The Push-Up Challenge

A Massive thank you from Nick Hudson, CEO of The Push for Better Foundation and the rest of the team.  Your efforts this year have been epic! 

A massive shout-out to Exercise & Sport Science Australia (ESSA) for their partnership and support for The Push-Up Challenge 2024. They guided us through training, helped us stretch and warm up, and showed us how to nail our push-ups and alternatives - we couldn't have done it without the ESSA team on board. Thanks to ESSA for helping us all smash our targets and stay in form. 💪

We'd love to give an ENORMOUS thank you to Northern Star Resources for all their support during The Push-Up Challenge 2024. With a whopping $200,000 in matched donations over two incredible Dollar Match Days, over 340,000 push-ups banked, and endless support throughout the event - we couldn't have made this year's challenge as exciting without them 💪

Day 24 🔸 219 push-ups 🔸 Research from the US suggests it takes 219 hours spent together to form a new close friendship. A strong social network helps foster a sense of belonging and community, and feeling accepted by our friends can help with our self-esteem and confidence. Having friends around to talk to and support us through challenging periods can also offer much-needed perspective, reassurance and guidance.   Friendships help to combat loneliness, which is one of the leading contributors to poor mental and physical health. Loneliness and social isolation place large amounts of stress on the body, and are associated with hypertension, heart disease, anxiety and depression. Thankfully, when it comes to friendship, quality over quantity is the key - and having just one friend can act as a protective factor against these outcomes.   And as with all relationships, friendships are give and take – so being a good mate to your friends when they’re going through a tough time will help support their mental health, too.   Is one of your mates going through a rough patch, or showing possible signs of a mental health challenge? Being a supportive friend is important, but sometimes it’s hard to know how to bring things up.  R U Ok? Has developed the ALEC framework, a guide that teaches us how to support others. In a nutshell this look like: ask, listen, encourage action, and check in.   Read the full Mental Health Fact on our website.

We'd like to extend a warm welcome to H&H Canteens for joining us as a Corporate Supporter in 2024. H&H Canteens is a family-owned Australian company established in 1989 to provide a professional, yet personal, food management service, with a strong focus within the education sector. H&H Canteens is about making a positive difference to the well-being of those in the community we serve, through a variety of wholesome, healthy food choices, together with a friendly, welcoming and committed service. Thank you for being a part of the push for better mental health 🧡

We'd like to thank Accenture for coming on board as a corporate supporter for The Push-Up Challenge 2024 👏 Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We couldn't do what we do without corporate supporters like Accenture - thanks for joining the push for better mental health for all Australians.

Day 23 🔸 213 push-ups 🔸 A 2023 study reported that 21.3 million Australians actively engage in social media, representing 81% of the population. Each day, the average Aussie spends more than two hours a day on their socials – and this number has grown 6% from the previous year.   It's important to understand that while social platforms provide us with connectivity and entertainment, they can also affect our mental wellbeing. Studies have explored the relationship between social media and mental health, revealing both positive and negative effects.  For many, social media serves as a tool for communication, self-expression, and access to valuable resources. However, excessive usage, unrealistic comparisons, and online harassment or bullying can lead to increased stress, anxiety, and depression.  Some ways to find balance and support your mental wellbeing without giving up your phone include mindful engagement, capping your use, responding to cyberbullying, or doing a digital detox.  We have teamed up with Screen Sanity to provide you with The Social Media Playbook mini - a practical workbook designed to help teens and adults  use social platforms thoughtfully and intentionally. Find it on our website.   Read the full Mental Health Fact on our website.

Day 22 🔸 193 push-ups 🔸 Research shows that rates of hospitalisation for self-harm are increasing for people who live in Very Remote areas with 193 hospitalisations reported per 100,000 residents. During 2021-2022, the rate of hospitalisation for intentional self-harm in residents of very remote areas was nearly twice that of residents of major cities. Studies also reveal that deaths by suicide are higher for those living in rural and remote areas.   Around 7 million people live in remote and rural areas of Australia – this equates to 28% of our population. There are a number of factors that can influence mental health for people living outside metropolitan areas – these include isolation, financial stress, working long, irregular hours and the impact of natural disasters.  For those Australians living remotely who experience mental health challenges, seeking and receiving treatment and recovery can be more difficult, particularly as mental health services are often not easily accessible without travelling long distances.   In addition, the proportion of First Nation’s people increases with remoteness, from 1.8% in major cities, to 32% in remote and very remote areas. A lack of culturally safe services and support can be a barrier to receiving adequate mental health care. Support is available for Aussies living in rural and remote areas. The National Rural Health Alliance provides helpful factsheet for a range of services, including rural mental health services and patient assisted travel schemes. Rural and Remote Mental Health, a not-for-profit organisation that’s working to address the mental health gap between major cities and the regions, runs workshops teaching people living in rural and remote Australia about mental wellbeing. For people living outside metropolitan areas, telehealth services can be a good option, and Medicare rebates are available through the Better Access Program. 13YARN (13 92 76) offers the opportunity for First Nations peoples to talk with a trained Lifeline Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter over the phone. Young people can get free support from headspace on 1800 650 890 9am-1am AEDT every day.  Confidential, free crisis support is available 24/7 from anywhere in Australia via Lifeline. Phone 13 11 14, text 0477 13 11 14 or access webchat via the Lifeline website.   Read the full Mental Health Fact on our website.

Nick Hudson and Amberlee Nicholas visited IGO Ltd to have a chat with staff at a Lunch & Learn on the 8th May. Nick opened up about why he started The Push-Up Challenge, and Amberlee shared a bit about the Foundation’s work with young leaders across the country through the Student Ambassador Program. We're thrilled to have Team IGO on board, with 76 legends joining in the push for better mental health who have raised over $5K for Lifeline. We thank IGO for their support as our Event Partner, and look forward to them hosting our Perth wrap-up event next month.

🚀  ONE BILLION PUSH-UPS 🚀 You heard that right – this year we’ve managed to reach an incredible 1,000,000,000 push-ups banked since The Push-Up Challenge started in 2017. To everyone who has smashed out 1 push-up, to those who've done thousands of push-ups throughout the years – we’re so thankful for your efforts in pushing for better mental health for all Australians. Every push-up makes a difference.