Australia’s largest mental health and fitness event, The Push-Up Challenge, is back in 2024, encouraging Australians to push for better mental health.   

Participants will take on 3,249 push-ups across 24 days in June, putting the spotlight on the tragic number of lives lost to suicide in Australia in 2022.   

Thousands of Australians from all ages and walks of life participate in the event which engages people in mental health through connection, physical activity and education.   

“The Push-Up Challenge is a great way to get fit, connect with your community and learn about mental health, all while honouring lives tragically lost to suicide,” said Push-Up Challenge Founder Nick Hudson. 

“It’s likely everyone will experience a mental health issue at some point in their lives, so by getting involved, we hope to break down the stigma attached to mental illness and help Australians be more proactive about their mental health.”  

The Push-Up Challenge is a free event, and participants can choose to fundraise and support beneficiary partners Lifeline or headspace, or the charity which runs the event, Push for Better Foundation. Fundraising is an optional part of the event.   

“With our focus on mental health education, Lifeline’s 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services, and headspace’s early intervention services for young people, we’ll build on our work that engages Australians in a holistic conversation about mental health,” added Hudson.  

Colin Seery, CEO of Lifeline Australia highlighted that similar to Lifeline’s services, The Push-Up Challenge is for everybody.  

“The wonderful thing about the Challenge is how it connects people through exercise while empowering them with ways they can make a positive difference to their own and others’ mental health.”  

“We are delighted to continue our partnership with The Push-Up Challenge to encourage Australians to not just talk about their mental health, but take proactive steps to learn how to best support each other and recognise when they might need to put their own hand up for help,” added Seery.  

In 2023, over 215,000 participants completed 300 million push-ups and raised over $14.7 million for mental health.   

headspace Chief Executive Jason Trethowan highlighted that they are proud to partner again with The Push-Up Challenge and Lifeline, working together to ensure young people across Australia know help is always available in tough times.   

Staying active is an important part of a healthy headspace, and The Push-Up Challenge is the perfect opportunity to get moving, connect with the community and help get more people the support they need.   

With suicide the leading cause of death for young people in Australia, there’s never been a more important time to support the work of headspace, Lifeline and Push-Up Challenge.”   

Participants of all ages and abilities push-ups while learning about mental health, with the number of daily push-ups changing to reflect a vital mental health fact.   

And if completing 3,249 push-ups feels out of reach, participants can set their own push-up goal or choose exercise alternatives such as sit-ups, squats or tailored exercises, with progress tracked through a dedicated app.