Boost Employee Wellbeing with RED January: A Guide for Companies

I like to move it, move it!!

What is Red January?

RED January is a mental health awareness campaign that encourages people to move every day for the month of January. RED stands for "Rise Every Day and Move." The initiative was founded in 2016 by Hannah Beecham, who saw first-hand how physical activity helped her mother's mental health.  It is a campaign to make winter a positive and energising experience.

RED January is based on the idea that physical activity can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing. Studies have shown that exercise can reduce symptoms of mental illness such as depression and anxiety. RED January provides a structured way for people to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives, even during the particularly challenging month of January. Move to boost your mood!

There are 3 easy steps to join RED January:

• Join for free: join as an individual or as a team of friends, workmates etc to help motivate each other.
• Set a daily movement goal
• Make a donation or set a fundraising goal: all monies support Mind Over Mountains (a charity offering professional mental wellbeing support)

How can companies support their teams to move more:

Here at HubGem we encourage the team to exercise by promoting bi-monthly fitness challenges. This month the challenge is the most workouts completed – this can include any type of exercise such as walks, runs, weights, cycling etc. The team love being involved in the challenges and we celebrate winners of our challenges at our in-person team days at the end of the year where special prizes are awarded.

Some top tips to get your team moving:

• Promote the initiative: Companies can share information about national events/challenges such as RED January with their employees through email, intranet, or social media. They can also encourage employees to sign up for the challenge.
• Offer incentives: Companies can offer incentives to employees who participate in events with awards such as gift cards, merchandise, or extra time off.
• Create a team challenge: Companies can create a team challenge around encouraging employees to compete with each other to see who can move the most. 
• Provide resources: Companies can provide resources to help employees get started such as workout plans, tracking tools, and information about local fitness classes.

By promoting fitness challenges/ideas, companies can help their employees improve their mental health and wellbeing. It is a great way for companies to show their commitment to employee health and wellness and enhance employee satisfaction.
Here’s how:

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