It comes as no surprise that this was a popular answer to the question of ‘What’s your New Year’s resolution?’, as statistics from around the world often favour this resolution.

Mayor Graeme Hanger was one of those in Bathurst who wanted to focus on his health in 2018.

“[My resolutions are] the old traditional ones: lose a bit of weight, get fit and an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” he said. 

He also hoped to spend more time with his family this year. 

“With 24 grandchildren, we’ve got to try to catch up with them all,” he said. 

Member for Bathurst Paul Toole also jumped on board the health and fitness bandwagon. 

“For 2018, my New Year’s resolution is to get fitter,” he said.

“My kids are getting old and are getting more active, and I have to be fitter to keep up with them.”

Mr Toole also wants to make a difference in his community in the new year, setting himself a very ambitious career-related goal.

“I’ve set a goal to make a minimum of one funding announcement a month for the Bathurst electorate,” he said. 

Lifeline Central West executive director Alex Ferguson said he and Lifeline had “a very good year across the board” in 2017.

His resolution for 2018 is to keep up the momentum and have another successful year.

“We saw more people through our counselling, we answered more calls from Lifeline’s 13 14 11 number, and we trained more people in mental health and domestic violence,” he said.

“So by any of the barometers we would use, it was a very good year, and we capped it off by purchasing a new building.

“For 2018, I hope I stay well and keep busy and, for Lifeline, I just hope we can maintain the momentum we achieved in 2017 and I hope that we can continue to reach out to people and encourage them to put up their hand for help.

“There is nothing more gratifying than helping people.” 

Not everyone has a traditional New Year’s resolution, however. 

Panorama Road Safety’s Matthew Irvine has a goal in mind for 2018 that will rely heavily on Mother Nature. 

“I’ve just become a licensed snake breeder and I want to successfully breed from two spotted pythons,” he said. 

Mr Irvine will need to wait until mid to late winter to get to work on his resolution and won’t have a result until at least late October. 

Some people choose not to make resolutions.

Former Bathurst Business Chamber president Stacey Whittaker said she isn’t one for making resolutions when a new year rolls around and her husband, Mick, is the same.

“If there is something I’m wanting to do, then I just do it then and there,” she said.

“We always have goals on different things and we just tick them off as we go along.” 

While the couple doesn’t make resolutions, their 13-year-old daughter does, telling her parents she wants to get fitter this year.

“So, they’re not completely dead in the Whittaker household,” Ms Whittaker said.