With the start of the New Year, many people will make resolutions. Whether it is to lose weight, exercise more, eat better, or just try to be healthier, many will try and few will succeed in the long term.

There are many reasons why it is so difficult for us to achieve our health goals.

You cannot turn on a TV or read a magazine without seeing the latest and greatest weight loss diet or exercise device that magically will get you to your goals with very little effort.

There is so much misinformation on the subject of healthy eating, hormones, and exercise that it is hard for anyone to know what is true and backed by good medical science versus what is false.Three years ago, I was one of these people. I would exercise regularly and eat what I thought was “healthy.”

Despite this, I was gaining weight, had low energy, was pre-diabetic, had borderline high blood pressure, and was on medication for high cholesterol. I made the decision that something had to change.

I took an extensive course and got certification in age-management medicine.

As I was sitting through the course, I realized that everything that was being taught was exactly what was happening to me. I left the course and incorporated the knowledge into my own life and the results are phenomenal!

I have lost significant body fat, gained muscle, I am off my cholesterol medication, my blood pressure is normal, my blood sugar is normal, and my energy has increased.

So what is age management medicine?

Age management medicine will not make you live longer.

The goal is to decrease the chance of chronic disease and illness so you can remain active and energetic as you age.

Is your goal to be skiing, hiking, golfing, or biking into your seventies and eighties?

Do you want to maximize your long-term mental capacity and/or decrease your incidence of chronic disease?

Then age management medicine may be for you. Age management medicine is how diet, exercise, and hormone optimization all work together to reach our health goals. As we age, diet alone or exercise alone will not produce long-term results.

Even if you exercise regularly and eat well, you may not be seeing the results you desire if your hormones are out of balance.

With my personal success and my fascination with the science of age management medicine, I have started Age Management Medicine Northwest. Age Management Medicine Northwest is a long-term medically supervised lifestyle program to improve your overall health.

The annual program concentrates on diet, exercise, and hormone optimization.

Throughout the course of the year my team will follow your progress with frequent follow up, labs, and testing and refine your individual program based on your results.

My team consists of Jessica Radke-Snead, MS, RD, CD to oversee the nutritional component. This will consist of initial consultation, a personalized dietary plan, and frequent follow up. Jarae Nevarez, ACSM, CEP will oversee the exercise component. She will evaluate each individual patient and formulate an appropriate personalized exercise program. There will be frequent follow up with her to measure progress and adjust your exercise program. I, Dr Stafford, will oversee the medical component to include consultation, physical exam, extensive blood work, body composition, formulation of a treatment plan and frequent follow up to track progress. Age Management Medicine Northwest is a long-term life-changing program. It is not a “lose weight and get fit in 30 days” program. I believe that I have put together an outstanding team that will ensure your success for many years to come. If this is a program that interests you, please call (208) 676-0104 and schedule your free consultation to see if this is the right program for you.