HCF reveals Australia's most popular New Year's resolutions for 2023

A new year means new goals for many people. HCF's latest report has revealed Australia's most popular New Year's resolutions for 2023, with more than half of the nation hoping to do more physical activity or exercise.

The survey of over 1,000 Australians, conducted on behalf of HCF, found that over 80% said they set New Year's resolutions, although 46% admitted they became too busy to stick to them. Focusing on health-related resolutions, 62% of the respondents said the cost-of-living pressures impacted their health goals over the past year, with a third admitting they had to cut back on fresh food.

The most popular resolutions for 2023 are:

• To do more physical activity or exercise (52%);
• To lose weight (47%)/to eat more healthily or improve nutrition (47%);
• To stress less (42%);
• To make more money or chase financial freedom (38%); and
• Get more sleep (37%).

Deepti Khatri, health coach and dietician at HCF, said starting small and staying consistent are the best ways to achieve health goals.

“Motivation comes with momentum, so if you start small and build slowly, you're more likely to find success,” she said. “If you want to aim for 30 minutes of exercise a day, break it up into 10-minute blocks or even start with 10 minutes on three days of the week and gradually build that up to 30 minutes daily. You don't have to go from zero to 100 straight away.”

Meanwhile, Australians could combat the rising cost of living on fresh food by:

• Buying frozen and canned fruits and vegetables because they are “harvested at their peak ripeness and snap frozen to help retain all their nutrients for an extended period of time”;
• Picking imperfect fruits and vegetables: “Most supermarkets and fruit and vegetable stores now offer ‘imperfect’ or ‘odd’ varieties of fruits and vegetables at significantly reduced prices, just because they have a blemish or have grown in an irregular shape”;
• Planning meals in batches to save time and create convenient options while saving money by avoiding the urge to grab a takeaway or revisit shops;
• Seasoning the food themselves because premade sauces and meats that are already marinated often have too much salt, sugar, and preservatives added and are more expensive; and
• Preparing meat-free meals: “Many cuts of meat can be expensive and high in saturated fat, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. By reducing red meat intake to one to three times a week and increasing fish intake to twice a week, you can help improve your health.”

Established in 1932, HCF is Australia's largest not-for-profit health fund that covers more than 1.8 million members with health, life, travel, and pet insurance. In late 2022, it celebrated its 90th year in the Australian insurance industry, highlighting that it has made quality healthcare accessible to more Australians through innovative health and wellbeing programs and investments into new technologies.