for Seniors Kit
• Dance for Seniors Kit
• Aquatics Kit
• Tai Chi/Qi Gong Kit

• Access to SilverandFit.com, which provides eligible members with a robust website featuring a wide range of health and self-care tools.   

"We are very excited by the enhancements we are making with the Silver&Fit Exercise & Healthy Aging program," added DeVries. "We believe that significantly expanding our exercise class options and availability will meet consumer demand for more exercise options and provide older adults with the opportunity to significantly improve their health through exercise. Additionally, we also believe we have identified opportunities to make Silver&Fit more efficient and less costly. As Medicare plans face limited rate increases, it is critical that the cost of fitness programs like Silver&Fit be as efficient as possible so Medicare plans can continue to offer fitness programs and older adults can continue to have fitness options in their Medicare plans."

About Silver&Fit and American Specialty Health Incorporated:

The Silver&Fit program is provided through American Specialty Health Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of American Specialty Health Incorporated (ASH). As part of Silver&Fit, members have access to: no-cost or low-cost memberships at a comprehensive network of fitness facilities and exercise centers; the Silver&Fit Home Exercise Program, which provides home exercise kits to members in lieu of the fitness facility and exercise center membership; Silver&Fit Healthy Aging programs that provide access to online or DVD classes on how to age in a healthy way; SilverandFit.com, a robust website with health tools and self-care options specifically designed for older adults; and The Silver Slate^®, a quarterly newsletter.

ASH is a national health services organization which provides fitness and exercise programs, total population health programs and specialty health care management programs for health plans, insurance carriers and employer groups nationwide. ASH's corporate headquarters are located in San Diego with operations centers in San Diego and Dallas. ASH has more than 900 employees and covers over 31 million members. For more information about ASH and its subsidiaries and products, visit www.ASHCompanies.com or call 800-848-3555.

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