A new year for New Year’s resolutions
By Dr. Kenneth Horup
Contributor
2025, can you believe it? We all know what that means: New Year’s resolutions. If you think about the most common New Year’s resolutions, you’ll probably think of going to the gym, losing weight, limiting sugar intake or cutting out alcohol, to name a few. What do all these have in common? Your health. As a Doctor of Chiropractic, I’m all for the trend. Improving your health and taking better care of your body is a goal each of us should have daily. So, let’s talk about ways to improve your health that are simple and easy. The goal being to change your lifestyle, not just one month’s “style.”
First, I encourage you to take awareness of your spinal posture. Due to today’s technology, many people are developing computer-desk hunches or texting-neck. Just think about how many people we see in public looking down at their phone. We all do it! The downfall is that our body is developing a habit. For longevity purposes, it is important to keep your back as straight as possible as good posture is the “brace” for your spine. An easy way to start developing that habit, since we always have our cell phones nearby, is to set a timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, it will be your reminder to straighten up; reach your head to the sky and your chest forward. Another easy way to improve your muscle memory is a posture brace. They are great at pulling back your shoulders to give you extra support during the day.
Second, daily movement is important to keep the joints going. “Running water doesn’t freeze” is a phrase that applies to the joints as well. Whether you want to keep in motion, or if walking has become more challenging, it is important to stand up and move your body once an hour. If walking is difficult due to balance or an injury, I recommend using a cane, walker or even walking sticks for extra support. You want to develop this as a habit, and you can start very small. In January, stand up once an hour. In February, increase that to walking down the hallway and back. In March, maybe you walk for five minutes once an hour. If you are at work, maybe try walking for 10 minutes every couple of hours. By the end of the year, I encourage you to reach at least an hour of movement a day. Once your body is used to it, you will enjoy doing it because your body will thank you for it.
This leads me to my third recommendation, to seek advice from professionals. If you have a pain, or you feel like something is wrong, that is your body’s warning signal. Seeking advice catered to your needs is a great way to diagnose the problem and be active on the solution. Whether it’s pain signals or balance issues, I have heard time and time again, “I just kept putting it off.” It’s a natural response, but not one I encourage. For those of you who resonate with this, you can take it one step at a time, and it starts with finding a doctor / professional you trust and making that first appointment.
My last encouragement for you sounds simple but may be the most challenging of them all; do not be too hard on yourself. To make a resolution part of a lifestyle, you need to forgive yourself if you slip up on your challenge. It is not a reason to give up. All it means is that the next day, you go back to it. We are all our own worst enemies, as the expression goes, and could use a little more kindness, starting with being kind to ourselves.
No matter your New Year’s resolution, I’m proud of you for making it. Just like anything, our health journey is one step at a time. My personal New Year’s resolution is to be more conscious about what ingredients are in the food I am eating, and as a Nutella-fan, this may not be too easy for me. So, remember, if you need assistance, find a professional, and if you need accountability, ask a friend. We are all in this together!
Dr. Kenneth Horup, DC is a Chiropractic Physician at Discover Specific Chiropractic, Board Certified in Neuropathy.
