Is a financial health kick on your list of resolutions?

As we head into 2010, 27 million people will make resolutions, and by the end of January, 41% will have broken them, rising to 71% within the first six months.

That’s according to new research by Gocompare.com which found that losing weight, taking more exercise and sorting out finances top the Nation’s to-do list.

The poll of over 1,500 Britons found that that 56% are planning to make resolutions. Of those, 45% plan on losing weight, while almost 23% will set their sites on securing a new job in 2010. While money matters topped the same poll last year (60%), only 37% will resolve to sort out their finances and pay off debts in 2010, according to the report.

Lee Griffin, business development director at Gocompare.com said:

“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.”

Dr. Martin Hagger, an expert in Social and Health Psychology from the University of Nottingham said:

“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.”

Dr Hagger offers this three point plan to make it easier to stick to yourNew Year’s resolutions 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.”