‘Tis the season to take stock of 2014, following celebrations with friends and family. Many of us will make New Year’s Resolutions centred around being healthier, happier or more successful in the New Year.

On the topic of being healthier in 2015, Victoria Chiropractor Dr. Stephanie Louie, whose holistic approach includes providing total body chiropractic care, provides five expert recommendations for achieving the overall goal of having a healthier mind, body and spine.

See a chiropractor for a spinal wellness check. Your lifeline, the nervous system, is housed inside the spinal column. Any pressure on it could be cutting off vital information to the rest of your body, such as your organs. Getting your spine checked will provide you with important information for how to approach becoming healthier.

Get yourself fit. It has been proven in various studies that a fit body functions better on all levels, from cognitive performance to endurance exercises to maintaining a stronger immune system. To get fit efficiently, Dr. Louie recommends high-intensity interval training and is available to help her patients learn to do this properly.

Jump out of the rat race, take time for yourself, and declutter your mind. This could be for as little of 30 minutes a week, but allow yourself to relax, which will help you to tap into the creative side of your brain, which will help improve your ability to solve complex problems. This could be time spent on a hobby or at the gym – NOT in front of the TV. You should also see an improvement in your focus.

Spend less time with your iPad, tablet, laptop and other electronics, including television. Instead, do something that is creative. Studies show that prolonged exposure to electronic devices in very young children can hinder healthy development of the brain.

Ensure you are moving every 15 – 20 minutes. The human body is meant to be in moving in order to be healthy and fit – too much sitting can be dangerous, and in fact sitting puts 300 times the pressure on the spine than when you are lying down. If you work at a desk, you might want to roll your shoulders and take five deep breaths, or get up and walk to the water cooler. Another thing Dr. Louie recommends is getting a headset so that you can stand or walk around while on the phone.