Lifeline invite Toowoomba to a push-up challenge for suicide awareness

Lifeline Darling Downs want to see local businesses, organisations and individuals push themselves to complete Australia’s biggest fitness challenge in the name of mental health.

PUSH IT: Nicole Steffens and Layla Millington from Freedom Lifestyle and Fitness join Matt Gregg from Lifeline for a quick workout during the Lifeline Darling Downs launch for The 2021 Push-Up Challenge. Picture: Nev Madsen

Thousands of Australian are pushing themselves to the limit next month to complete The Push-Up Challenge, Australia’s largest fitness-based mental health initiative and this year Lifeline is coming on board.

Started in 2017, the challenge is free to register with participants encouraged to take on 3318 push ups from June 1-25, placing a spotlight on the tragic number of lives lost to suicide across Australia in 2019.

Lifeline Darling Downs CEO Derek Tuffield OAM said this would be the first year Lifeline was getting involved.

Nicole Steffens from Freedom Fitness and Lifestyle Toowoomba and Derek Tuffield CEO, Lifeline Darling Downs. Picture: Nev Madsen

“We’re really excited to invite the wider Darling Downs community to join The Push-Up Challenge which encourages connection, promotes fitness and highlights mental health,” he said.

“Every push up counts because every push-up remembers a life lost to suicide. It’s a big challenge but so is preventing suicide.”

Freedom Lifestyle and Fitness are one of more than 80 local partnerships across the region and Lifeline Darling Downs are calling on more businesses, organisations and individuals to take on the challenge.

At The Push-Up Challenge launch in Toowoomba (from left) Nicole Steffens, Derek Tuffield, Layla Millington, Catherine Johnson and Matt Gregg. Picture: Nev Madsen.

“There’s plenty of different ways to complete this challenge, you don’t need to be a gym junkie to get through it,” director of Freedom Lifestyle and Fitness, Nicole Steffens said.

“If you can’t do a traditional push-up there are loads of alternatives you can try, from squats to knee or wall push-ups. There’s nothing wrong with mixing it up.”

Throughout the challenge participants can fundraise directly for Lifeline Darling Downs by selecting them as a beneficiary upon signing up with those funds staying in the local community.

To sign up for the challenge this June, simply head to thepushupchallenge.com.au.