Health Beats Wealth in New Year Resolutions

Wednesday 30 December 2009

As the chimes of Big Ben signal the end of the noughties, over half of us (1) will make a New Year's resolution. Despite the fact that for many, 2009 has been a tough financial year, most of us are hoping to improve our health and happiness ahead of our finances in 2010. A survey of over 3,000 adults for Farmhouse Breakfast Week revealed some surprising ambitions for the year ahead too!

Whilst the range of proposed resolutions given was very wide, from 'pass my driving test' to 'be a better boyfriend', for most respondents their priority for 2010 is to improve their health. Forty-four per cent of those making a resolution said their health was their biggest motivator, followed by happiness at 38% but only 14% said they wanted to improve their finances.

Losing weight was by far the most popular health related resolution. This was followed by eating healthily and taking more exercise like joining a gym or training for a marathon; conversely these are the resolutions that we are least likely to keep.

Eating breakfast was the resolution that people said they were most likely to keep. With research showing that starting the day with breakfast can help you manage your weight (3), keep you healthy and even improve your mood (2), it is a resolution that can bring a wealth of benefits.

Professor Geoff Beattie, Head of School and Dean of Psychological Sciences at the University of Manchester said: "The New Year marks a fresh start for many people, yet you don't have to turn your life upside down to make your resolution a reality.  January is a great time to become healthier and get into the habit of eating breakfast, an easy resolution to make... and keep! From energy levels and mood, to concentration and weight management, people who start the day with a healthy breakfast are likely to benefit throughout the day".

The survey also revealed that 22-25 year olds are the least likely to eat breakfast (34% don't eat breakfast) with the 56+ age group topping the breakfast poll with 83% eating breakfast.

The results come ahead of Farmhouse Breakfast Week (24-30 January 2010), the nation's biggest breakfast celebration organised by HGCA.

Other popular resolution pledges included:

• Quitting smoking
• Saving money
• Cooking more
• Drinking less
• Stop biting nails
• Stop swearing
• To enjoy every day.

- Ends -

For further information contact:

Naomi Barry or Amanda Wadlow
Ceres  
T: 0118 947 5956
E: naomi.barry@ceres-pr.co.uk  E: amanda.wadlow@ceres-pr.co.uk

Emily Gudgeon
HGCA
T: 024 7647 8735
E: Emily.Gudgeon@hgca.com

Or visit: www.farmhousebreakfast.com and follow us on Twitter twitter.com/breakfastweek

Editors Notes:

• Farmhouse Breakfast Week is organised by HGCA
• HGCA aims to improve the production and marketing of cereals. It provides market information, assists cereal product development, promotes exports and funds research and development. It is a division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
• Farmhouse Breakfast Week is supported by the National Farmers' Union, the Farmers' Union of Wales, the Ulster Farmers' Union, the National Farmers' Union of Scotland, the Women's Food and Farming Union (WFU), Farm Stay UK

METHOD:

The survey was conducted online by OnePoll during November 2009 for HGCA.  The survey had 3,087 respondents.

(1) 54% of those surveyed - OnePoll Survey conducted for HGCA during November 2009

(2) Yungheng MA et.al (2003) Association between Eating Patterns and Obesity in a Free-living US 

(3) Source: Studies carried out at the University of Bristol examined the breakfast habits of 166 volunteers between the ages of 20 and 79 and assessed their mental health and found that those who ate breakfast everyday were less depressed, less emotionally distressed and had lower perceived levels of stress compared with those who skipped the first meal of the day. Smith 1998