RED January
January can be a difficult month for many, especially for those of us who live in countries with dark and bleak weather. The holiday season is over, it’s back to school and work, and you might be feeling as though your mental health is suffering.
Hannah Beecham is the founder of RED January and this year it’s celebrating its 10th anniversary. Ten years ago this month, Hannah saw that her mum was experiencing depression. Her mum was spending a lot of time in bed but Hannah knew that being active can help to alleviate depression. Hannah set about getting her mum out for a walk every day. By the end of the month, her mum was feeling better and RED January was born.
RED stands for Rise Every Day and it’s simply about getting up every day and moving our bodies in some way. It doesn’t matter how we move our bodies, we just need to move them in order to help our mental and physical health. “I heard that someone was simply doing some squats while brushing their teeth!” Hannah tells us.
Image courtesy of Unsplash
So, you don’t need to be running marathons, and, in fact, Hannah is keen to emphasise that we should set ourselves realistic exercise targets in order to be active every day in January. If you think you’ll struggle, she suggests involving others such as your friends or family. Exercising in groups can help with motivation and accountability so this is a great tip.
If you want to add an extra layer of accountability, you can also use RED January to fundraise. RED collaborates each year with a mental health charity and in 2025 the charity is Mind over Mountains.
There’s RED January UK and RED January Canada but you can get up every day and move your body wherever you are in the world. And you don’t have to start on 1 January to start making a difference to your mental and physical health - you could start anytime. Just take the first step.
Image courtesy of Unsplash.
Easy ways to start moving your body more for RED January:
Start walking to school or work, if it’s safe.
Try a new activity. If a friend plays a sport, see if you can give it a go. Maybe you’ve always wanted to try synchronised swimming, find out where you can do it.
Set a time each day that works for you to exercise and try to stick it.
Be adaptable - if you want to go for a run but it’s too dark, do some yoga, have a stretch or go online and find a workout to do inside - there are loads.
Rest days are important! On those days, do a different, less intense activity such as stretching, yoga, swimming or an activity for fun.
Decide to exercise and then do it!
You can tag Hannah and the team in your posts with #redjanuary and you can tag us too with #redjanuarygirls
You can see the whole of our insta live interview here.
Image courtesy of Unsplash.