Archive for the ‘Health and Fitness’ Category
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield Extends Relationship with Healthways, Offers SilverSneakers Fitness Program …
Posted: July 23, 2012 at 7:14 pm
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. & NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
As part of its long-standing commitment to improving the quality of life of its members, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield has agreed to a four-year extension through 2015 of its current contract offering Healthways (HWAY) award-winning SilverSneakers Fitness Program to eligible members. SilverSneakers, the nations leading exercise program designed to keep older adults active and healthy, is offered to Arkansas Blue Cross more than 120,000 Medicare Advantage and Medicare supplement members.
Providing programs and services to help our Medi-Pak and Medi-Pak Advantage members be their healthy best is an important aspect of our health plans, said Cindy Thornton, vice president of Senior Products. SilverSneakers continues to be one of the benefits that helps our members feel better and enhance their quality of life. Our members tell us SilverSneakers has made a difference in their health and well-being, and Arkansas Blue Cross is committed to keeping this program available to our members at no additional cost to them.
Using proven methodologies based upon more than 16 years of science and outcomes, the SilverSneakers Fitness Program increases physical activity in older adults, resulting in higher well-being and lower health care costs. The program engages participants in active behavior change through access to a variety of physical activity venues and senior-specific programming that incorporates physical fitness and social experiences.
As part of their mission, Arkansas Blue Cross offers products and services designed to create high customer value, confidence, peace of mind and an improved quality of life. By continuing to offer SilverSneakers to its Medi-Pak Advantage and Medi-Pak members, Arkansas Blue Cross is demonstrating its ongoing commitment to its older adult members through a time-tested, proven solution that provides a unique combination of exercise and social support to improve members health and overall well-being, said Ben R. Leedle, Jr., Healthways president and chief executive officer.
The enduring success of the program is evidenced through the SilverSneakers Fitness Program 2011 Annual Member Survey. According to the results, four out of five new members who were previously sedentary report, at least, doubling their amount of weekly exercise. Additionally, more than half of new members indicated that their SilverSneakers membership was their first fitness center membership. Fifty-six percent of SilverSneakers participants reported an increase in physical activity compared to the previous year, and a majority of participants reported reduced pain from arthritis, sciatica or lower back problems after participating in the program.
The SilverSneakers Fitness Program was founded in 1993 and serves more than 9 million eligible members. The Healthways fitness center network offers convenient access to 14,000 participating fitness and wellness facilities nationwide. Arkansas Blue Cross has provided SilverSneakers access to eligible members since 2007.
About Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Founded in 1948, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is the largest health insurer in Arkansas. Arkansas Blue Cross and its affiliates have more than 2,800 employees. If combined, the 38 independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans collectively provide health care coverage for 100 million nearly one in three Americans.
About Healthways
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Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield Extends Relationship with Healthways, Offers SilverSneakers Fitness Program ...
Health and fitness vlog 7-20 and 7-21 – Video
Posted: July 22, 2012 at 6:15 pm
Health and Fitness – www.healthandfitnessvault.net – Video
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Health And Fitness Club Business Plan – Video
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Free health screenings, food giveaways, veteran care packages highlight Flint health expo
Posted: at 6:15 pm
FLINT, MI A large health and wellness expo in Flint drew in more than 1,000 people on Saturday to highlight and offer free health and fitness workshops to low-income Flint-area residents.
Flint-area veterans and community members took part in the Community Outreach for Family and Youth's (COFY) health and wellness expo where vendors and volunteers offered an array of services which included dental screening, blood pressure screening, diabetes checks, HIV screening, food giveaways, and care packages for disabled veterans, just to name a few.
The health and wellness expo was held at the New Jerusalem Full Gospel Baptist Church. Senior Pastor at the church and COFY CEO, Patrick Sanders said the event was a way to reintroduce COFY to the community and let them know they are there to help.
"It's important to let people know that we do care and we understand that we are all having a difficult time and certainly the community center wanted to say we feel you and we understand." Sanders said. "This is our way of helping, it may not be much but at least it is something that can help them right now."
COFY is a nonprofit organization that works to empower the community through educational, health, fitness, and other community happenings, events, and programs.
Sanders said a large part of the event was to help disabled veterans and make them aware that the COFY organization is there to help.
"A really big part of our event is the disabled veterans to say to those who are longer serving the country that we are here, we are with you in your struggle and this is just a little something to say thank you." Sanders said.
One of the vendors at the event was the Disabled Veterans National Foundation. Volunteers from the foundation handed out care packages to the disabled veterans they saw today.
Doug Walker, program coordinator with Disabled Veterans National Foundation, said the organization heard about the event and thought it would be a great opportunity to come to Flint and visit with area veterans.
The care packages included toothpaste, deodorant, and other essential items. Walker said some veterans also received prescription discount cards.
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Free health screenings, food giveaways, veteran care packages highlight Flint health expo
RIC fitness center designed for the disabled
Posted: at 6:14 pm
July 22, 2012 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Fitness centers continue to expand and improve, especially those designed for people with disabilities.
From a small physical therapy room to an old dormitory, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago's fitness center has moved to a facility that is set up to be a full-fledged health club.
The new state-of-the-art health and fitness center is located downtown, four blocks from RIC. It is also the home for all their sport programs.
"We have just about everything a health club would have," said sport manager Derek Daniels. "We have free weights, we have equipment with the pin system and the pulleys. We also have a few pieces that are more adapted for persons with disabilities."
The staff is trained to work with people with disabilities.
"Not just personal training, but we also do what we call functional fitness program which is a continuation of thereapy," Daniels said. "The trainer will actually meet with the physical therapist from the hospital and then they'll go over a plan for the participants here."
Adam Finney loves the new center.
"It's night and day difference from the old place," Finney said. "I lift weights a little and a lot of the cycling. We ride on a computrainers in the winter so it's basically a stationary bike and we just spin in place."
They also offer exercise classes that are customized for specific disabilities.
"We have seated aerobics," Daniels said. "We also have warm water aerobics that we offer at the hospital. We're going to offer Zumba, adaptive Zumba very soon here."
Health and Fitness Vlog 7-19-12 – Video
Posted: July 21, 2012 at 7:19 pm
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Everlasting Restored Health and Fitness – Video
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Mobile Health Developer Azumio Acquires SkyHealth, Makers Of Top-Ranked Fitness App
Posted: at 4:19 am
As smartphone adoption increases and mobile technology becomes more powerful, its changing the way in which people interact with health information. The popularity of health and medical apps has begun to explode, and the amount of health data along with it, much of it thanks to those increasingly wearable and user-friendly gizmos that use smart sensors to capture and transmit all shades of biometric data. Smartphones now tap into these health devices, turning our phones into heart monitors and cancer screeners, all with the goal of helping us live longer, healthier lives.
You may not be familiar with them by name, but Azumio is one of a number of young startups tapping into this hot trend, leveraging smart mobile technology to get us making better and more informed health decisions. Thanks to the popularity of its biofeedback apps like Instant Heart Rate, Azumio has attracted 20 million downloads of its iOS and Android apps in less than two years. And today, the Palo Alto-based company is adding to that total and beginning to round out its product set by scooping up SkyHealth, the creators of Fitness Buddy, the top-ranked paid health app on iTunes.
While the terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, the eight-old SkyHealth has seen 5 million downloads thanks largely to Fitness Buddy and Glucose Buddy, its $1 fitness and diabetes trackers. As a result of this and the fact that SkyHealth was one of the early movers in health development for iOS, the startup has been able to bootstrap its way to profitability.
Azumio, on the other hand, chose to go the venture route, raising $2.5 million from Founders Fund, Accel and Felicis (to name a few) last year. The founders tell us that the deal was a combination of cash and equity, and weve been able to learn from other sources that in fact the deal leaned more towards equity, as this war more of an acqui-hire, with SkyHealth founder and CEO Tom Xu joining Azumio as a partner and head of product development, along with the startups three main developers.
For Azumio, the acquisition more than doubles its product portfolio, bringing SkyHealths 15 health and fitness apps to its platform, while SkyHealth now has access to a larger audience and more resources as part of the Azumio team. But, really, both teams said that they share a similar vision, and joining forces gives them a better shot at making that happen. The team wants to create a mobile health and fitness platform that gives users a complete profile of their health, using each piece in the teams collective product suite.
In the next few weeks, the team (now at 13 people) plans to launch a fitness dashboard, which will take readings for each of their applications in an effort to give users a more complete report on their health. With SkyHealths additions, Azumios apps now span heart, stress, and sleep monitoring to fitness and glucose tracking. If Azumio opens that dashboard up to aggregate data from other health devices and apps as well, it could really be a game changer.
The future of bringing mobile health applications to a wider audience is here, and starts by creating a single source for the best mobile health and fitness solutions, said Xu, Azumios new head of product. Consumers can now use their phone to monitor heart rate, stress level, improve workout routines and sleeping behaviors, and even control blood sugar levels. Combining forces, we think that we have the resources and experience to create a mobile health and fitness platform that can have a much wider impact.
For more, find Azumio here.
Azumio, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based developer of a biofeedback app for smartphones.
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Mobile Health Developer Azumio Acquires SkyHealth, Makers Of Top-Ranked Fitness App
Azumio Acquires Mobile Health and Fitness Developer SkyHealth, Makers of the Number-One Ranked Fitness Buddy and …
Posted: at 4:19 am
PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwire -07/20/12)- Azumio, a pioneer in mobile biofeedback technologies and personal health applications, announced today that it has acquired SkyHealth, the award winning developer behind Fitness Buddy, the number-one ranked Health and Fitness paid app on iTunes, and Glucose Buddy, the most downloaded diabetes app in the world. The acquisition will bring SkyHealth's product portfolio of more than 15 leading mobile Health and Fitness applications to the Azumio platform, and provide the company with key developer talent. As part of the acquisition, SkyHealth CEO Tom Xu will join Azumio as a partner and head of product development.
Azumio is one of the fastest-growing mobile health developers in the world, offering users a one-stop-shop for health, wellness and fitness applications. As the leading developer of mobile biofeedback technologies, Azumio's mobile technology solutions enable smartphones and tablets to gain valuable, user-specific information through utilizing the existing sensors and hardware found within current and next-generation smartphones.
"The future of bringing mobile health applications to a wider audience is here, and starts by creating a single source for the best mobile health and fitness solutions," said Xu. "Consumers can now use their phone to monitor heart rate, stress level, improve workout routines and sleeping behaviors, and even control blood sugar levels. Now, with Azumio, we have the resources and experience to create a mobile health and fitness platform that will impact hundreds of millions of consumers."
"Smartphones are playing an increasingly important role in helping people improve their health and wellness, but success pivots around ease of access to new solutions -- mass adoption will only result from building apps that catalyze motivation and increase user commitment to their health and fitness goals," said Bojan Bostjancic, Azumio CEO. "Both Azumio's and SkyHealth's mobile apps have seen massive adoption because we have been among the first to provide a simple solution to live a more healthy lifestyle, directly from your smartphone."
Azumio's Instant Heart Rate, Stress Check, Stress Doctor and Sleep Time apps, along with Fitness Buddy and Glucose Buddy, will see new features and integrations rolled out in the coming months.
To Read More About Azumio's Product Offerings, Please Visit the Following Links: Instant Heart Rate: http://www.azumio.com/apps/heart-rate/ Stress Check: http://www.azumio.com/apps/stress-check/ Stress Doctor: http://www.azumio.com/apps/stress-doctor/ Sleep Time: http://www.azumio.com/apps/sleep-time/ Fitness Buddy: http://fitnessbuddyapp.com/ Glucose Buddy: http://www.glucosebuddy.com/
About AzumioAzumio is a leading developer of consumer health applications with more than 25 million downloads to date. Azumio is dedicated to improving people's health and wellness by motivating and influencing behavior through the development and use of innovative biofeedback technologies.
Azumio's innovative mobile technology solutions enable smartphones and tablets to gain valuable, user-specific information through utilizing the existing sensors and hardware found within current and next generation smartphones. The venture-backed company is at the forefront of the rapidly growing mobile health app movement, which is expected to impact more than one-third of smartphone users by 2015.
For more information, visit Azumio.com or follow http://twitter.com/azumioinc.
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Azumio Acquires Mobile Health and Fitness Developer SkyHealth, Makers of the Number-One Ranked Fitness Buddy and ...