Simon Webster
If you’re trying to stick to a New Year’s resolution to improve your health, you’re not alone. More than half the resolutions made in Western Australia this year were health-related, a new report has revealed.
This is an encouraging sign, and much needed, says Kristina Green, the Chief Marketing and Growth Officer at the company behind the report, HIF Health Insurance.
“Our research shows nearly seven in 10 West Australians feel stressed or overwhelmed, often triggered by health concerns,” Green says. “It’s great news that more than half are resolved to make 2026 the year they take charge of their health and wellbeing.”
For the Voice of WA report, researchers interviewed more than 1000 West Australians in October last year to uncover attitudes and emotional drivers that shape the lives of the state’s citizens. Powered by HIF in partnership with CoreData and 303 MullenLowe, the report delivered a real good-news-not-so-good-news story.
On the positive side, alongside those new year’s resolutions, 92 per cent said they took at least one preventative health measure as often as they needed to, 56 per cent said they ate healthy foods most days, 82 per cent said they had a person they could go to for help if they were feeling stressed or overwhelmed, and 59 per cent said they practised gratitude or positive thinking at least once a week.
However, the negatives were concerning: 67 per cent said they didn’t get around to at least one preventative health measure that they would like to take, 39 per cent said they couldn’t afford to take preventative health measures, and 68 per cent said they felt stressed or overwhelmed at least sometimes.
Factors causing that stress included work and money worries, and family, health and relationship issues. But when health was the cause of stress it could be particularly damaging, as it correlated with a state of “constant overwhelm”. Of the West Australians who were “constantly” stressed, 70 per cent said this was because of their health, compared to just 40 per cent of those who experienced stress “often”.
How to keep your health resolutions
Making new year’s resolutions to improve your health is one thing. Keeping them is another.
Unrealistic or vague goals, peer pressure and hectic lives can all dash our best-laid plans (almost a third of respondents said they were too busy to take measures to improve their health, with those aged 30 to 49 struggling for time more than most).
HIF offers these top tips for turning good intentions into lasting wellbeing:
- Diet, exercise and sleep are critical. Set realistic goals and implement a routine to keep you on track. Your private health insurer could support you, depending on your particular insurance product, with dietitian and nutrition programs, as well as resources on general health and sleep.
- Make preventative health a priority and, depending on your product eligibility, you could use your private health insurance to support you. Claim on healthy living benefits such as remedial massage, physio and chiropractic. Book your annual check-ups with your GP and dentist, and do your screenings (such as skin cancer checks). Schedule these early in the year to keep you on track.
- Mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness. Feeling stressed or overwhelmed at times is normal. Look for ways to help you boost resilience, reflect daily and track progress. HIF has programs such as Mindset Health’s Claria and Mental Health Navigator.
The new year is the perfect time to take control of your health and use your private health insurance to support those changes, Green says. “HIF extras benefits reset in January, and we see around 30 per cent of ‘healthy living’ claims made in the first quarter of the year,” she says.
February is the busiest month of the year for healthy living claims, Green says, indicating just how many people have made health resolutions.
“The challenge is maintaining those healthy resolutions year-round,” she says. “Tapping into trusted health and wellbeing resources can help you stay motivated and engaged with your health goals.”
Resolve to be healthy with HIF Health Insurance.
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