National sport for development charity Sported has announced a partnership with Simplyhealth, the leading healthcare plan provider.

Simplyhealth has pledged it will donate £5 to Sported every time someone signs up to its new free-to-use health and wellbeing app ‘SimplyMe’.

The aim of the app is to help people identify small, easy changes that help them to lead healthier lives and look after their mental health. This is seen as vital after respondents to a Simplyhealth survey said lack of activity and poor mental health had increased during the Covid-19 pandemic, with willpower being a major barrier to improving their health.

WELLBEING

The survey also found that 40% of respondents would be motivated to exercise more if their fitness tracker or device raised funds for a charity or community initiative.

Sported is a national charity which supports almost 3,000 community sport and youth groups across the UK. These groups help 160,000 young people facing disadvantage to stay healthy, safe, and active through sport.

Nicola Walker, CEO at Sported, said: “Sported are delighted to be working in partnership with Simplyhealth to ensure the wellbeing of young people often living in disadvantage.

“We believe that grassroots groups have a unique role to play in engaging and inspiring young people, using sport to make a positive difference to communities and improving physical and mental health. Sported provide mentoring support for these groups, ensuring they have the resources needed to grow and thrive.

“With Simplyhealth’s generous support, we can help these extraordinary groups during this difficult time to get back up and running, protecting their future sustainability. This will ensure that over time, young people can return to safe and positive environments, be active and enjoy the best of their community.”

Romana Abdin, Chief Executive at Simplyhealth, said: “Never has our sense of community been more important, or relevant as it is today. We are really proud of our heritage and wanted to show how much we care about the health of the UK and continue to do our very best for our customers. Throughout the past months we have seen everyone come together, in their communities, working for the greater good.

PURPOSE

“We have listened to what people want, and are now harnessing that power of community, bringing our purpose to life, and showing everyone that they can take control of their health and also help others in the process.

"We’re delighted to be working with Sported as we all have our part to play in staying healthy and looking after each other.”

The launch of the SimplyMe app follows new research from Simplyhealth which reveals that many people have experienced negative impacts on their mental and physical health since the outbreak of Covid-19 in the UK but are determined to take action to improve their health.

The 2,000 UK adults surveyed stated that because of the pandemic:

     - 42% feel their physical fitness has suffered

     - 42% feel their mental health has suffered

     - 38% have found it more difficult to sleep

     - 19% are less healthy than before the pandemic

Of those who have become less healthy during the pandemic:

     - 38% are less active

     - 29% are eating more junk food

     - 26% are drinking more alcohol

Despite this, the majority (62%) believe they will be more proactive about looking after their health and wellbeing as we come out of the pandemic. However, one of the biggest challenges to health is lack of motivation, with nearly half of respondents (48%) saying that willpower is a major barrier to health improvement.

When asked what could make a difference in getting them back to good health, 51% of those surveyed said technology will play a key role, with fitness trackers, smart watches, and apps being seen as helpful in motivating people to improve their health and wellbeing.

The pandemic has seen community spirit flourish, as many people have become aware of, or had challenging experiences related to their health and are now looking for ways to give something back and help those around them. In response to this need, Simplyhealth will donate £5 to Sported every time someone signs up to the SimplyMe app.

To find out more about SimplyMe, visit www.simplyhealth.co.uk/simplyme or download the SimplyMe app via the App Store or Google Play Store.