New Year, New Habits

New Year, New Habits

There are many campaigns which run in the month of January, aiming for people to start off the new year well. 

For many, a fresh year can make for a fresh mindset, and many people opt to make a New Year’s resolution. These vary massively, some examples are to start a new hobby, exercise more, eat healthier, reach for more personal goals. 

Although many people do take part, these campaigns might not be for you. There are also many people who would prefer to take a much more relaxed approach, especially after all the enjoyment from the Christmas period.

Red January

Red January focuses on improving mental health, by using physical activity. Though you may not make an instant connection, the two actually go hand in hand quite well. For a person who may not do much physical activity, pushing themselves to go for a walk once or twice a week may seem like a great achievement. Some people who participate might already do a fair amount of exercise, and for them they might like the challenge of taking up a new sport or activity each day.

After a short while, a lot of people tend to see a change in their mood, and willingness to set more goals for themselves after seeing what they’re able to achieve.

A number of employees at Cura have this year decided to take part in Red January, doing so by participating in a range of activities. We have running, walking, football, swimming, HIIT class, zumba and pilates. Each person has put their own twist on it and chosen an activity which they think they will enjoy.

‘Move every day, to beat the winter blues away.’ (RED January)

There’s a huge number of charity events through the summer months, but not so much over winter, when people could potentially benefit from it the most. Days seem shorter, we have less daylight and the cold weather isn’t always very inviting, which can also result in less social occasions. These things can cause a low mood for a lot of people, which is where Red January steps in. 

Dry January

I, like many others, have this year decided to take part in Dry January. I did this last year and really felt like I reaped the benefits. Not only did I save a little bit of money, I also felt better overall. I’m definitely not a person who tends to binge drink or drink that regularly, even so I could still really feel the positive effects that it was having, so much so that I continued it for a few more weeks after January had ended. 

Dry January is a well heard of campaign. The idea behind this is to go the whole month of January without consuming any alcohol. Some people like myself, chose to do this as a little self set task whereas for others, it really can be the first step towards changing their lifestyle for the better.

There has been a lot of research into what alcohol can do to your body, and also a lot of research on the positive effects that occur if you cut alcohol out.

From doing Dry January, 70% of people noticed that they were sleeping better, 86% were able to save more money and 65% noticed that their general health seemed to improve (Alcohol Change UK, 2017).

It has also been found that with just one month with no alcohol, your blood pressure is lowered, your risk of diabetes is reduced, your cholesterol is lowered and the risk of cancer-related proteins in the blood is also reduced.

Though the actual campaign lasts just for the month of January, it was also found that 70% of people who took part in Dry January felt like they had healthier drinking habits still 6 months down the line. Considering that there are more than 60 health conditions linked with alcohol consumption, it’s great to see that the campaign is making a difference long term.

Access to insurance

The two main aspects of Red January are physical activity and mental health. Insurers will often ask about your alcohol consumption, mental health and potential any positive lifestyle choices that you are choosing to make e.g. regularity of exercise. 

Check out our blog, on Applying for protection insurance with a mental health condition.

Alcohol consumption can play a big part in the protection insurance terms you’re offered. With it being an important topic, Managing Director Kathryn, hosted an episode of the Practical Protection Podcast focusing on alcohol.

Resources

Alcohol Change UK. (2017). Electric Putty. [online] Available at: https://alcoholchange.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/dry-january.

RED January. (n.d.). About Us | Raising Mental Health Awareness. [online] Available at: https://redtogether.co.uk/about/ [Accessed 11 Jan. 2022].