Resolutions for a Healthier You in 2025

If you are making health resolutions for the new year, it is important to make them realistic and attainable. Exercising three times a week, focusing on proper posture and trying to keep a positive attitude are just a few goals to strive for.

Why should people add improved posture to their New Year’s resolutions?

Dr. Scott Gardner: So, posture is really the window to our spine, and we know our spine is the window to health. Some benefits of ideal posture are preventing pain in the neck, back and shoulders, improved digestion, preventing headaches, improved breathing, improving mobility, and also improved circulation.

From your standpoint as a chiropractor, why is it so important to try to reduce stress or manage stress better in the new year?

Dr. Scott Gardner: So, stress is really the biggest threat to our health. From a chiropractic standpoint, we break stress down into physical. This would be the way we sit, the way we stand, the way we sleep, slips and falls, repetitive activities, even going back into childhood, like learning how to ride a bicycle or playing sports. The second type of stress is emotional. So, the demands at work or at school, home, family, friends, finances, traffic. The third type of stress is chemical. This one’s probably a little bit less obvious, but that’s really the foods we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and even certain medications that people take to try to help themselves.

When we’re under any of these stresses, which we all are in a combination of on a daily basis, muscles tighten and pull on the bones. The bones in the spine will shift out of normal position, creating pressure on the nerves. We call this subluxation. And we know that subluxation is at the root of nearly all of the malfunctioning that takes place in the body.

For people adding chiropractic care to their 2025 resolutions, can you walk us through what they can expect during the new patient process to get started?

Dr. Scott Gardner: Before anyone starts chiropractic care, they really should have a thorough evaluation to see if they’re even a candidate for chiropractic care. Just because somebody wants chiropractic care, doesn’t mean that it’s right for them.

So, in our office that consists of a thorough history, a computerized posture evaluation, specific chiropractic or orthopedic type testing. We also do digital X-rays, which are then analyzed and measured to see if there’s normal alignment to the spine and really what the difference is between where the person is versus where normal is.

Once we complete these tests, we then sit down and do what we call a report of findings. This is where we go over this information in detail and let the person know if they are a candidate for chiropractic care. And then at that point we give our recommendations. And it’s up to the person at that point if they choose to proceed with care.

What are some realistic exercise goals for the average person to strive for?

Dr. Scott Gardner: So, realistic exercise goals for the average person really shouldn’t be, “I’m going to go exercise every day.” It’s just not sustainable long-term. So, we really want the bigger picture. We want the long-term. We want the lifetime exercise program.

So, really, the average person, three to four times per week, usually 20 to 30 minutes. Since weight loss is usually the goal for most, the goal should be no more than a pound and a half to two pounds per week. That’s realistic.

Are there any other resolutions you think people should add to their list to become healthier in the new year?

Dr. Scott Gardner: So, along with exercising three times a week for 20 or 30 minutes, and making good choices for the foods you eat, staying away from the processed foods is a great starting point. Keeping a positive mental attitude, surrounding yourself with people that are already achieving what you want to do. Staying away from the people that are the doom and gloom mob. And making sure that we’re getting good quality rest and maintaining a healthy nervous system are really the keys to being your very best.