The Push-Up Challenge
2,000 push-ups in 18 days
Feb 11 to 28, 2025
Get fit, have fun and learn about mental health!Each push-up represents a life lost to suicide
Take on 2,000 push-ups for the
~2,000 lives lost to suicide each day, worldwide.
The Push-Up Challenge is a free mental health and fitness event focused on pushing for better mental health for all Canadians.
How it works:
GET DAILY TARGETS AND FACTS
Each day of the Challenge, we’ll set a different daily push-up target that relates to an important Mental Health Fact. These daily targets add up to 2,000 push-ups overall. You can track your progress and see the facts on our free app.
EVERYONE CAN PARTICIPATE
You don't have to be a push-up pro to participate. You can substitute push-ups with sit-ups, squats or other alternative exercises. You can also choose to aim for the full target (2,000) or a smaller target, like 25%, 50% or 75% of the full target.
GO SOLO OR JOIN A TEAM
You can participate solo, or set up a Team and invite your friends, work, school, gym or sports club to join you.
How to get involved:
1. Register
Register your interest to be part of the Challenge in 2025, and we’ll let you know when registrations officially open in November. It’s easy to register. And it's free.
2. Share
Once you've registered, you can share your page and recruit some team members to join your Team. For big groups, you can sign up as a Community to create a collection of Teams.
3. Participate
From February 11 to 28, we'll share daily push-up targets and daily Mental Health Facts via our free app, socials and website.
Your effort can make a big impact
You can support Canadians who need it most by choosing to fundraise for your local CMHA branch or CMHA National. Fundraising is optional but it's a great way to make a difference and get your family and friends involved in the push for better mental health.
Every dollar you raise will help CMHA to support recovery from mental illness and foster positive mental health outcomes.
Your push-ups help people like Caroline
Caroline lost her dad to suicide, and at a particularly dark point, she tried to take her own life. Today, she is channelling her experience with mental health challenges to support others through her important work as a crisis line responder. For many people, though, they need care after the call.
“It’s more of a band-aid solution,” said Caroline.
“People need longer term support.”
That’s where CMHA comes in. CMHA delivers extensive community-based mental health programs and services, while pushing for nationwide system and social change.
Will you push for better long-term mental health outcomes for people like Caroline and her dad?
