Health and finances top the Nation’s New Year’s resolutions

More than 27 million people plan to make New Year's resolutions and losing weight, taking more exercise and sorting out the finances top the Nation's to-do list, according to new research by Gocompare.com.

The poll of over 1,500 Britons reveals that 56 per cent are planning to make resolutions.  Losing weight is the Nation's biggest resolution this year (45 per cent) while almost a quarter of us (23 per cent) are vowing to find a new job in 2010.  However, seven out of ten people admit that they normally break their resolutions in the first six months, with 41 per cent not even making it to the end of January. 

While money matters topped the same poll last year (60 per cent), only 37 per cent will resolve to sort out their finances and pay off debts in 2010.  Lee Griffin, business development director at Gocompare.com, warned against financial complacency in the New Year, "The Credit Crunch ensured that everyone was thinking about money this time last year.  It gave people a jolt and got us thinking about how we could save money.  I doubt very much that everybody has got their finances in order, so resolving to cut outgoings and shop around more are still likely to be good resolutions this year too."            

The 2010 Gocompare.com New Year's resolutions survey also found that:

Forty per cent of people are resolving to get fit/take more exercise; 30 per cent are planning to eat more healthily or change their diet; take up a new sport/hobby was mentioned by a fifth; stop/reduce smoking (16 per cent); stop/reduce drinking (eight per cent).

Financial based resolutions include: saving money on outgoings (48 per cent); getting out of debt or reducing loan and credit card costs (32 per cent); putting more into a savings account (31 per cent); shopping around for insurance (14 per cent); while one in ten plan to buy a house or move home. However, just seven per cent plan to put money into a pension or invest in the stock market. 

Twenty three per cent of Brits will resolve to spend more time with family and friends.

While most people say they make resolutions out of habit or tradition, 36 per cent say they do it because they genuinely want to change their behaviour.  However, the research revealed the extent to which people struggle to keep their resolutions with the average resolution lasting just 15 weeks. The top excuses for not sticking to resolutions are: not being committed (46 per cent) and forgetting all about it (23 per cent), while a fifth say they made too many resolutions and 16 per cent made unrealistic resolutions.  

Dr. Martin Hagger, an expert in Social and Health Psychology from the University of Nottingham , suggests that people need to plan in order to achieve their resolutions: "New Year's resolutions are essentially a list of goals. These are often unachievable or unrealistic because people fail to consider how they will achieve them.

"In order to break a bad habit such as smoking, or take up a beneficial one like going to the gym, we need to consider how we can change our behaviour. Most people are often highly motivated to make positive changes, and make resolutions with all the right intentions, but they need to be aware of the behaviours they need to change or introduce in order to produce the desired outcome."

For those people who need a little more help, Dr Hagger has prepared a three point plan for making your New Year's resolutions stick this year:

"Be realistic. Don't set yourself up for failure before you've even begun by striving for unrealistic goals. Don't aim to lose half your body weight by 2011, or be marathon-fit by June. Other life goals can, and do, get in the way, so it is important to realise that any improvement still represents success."

"Make an ‘implementation plan' and stick to it. Think about what you need to do to achieve each resolution and write a step-by-step plan for you to follow. For example; ‘I will set my alarm one hour earlier than usual so I can go to the gym before work', or ‘every day I will smoke one less cigarette', put this plan somewhere where you will see it every day.

"Reward yourself little and often. Rewards can be useful in helping you stick to you plans, provided they are part of the plan rather than a ‘relapse'. So working in rewards as part of your plan is important. For example, if you stick to your diet for a week, reward yourself by going shopping for an item of clothing you want. It's important that you keep your eye on the goal, but enjoy the process of getting there too."