May 28 is 21st annual National Senior Health & Fitness Day

May 22 2014

On Wednesday, May 28, over 100,000 older adults will participate in local health and wellness events at 1,000+ locations across the country as part of the 21^st annual National Senior Health & Fitness Day.

The goal: To promote the importance of regular physical activity, and showcase what local organizations are doing to help improve the health of older adults in communities across the U.S.

Groups hosting "Senior Day" events include senior centers, retirement communities, Ys and health clubs, health plans, hospitals/health systems, park and recreation districts, and other local organizations. Local activities include health fairs, exercise demonstrations, health screenings, nutrition tips, presentations, and more. To host local Senior Day events, organizations must register with the Mature Market Resource Center™ (MMRC), in order to legally use the event name/logo, which are federal trademarks.

"This year is the 21^st anniversary of National Senior Health & Fitness Day-- the nation's largest older adult health promotion event," adds Patricia Henze, MMRC executive director. She continues, "We are pleased to be working with a record number of national and state sponsors to help support older adult health and wellness efforts through our unique event."

National sponsors include: American Specialty Health's Silver&Fit® Exercise and Healthy Aging Program, The American Diabetes Association, The National Recreation and Park Association, and American Custom Publishing.

State sponsors include: UPMC Health Plan (Pennsylvania), Florida Blue, UnitedHealthcare (New Jersey, Ohio, Maryland, and Delaware), Kaiser Permanente (California, Oregon), Blue Cross of Idaho, and Aetna (Texas).

The event is always held the last Wednesday in May as part of Older Americans Month and National Physical Fitness and Sports Month activities.