Let's get moving

HAYDEN - The white sheet of paper with black words leaves no room for doubt. No space for misinterpretation.

Good health starts with us. With you. With me.

At the top, it says, "Active Family Healthcare," and under that it reads, "Exercise prescription #1."

Then, there's the list: 100 air squats, 90 sits-ups/crunches, 80 jumping jacks, 70-60 calf raises, 50 lunges (25 each leg), 40 tricep extensions, 30 plank with leg flexion/extension, 20 burpies, 10 high knees.

Now, you ask, who can do all that?

Why, you can.

Maybe not today or tomorrow. Maybe not even all of it. But perhaps somewhere down the road, you'll come close.

Jennifer Fletcher and Bruce Foster believe you'll be glad for it.

The two recently opened Active Family Healthcare in Hayden. And as the name implies, they want folks to be active. Get out. Walk, run, bike, swim, golf or bowl, play Frisbee, whatever will keep you moving, using muscles, breathing, sweating.

"I like being able to impact someone positively. I like the encouragement you can give to somebody and to see the light come on when they make a change," Foster said.

Whether that change is to give up smoking, lose weight or run a marathon, doesn't matter. It's the change that counts.

"It makes my week when people turn from feeling chronically crappy, fatigued, tired, depressed, to be able to help somebody turn that corner and see the world open up, it's unbelievable," Foster said.

"I'm the biggest cheerleader in the world."

Likewise for Fletcher.

She points out that the basic workout outlined on the paper would take about 30 minutes, but people coming to Active Family Healthcare wouldn't be expected to do it right away, or even at all, really.

It depends, as she notes, on the building blocks in life that have got them to where they are today, and where they want to be next year.

Some might just start with 10 minutes of walking.

"Everything is going to be tailored specifically to the person coming through," she said.

Experience and training

Fletcher and Foster worked together for a time at the Dirne Community Health Center

Fletcher, 39, is a family nurse practitioner who has practiced in Coeur d'Alene 13 years. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Missouri Western State University, and earned her master's degree in nursing from Washington State University.

Foster, 40, has been a physician assistant since 2007, practicing in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene. He earned his bachelor of science degree in clinic health services from University of Washington in 2007, and earned his RN certification from Yakima Valley College in 1997. He has 12 years of critical care experience. Most recently, Foster worked at Inland Vascular in Spokane.

Both Coeur d'Alene residents love being "health coaches," getting to know their patients and being part of their lives.

They want to build a practice, yes, but they want to do that by building relationships.

"We want to make it more patient-center, instead of more business centered," Foster said.

Heath-care options

That includes considering and using alternative forms of health care such as acupuncture, herbal medications and chiropractic.

"We're working to where we can incorporate everything instead of the traditional medicine," he said.

"There's so much room for this. If you come in and you've embraced acupuncture and it helps you, fantastic. We don't need to change that. We need to embrace it and incorporate it.

Fletcher agreed.

"We're open to complementary medicine. A lot of formally trained doctors are against that," she said.

Active Family Healthcare can treat diabetes, high blood pressure, strains, sprains, fracture, pneumonia, lack of energy - most ailments - just as any family practice. They can handle minor procedures such as removal of moles or warts, too.

They will refer patients to surgery, admit them to a hospital, if necessary. But they'll look to alternatives, as well.

"We can go the traditional route if needed," Foster said. "But we're going to embrace the other side instead of sort of shun it."

If someone came in with a high cholesterol problem, his first response wouldn't be to prescribe a pill and say that should take care of it.

"That's the easy way out," Foster said. "That's not health care."

Instead of going straight into "pharmaceutical things," he would rather work with patients on their lifestyle - diet, exercise and mental approach. He would get to know them, determine their pitfalls and deficiencies, and take corrective steps.

Prevention is key, and that starts with each person.

"We want to be active with our families," said Foster, who is married with two daughters involved in sports. "We do want to embrace people to be more active."

North Idaho, with its outdoor beauty and four seasons, is the perfect place for people to stay active and reverse a nationwide obesity epidemic.

"We live in a beautiful part of the country. This whole region is unreal and we just don't embrace it. We don't go outside anymore," Foster said.

"We're going to be very aggressive with preventative medicine," he added.

Fletcher and Foster complement each other's different strengths and interests.

"We can bounce things off each other very well. There's no ego issues," Foster said.

For some just getting started with their fitness, key to any exercise program is to start slow, build confidence, create some comfort. Then raise the level a little bit as they begin to believe in their abilities. Add in some discomfort.

"You can't just throw some hard program at them," Fletcher said.

For veterans, she might hand them that workout sheet and say, "Get to it."

"Depending on the capacity they're at, we develop a program for them."

Like Foster, she said people need to recognize deficiencies and correct them, whether that might be a love of sweets or a penchant for sitting indoors and watching too many movies.

"If you can own that, initially, that's half of it," she said. "We're capable of helping people improve their lives. We have the tools. That's really it."

Active Family Healthcare is at 8836 Hess St., Suite E, in Hayden. Hours are 9-5, Monday through Friday.

Info: 758-0560 or www.activefamilyhealthcare.com