Top Healthiest City - Sydney!

It’s that time of year when we rank the healthiest cities in Australia as part of the annual Mindbody Wellness Index—a comprehensive wellness study that explores the definition of wellness across a variety of dimensions. 

We factored in how much city residents exercise, how stressed they are, the amount of rest they get, how many of them smoke, how much alcohol they consume, and their body mass index (BMI). We also looked at how close they are with friends and family and if they feel spiritually fulfilled.

During the pandemic, many Australians dived into exercise to feel better mentally, look better physically, help reduce stress. Even with activity levels high, the pandemic continues to have an impact. Half of Australians say the pandemic has negatively impacted their mental well-being and 42% report feeling stressed on a regular basis. Nevertheless, more than three-quarters of Australians say wellness is more important than ever and 74% believe being physically active helps their mental health.

The numbers have been crunched and analysed (and analysed some more) by our intrepid research team, so let’s pull the plug on this preamble and dig into which Australia cities are healthiest.

1. Sydney, NSWIt turns out the most populous city in Australia is also the healthiest. So much so, that Sydney ranked highest in 7 out of 9 wellness factors. 

Sydney narrowly edged out Melbourne for the highest percentage (81%) of residents who engage in exercise at least once a week. The top reasons Sydneysiders exercise are to feel better mentally, look better physically, and reduce stress. They’re also cognizant of the role wellness plays in their lives—76% say wellness is a top priority.  

As the most stress-free city in Australia, Sydney residents rely on some form of exercise to help their mental health. Nearly 80% say being physically active contributes to mental wellness—outpacing the other cities on this list. The most popular fitness routines include: yoga, Pilates, dance fitness, cardio machines, strength training, HIIT, aerobics (like cardio kickboxing), and outdoor activities (walking, biking, running).

When thinking about other dimensions of wellness, 55% say they feel more confident when they get regular beauty treatments. And why not? Treating oneself to beauty and grooming can boost confidence that positively contributes to overall wellness. In fact, 59% of Sydney residents believe beauty/grooming is a part of wellness and 43% say beauty/grooming is a big part of their life, the highest percentage among the competing cities.

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Article by Mindbody, July 31, 2023
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