What a great compliment, and one we don’t take for granted. By getting to know you, our neighbor here in Alaska, we get the unique and honored opportunity to understand your specific life situation. There are many moving parts that are yours and yours alone. Understanding how to rewire your habits, your thoughts, and your life circumstances will help you gain control over those things that seem uncontrollable.

When you take that first step and come to us to assess your health status and discuss how we can help, one of our medical providers will visit with you. That provider will take an in-depth look at where you are physically and emotionally, where you have been and where you want to go. With your goals front and center, a comprehensive plan is developed. This plan is specific to you. The basic framework is managing calories, working in physical activity, formulating strategies for life management and incrementally changing habits.

A basic medical exam is the first step. We need to rule out any underlying medical problems that might interfere with a weight reduction program. Diagnostic tests give us baseline information and a concrete starting point for your journey to health. It is not unusual to decrease or eliminate several medications a patient might be taking as weight is lost and health regained!

Knowing how to get and stay active can be overwhelming for many people. Even with all the great outdoor opportunities in the Alaskan neighborhood we live in, the reality is sometimes just walking around the block is the best a person can do. Your provider or our fitness instructor will help you with a simple plan to get and stay moving. Exercise will help you keep the weight off and your energy on.

Understanding why individuals do what they do is likely the biggest hurdle for most of us to clear. Here is where your provider digs in with you to understand the cause and effect of habits – the why and the how and how not to – those behaviors that help and those that sabotage. This can be like a lightbulb going off or on the other end of the spectrum, it can be difficult and emotionally charged. When you are sharing your story, the good and the bad, the extensive experience and training of your provider will help you navigate what can be and often is choppy waters.

Anchorage is really a small town in a huge state. Most of us have been here for decades. We love what we do and when you read Why It Matters, you will understand why we have devoted our lives to the Alaska Premier Health neighborhood.