What do you think about RED (Run Every Day) January and other sign up type exercise initiatives?
What is RED (Run Every Day) January?
RED (Run Every Day) January and other sign up type exercise initiatives are becoming very popular, possibly because of the exposure they have on Social Media. People pledge to run or do another form of exercise every day for a month to raise awareness of or sponsorship money for a charity. They’re encouraged to post about their daily achievements on Social Media.
Are RED January and similar initiatives a bad idea?
Our spinal specialist Physio Shari says:
“Unfortunately this will very often lead to overuse injuries, which may range from strains, to tendinopathies, stress reactions in the bone to stress fractures. I wouldn't recommend suddenly running every day after a long period of inactivity or if your body isn't conditioned to it. I do have patients who run 6-7 days per week and love it and have been doing so for years, however there is obviously a reason that they are seeing me and it is for overuse/overload injuries and/or biomechanical problems! A balanced exercise regime is best with a gradual increase in loading and recovery days, particularly if starting exercising from a zero or low background level."
Physio Paul, who specialises in sports injuries, says:
“Be sensible! Initially you might be able to get away with a couple of bigger runs in short succession but at some point you'll need to slow down or plug in some recovery runs. Vary distance, volume and intensity through the period of time you are committing to.”
If you are intending to run every day this month or any month, do be very careful about overloading your body, particularly if you’re normally not particularly active. You could consider Moving Every Day - varying the forms of exercise that you take to reduce the risk of overuse injuries. Try cycling, walking, gym classes or weight lifting too.
Capitalise on your new found fitness too. At the end of the month continue Move Every Day sensibly to make it part of your ongoing routine to help you towards a more active life.