5 Resolutions for Better Spinal Health in 2025
Most New Year’s resolutions fail when they are built around rules that are difficult to maintain.
Never slouch.
Exercise every day.
Keep your core tight.
Sleep in exactly the right position.
Have your spine checked on a fixed schedule.
There is a more practical way to approach musculoskeletal health.
Build habits that make you more physically capable, and use treatment when a specific problem is actually interfering with your life.
WHO’s chronic primary low back pain guideline emphasizes person-centred care and notes that a combination of strategies may be needed. Exercise and education are among the recommended options. Spinal manipulation can also be considered for selected patients rather than being positioned as a requirement for everyone. (World Health Organization)
Here are five resolutions worth carrying well beyond January.
Resolution 1: Accumulate More Movement Across The Week
A healthier back is not created by one specific movement.
It is supported by having enough physical capacity to meet the demands of normal life.
WHO recommends adults complete 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, or the equivalent amount of vigorous exercise. Adults should also perform muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days. (World Health Organization)
That activity can come from:
- Brisk walking
- Cycling
- Swimming
- Gym training
- Recreational sports
- Active transportation
- Physically demanding hobbies
You do not need one perfect “spinal health workout.”
You need a routine you can repeat.
Break Up A Sedentary Workday
If you sit for work, look for easy opportunities to change the task.
Walk to get coffee.
Stand during a call.
Take part of lunch outside.
Change your sitting position.
Use a standing desk temporarily if one is available.
A recent review of office workers found that low back pain was associated with several aspects of sitting behaviour, with particularly consistent findings around static sitting and fewer breaks. (PubMed)
That does not make sitting dangerous.
It makes movement variety reasonable.
Resolution 2: Replace “Perfect Posture” With Comfortable Variety
Posture advice often creates an impossible target.
Head centred.
Shoulders back.
Chest up.
Back straight.
Core engaged.
All day.
That is not how healthy humans naturally move.
Your body changes position continuously according to the task.
If you are tying your shoes, your spine flexes.
If you are reaching for something, your shoulder moves forward.
If you are checking your phone, your head probably looks down.
Those movements are not failures of spinal health.
The more practical resolution is:
Notice when a position becomes uncomfortable and change it.
Make Your Workstation Work For You
A useful setup should reduce unnecessary reaching and let you move between comfortable positions.
Try adjusting:
- Monitor distance and height
- Chair position
- Keyboard and mouse placement
- Desk height
- Where frequently used items are stored
Then stop micromanaging your body.
Even good ergonomics cannot make eight uninterrupted hours in one position ideal.
Resolution 3: Strength Train Your Whole Body
“Strengthen your core” is not bad advice.
It is incomplete advice.
Motor-control exercise can help some people with chronic non-specific low back pain compared with minimal intervention, but Cochrane evidence has not shown it to be clinically superior to most other forms of exercise. (PubMed)
That means you have choices.
Planks, bird dogs and bridges can be useful.
So can:
- Squats
- Rows
- Deadlift variations
- Carries
- Lunges
- Presses
- Pulldowns
- General resistance training
Your back lives inside a body.
Train the body.
How Often?
For general health, WHO recommends strengthening the major muscle groups on at least two days each week. (World Health Organization)
Two well-planned sessions are a much more achievable New Year’s target than promising yourself a daily “core workout” that disappears by February.
What If Exercise Aggravates Your Back?
Modify it.
You can change:
- The weight
- Range of motion
- Exercise variation
- Repetitions
- Frequency
Exercise should be progressive enough to build capacity but flexible enough to accommodate symptoms.
If pain repeatedly escalates or neurological symptoms appear, assessment becomes more important than pushing through.
Resolution 4: Give Sleep The Same Attention As Training
Sleep is not simply downtime.
It is an important health behaviour.
CDC recommends at least seven hours of sleep for adults aged 18 to 60, with age-specific recommendations thereafter. (CDC)
Sleep and musculoskeletal pain also appear to influence one another.
A 2023 meta-analysis of more than 200,000 adults found that people with sleep-related problems had higher prospective rates of chronic musculoskeletal pain, while people with chronic musculoskeletal pain also had a higher likelihood of subsequent sleep problems. (PubMed)
A 2024 review focused specifically on low back pain found poorer sleep was associated with some worse future pain and recovery outcomes, although the evidence quality was low. (PubMed)
So if you are serious about physical recovery, sleep belongs in the plan.
Your Mattress Does Not Need To Be Rock Hard
The old advice was often:
Bad back? Buy the firmest mattress possible.
The evidence does not support that as a universal rule.
A randomized controlled trial of 313 people with chronic non-specific low back pain found better outcomes with a medium-firm mattress than a firm mattress. (PubMed)
A recent review of mattress research also found medium-firm designs had the most consistent support, but substantial differences between mattress systems and individuals prevented a simple one-size-fits-all prescription. (PubMed)
Choose a sleep surface that is comfortable and does not consistently aggravate symptoms.
You do not need to force yourself onto an uncomfortable hard mattress because someone called it orthopaedic.
What About Sleep Position?
There is no universal sleep position that keeps every spine correctly aligned.
Comfort matters.
If one position repeatedly aggravates symptoms, try another.
A pillow between the knees, a different pillow height or another simple change may improve comfort for some people.
But waking with pain does not necessarily mean you slept “wrong.”
Persistent nighttime symptoms deserve the same clinical reasoning as daytime symptoms.
Resolution 5: Make Chiropractic Care Goal-Directed
Lakeview Chiropractic & Acupuncture Wellness Centre offers both manual chiropractic care and a computerized adjusting option that uses mechanical pulses without some of the twisting or cracking movements used in traditional manual techniques. (Lakeview Chiropractic Wellness Center)
That gives patients different treatment options when chiropractic care is appropriate.
But the most important question comes before technique:
What are we treating?
An appropriate care goal may involve:
- Reducing a particular episode of musculoskeletal pain
- Improving comfortable movement
- Returning to work or exercise
- Managing recurrent low back pain in a patient who has previously responded to care
The objective should not simply be “maintain alignment.”
Do Regular Adjustments Prevent Problems Before They Start?
There is not enough evidence to recommend routine preventive chiropractic treatment to all healthy adults.
The strongest maintenance-care evidence involves a specific population.
In the Nordic Maintenance Care randomized trial, adults with recurrent or persistent non-specific low back pain were eligible only after demonstrating a favourable early response to chiropractic care.
Patients assigned to scheduled maintenance treatment experienced about 12.8 fewer days of bothersome low back pain over one year than those who returned according to symptoms, but they also received more treatments. (PubMed)
Secondary analysis found that benefit was concentrated in particular patient subgroups and did not demonstrate a lower risk of developing a new low back pain episode across the entire sample. (PubMed)
That is evidence for selected secondary or tertiary prevention.
It is not evidence that every healthy adult should book adjustments indefinitely.
Let Your Response To Care Help Determine The Plan
If a treatment is intended to improve pain or function, track those outcomes.
Ask:
- Is my pain changing?
- Can I move more comfortably?
- Can I walk farther?
- Am I returning to exercise?
- Are flare-ups less disruptive?
- Am I becoming less dependent on treatment?
If the answer is consistently no, the plan may need to change.
The number of appointments completed is not itself a clinical outcome.
Build A Resolution You Can Measure
Instead of broad goals, choose actions.
For example:
Move more
“I will walk for 20 minutes after work four days per week.”
Improve posture
“I will get away from my desk during lunch.”
Strengthen my core
“I will perform two whole-body resistance workouts per week.”
Sleep better
“I will maintain a consistent wake time and give myself at least seven hours for sleep.”
Take care of my back
“I will seek assessment when pain limits activity rather than assuming every flare-up requires the same treatment.”
You can tell whether you did those things.
That makes them easier to build into a routine.
What Should You Track?
Consider measurements such as:
- Weekly exercise sessions
- Walking or activity minutes
- Sleep duration
- Days limited by back or neck pain
- Ability to perform work tasks
- Gym exercises you can perform comfortably
- Walking or standing tolerance
- Frequency of significant flare-ups
These measures give you information about capacity.
A posture photo or spinal-alignment score rarely tells the whole story.
How Lakeview Chiropractic & Acupuncture Wellness Centre Can Help
Lakeview’s current back-pain process begins with assessment rather than one automatic treatment. Dr. David Drazic may review health history, posture and movement, orthopaedic or neurological findings, work habits, previous injuries and other factors before developing a plan. The clinic also incorporates mobility and stability exercises where appropriate. (Lakeview Chiropractic Wellness Center)
Depending on the presentation, care may involve manual chiropractic treatment, computerized adjusting, exercise guidance or activity modification.
The computerized option uses controlled mechanical pulses without some manual twisting or cracking movements. (Lakeview Chiropractic Wellness Center)
That is a treatment preference and delivery difference.
It does not change the basic principle:
Care should be connected to a relevant musculoskeletal problem and measured against meaningful outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Better Spinal Health
Should I Avoid Sitting?
No. Sitting is normal. Instead of trying to eliminate it, reduce very long periods of uninterrupted sedentary behaviour and change positions when useful. (PubMed)
Can Bad Posture Permanently Damage My Back?
Ordinary imperfect posture does not automatically mean spinal damage. Posture may contribute to symptoms in some people, but pain has multiple influences.
Are Standing Desks Better For Your Spine?
They provide another position. They should be used to increase variety rather than replace sitting with hours of static standing.
Are Core Exercises Necessary?
They can be useful, particularly for some people with low back pain, but no single core-training method has demonstrated universal superiority over other exercise approaches. (PubMed)
How Much Exercise Should I Do?
Adults should generally aim for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week plus muscle strengthening on two or more days. (World Health Organization)
How Much Sleep Should I Get?
Most adults should get at least seven hours, with specific recommendations varying by age. (CDC)
Do I Need A Firm Mattress?
No. A medium-firm mattress produced better outcomes than a firm mattress in one major randomized trial involving chronic non-specific low back pain. (PubMed)
Can Chiropractic Care Help Low Back Pain?
Spinal manipulation may be considered as part of care for selected low back pain presentations. WHO’s recommendation for chronic primary low back pain is conditional and based on very low-certainty evidence. (Iris)
Should I Get Adjusted Regularly To Prevent Back Pain?
Not automatically. Maintenance chiropractic care has some evidence in a carefully selected group with recurrent or persistent non-specific low back pain who had already responded favourably to treatment. That evidence does not apply to everyone. (PubMed)
Does Computerized Adjusting Keep The Spine Aligned Longer?
There is not good evidence establishing that computerized adjusting permanently maintains spinal alignment. Its relevant distinction is the use of mechanical pulses without some movements used in traditional manual adjusting. (Lakeview Chiropractic Wellness Center)
Make The Resolution Greater Capacity
Your back does not need a perfect year.
It needs a body that is prepared for the things you ask it to do.
Move enough.
Strengthen progressively.
Use more than one posture.
Protect your sleep.
And make healthcare decisions according to symptoms, function and evidence rather than fear that your spine will deteriorate without constant correction.
If back or neck symptoms are getting in the way of work, walking, training or normal activity, Lakeview Chiropractic & Acupuncture Wellness Centre can assess what may be contributing and determine whether manual chiropractic care, computerized adjusting, exercise guidance, another conservative strategy or further investigation is appropriate. (Lakeview Chiropractic Wellness Center)
Medical Disclaimer
This article is for educational purposes only and does not replace individualized medical, chiropractic, rehabilitation, sleep or exercise advice. Seek appropriate assessment for progressive weakness, persistent or spreading numbness, bowel or bladder changes, significant trauma, severe or rapidly worsening pain, major balance changes or other concerning neurological or systemic symptoms.
Sources And Clinical References
World Health Organization: Guidelines On Physical Activity And Sedentary Behaviour. Supports 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity each week, muscle strengthening on at least two days and reducing excessive sedentary behaviour. (World Health Organization)
Work: Low Back Pain And Sitting Time, Posture And Behavior In Office Workers. 2025 review supporting associations between low back pain and aspects of prolonged and static sitting while showing that the relationship is broader than one “bad” posture. (PubMed)
Cochrane Database Of Systematic Reviews: Motor Control Exercise For Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain. Supports motor-control exercise over minimal intervention while finding no clinically important superiority over other exercise approaches in many comparisons. (PubMed)
CDC: About Sleep. Supports adult sleep-duration recommendations and the importance of both sufficient sleep and sleep quality. (CDC)
Rheumatology: The Bidirectional Association Between Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain And Sleep-Related Problems. Meta-analysis supporting prospective relationships between sleep problems and chronic musculoskeletal pain in both directions. (PubMed)
Sleep: Sleep As A Prognostic Factor In Low Back Pain. 2024 systematic review supporting associations between sleep and future low back pain outcomes while emphasizing low-to-very-low certainty evidence. (PubMed)
The Lancet: Effect Of Mattress Firmness On Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain. Randomized trial finding better pain and disability outcomes from a medium-firm mattress than a firm mattress. (PubMed)
World Health Organization: Guideline For Non-Surgical Management Of Chronic Primary Low Back Pain. Supports person-centred multimodal management and conditionally allows spinal manipulation as one component of care based on very low-certainty evidence. (World Health Organization)
PLOS ONE: Nordic Maintenance Care Program. Randomized trial supporting scheduled maintenance chiropractic care for a carefully selected population with recurrent or persistent non-specific low back pain who had already responded favourably to chiropractic treatment, while requiring additional visits. (PubMed)