You At Your Best

If any of your New Year's resolutions are health- related, consider taking the team approach. When you develop a relationship with a primary care provider and the provider's clinic staff, you have a health care team on your side, committed to giving you the care and support you need to achieve your health goals. Resolution: Get healthier "A primary care provider, or PCP, is a health care professional who provides acute care for common illnesses or symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat or stomach pain as well as preventive care like vaccines, nutrition counseling and health screenings," Dr. Steven Spencer of Washington Regional Fayetteville Family Clinic explains. "A PCP can also help you manage chronic conditions such as allergies, diabetes or high blood pressure." There are several types of providers who work as PCPs: • An internal medicine physician specializes in care for adults • A family medicine physician cares for patients through all stages of life, from infants to older adults • A nurse practitioner or a physician assistant can be a PCP At Washington Regional Fayetteville Family Clinic, Dr. Spencer serves patients alongside Dr. Tyler Brockman and Taesha Winford, APRN. Whichever type of provider you choose, developing a relationship with a trusted PCP means you have someone who is familiar with your medical history and can help you reach your health goals. Resolution: Eat better If you want to improve your eating habits, your PCP can make recommendations based on your health history and can guide you to an appropriate eating plan and resources. You may want to take the quiz at myplate.gov and get a personalized eating plan based on your age, sex, height, weight and physical activity level. There's even an app to help you create healthy habits. The Start Simple app allows you to set daily food goals, see real-time progress and earn reward badges. Resolution: Exercise more Hoping to increase your physical activity in 2022? "Talk with your PCP about what is safe for you in your current level of fitness," Dr. Spencer advises. "For most adults, the recommendation is 150 to 300 minutes of moderate- intensity aerobic activity each week. This could be brisk walking in the neighborhood or high-tempo dancing in a Zumba class. Adults also need to include some type of muscle-strengthening activity, like lifting weights or doing push-ups, at least two days each week." Dr. Spencer says you can benefit from even small amounts of physical activity; just try to move more frequently throughout the day as you work toward meeting the guidelines. Resolution: Lower my health risks "Based on your personal and family health history, your PCP can recommend preventive screenings and can help determine any disease risk factors you may have," Dr. Spencer says. This can catch potential health problems early when they can be treated more easily. Plus, your PCP can help you manage the important health numbers: weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar level. Resolution: Contact my PCP Dr. Spencer suggests starting the new year by scheduling an appointment with your PCP. "Like many others, you may have missed your regular checkups and screenings earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic. If that's the case, now is the time to call your PCP's office to reschedule," he says. If you don't already have a PCP, visit wregional.com/clinics for a full list of Washington Regional primary care clinic locations throughout Northwest Arkansas, or call 479-404-1200 to request an appointment at Washington Regional Fayetteville Family Clinic. With a trusted PCP on your team, your New Year's resolutions can be attainable goals. sPonsor ConTEnT tackling your health resolutions with a PCP www.wRegionAl.com Dr. Tyler Brockman, Dr. Steven Spencer and Taesha Winford, APRN provide comprehensive medical care for all ages at Washington Regional's Fayetteville Family Clinic. Services include preventive care, physicals and routine check-ups, treatment of acute illnesses and injuries, and treatment of chronic conditions. Appointments at Fayetteville Family Clinic located inside the William L. Bradley Medical Plaza, at 3 E. Appleby Road, Ste. 301 in Fayetteville, are available by calling 479-404-1200. The clinic is open Monday – Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Friday 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. More information is available at www.wregional.com/clinics. Primary care here for you in Fayetteville dr. Brockman dr. spencer Taesha winford sunday, dECEmBEr 26, 2021 | January - Goals for Great Health youaTyourBEsT.nwaonlinE.Com | you aT your BEsT | 9

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