An increasing number of Australians are planning to prioritise self-care in their 2021 new year resolutions.
A study of more than 1000 people by Medibank’s Live Better program found that 87% of those who plan to make new year’s resolutions want to carve out more time in their daily lives for looking after themselves.
25-year-old Prue Heron Paterson said she plans to change her approach to 2021 off the back of the impacts of COVID-19.
“I’m not usually someone that creates new year’s resolutions, but after the challenges of the past year I don’t want to feel that I’m wasting time in 2021,” Ms Heron Paterson said.
“One of my plans is to get into Pilates in the new year and stick with it.”
Medibank Chief Customer Officer David Koczkar said there appears to have been a shift in priorities as people continue to adapt to a COVID normal.
“Self-care has overtaken healthy eating and physical activity as the most popular new year’s resolution for 2021 compared to 2020, with a rise in the number of people also looking to prioritise their personal mental health,” Mr Koczkar said.
“Medibank’s Live Better program has been inspiring Australians throughout what has been a challenging year to continue to maintain their physical and mental health, while earning rewards for taking healthy actions.
“In March, we launched our Live Better at Home program with thousands of people tuning into our mindfulness sessions, workouts and cooking demonstrations.
“Alongside this, we saw an increase in the users of our Live Better Rewards app tracking activities like running, yoga, Pilates and meditation this year as a way to get through the unusual lockdown periods we endured.”
75% of Australians who intend to make new year’s resolutions say those for 2021 are more important than ever after a challenging year. Queensland tops the list with 77% of respondents placing more significance on 2021 new year’s resolutions followed by NSW (74%), Victoria (73%), Western Australia (72%) and South Australia (68%).
Live Better members who hold Medibank hospital or extras cover can earn up to $360 in value each year for taking healthy actions, with thousands of eligible members having already earned more than $100 in value simply for looking after their health.
