The chocolate milk drink Mars Refuel, inspired by the
incredible summer of sport that lies ahead of us, is encouraging people to get back into sport or to continue playing their sport for longer through the Mars Refuel Drink Fund, which will open for entries from April 2.
The fund has one gold (£1000), two silver (£500) and eight bronze (£250) awards to donate to the most deserving applicants every month for the next six months.
The fund is open to residents, clubs and organisations based in the UK and Republic of Ireland only. Applicants must be 12 years or over and only one application will be accepted per person, club or organisation.
The Mars Refuel Drink Fund can offer support with anything from equipment and travel costs to improving training grounds and club houses.
Applications can be made online at www.marsrefuel.com.
Good for health
A survey undertaken by Mars Refuel has confirmed that while it is well documented that participating in sports can be good for your physical health, it can also be great for your mental well-being too.
In addition to the social benefits, playing sport as part of a team or as an individual can stimulate endorphins, which are one of the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. That is why people often say they feel a “buzz” after doing exercise or taking part in sport.
The research, carried out among people who are currently active sports participants and those that aren’t, revealed that four in ten sports participants always feel more positive after taking part in sport, with an additional third saying they almost always feel more positive after doing so.
Interestingly, more than a third (38%) of people who don’t currently participate in sport but once did said they could remember feeling positive after playing sport when they were younger, with almost a third (32%) saying they believed they would benefit from taking part in sport now for that reason.
The biggest perceived barriers preventing people from taking part in sport are a lack of motivation (32%), finding time (28%) and the cost (18%).
The research was carried out by Opinion Matters from February 17-29, 2012, using a sample of 2001 UK adults.