21 days – 3,046 push ups.

Orange Locals, Wayne Hill and Tim Eslick along with their team mates on ‘team Cobb,’ are putting their triceps to the test and taking part in the 21- day Push-Up Challenge raising funds for Headspace Orange.

The challenge is a unique way to engage people in mental health combining physical health and connection. Both Wayne and Tim have lost loved ones to suicide, so is indeed an initiative close to their hearts.

Wayne explained, “My son Jackson showed me a post put up by Orange High School as they participated in the challenge and I thought it would be a good way for us to also raise some awareness around mental health and remember our loved ones in the process.

I started sending messages out to friends and family to join team Cobb (a team of 18 people) and Tim was one of the members to jump on board straight away.”

“It was a no brainer,” said Tim. “It was touching and pretty raw and so I knew it was something to get around.”

With a different push-up total each day, the total represents a number associated with mental health. For example, 45 push-ups to recognise the percentage of Australians who will experience a mental health condition over their lifetime.

With Tim using his social media platform to spread awareness he mentioned he was astounded by the love and support he has received. “Everyone is so supportive, they share the post and really start a conversation. I’ve found that along with the push-ups, sharing the reasoning for the numbers each day and what they mean, it’s a bit of an eye opener for a lot of people out there.”

“I correlate it back to mental wellbeing and mental toughness, for me to preach what I am saying I should be able to follow my own advice. I’ve set out to achieve something so I will achieve it to the best of my ability.”

18 days in and the boys admit some days they feel the pinch. “I just have to think about the reason I’m doing it,” said Wayne, “you may feel like it’s a struggle to do one more push up but it doesn’t compare to the struggle that some people are going through with mental ill health. A push up isn’t a struggle at all really.

“I’ve researched and read quite a lot about mental health over the past three years, and learning about positive mental wellbeing and then to be able to help people that are struggling.

“Those statistics that we are sharing, if we weren’t doing it and talking about it, even our close friends wouldn’t know about it. So, to know you are passing the knowledge on, it’s amazing to think you could help someone that should have that conversation.”

The challenge will finish on May 31. Team Cobb smashed their goal of $2,000 in just six days, in doing that they have made a new target of $5,000.

Go team Cobb!
To donate head to thepushupchallenge.com.au/teamcobb