Hot Trots x Mental Health x Push Ups
August 2023, a good mate and I caught up at the local to share in the trials and tribulations of life.
It became apparent as we reminisced about the good ol' days that unhealthy day-to-day habits and stresses had silently crept-in, ambushing both our mentals and physicals.
We made a pact on the spot blindly signing up to an upcoming Olympic triathlon (1.5km swim, 40km ride, 10km run). The fun in the moment was aligning our training schedules and dreaming up what our weeks could look like.
At the time we didn't own bikes and vaguely recalled doing a 10km run back in 2009. Neither of us had swum more than 50m since finishing school some 14 years ago.
My biggest challenge starting out was weighing close to 100kg. Running hurt... a lot!
Over the subsequent months we locked down our exercise routines, kept each other accountable, and somehow maintained packed work schedules and home lives.
Deactivating Meta and plugging in Strava was a game changer. I invented my Strava alias "Hot Trots", a direct translation of how my organs register whilst running.
Fast forward to May 25 2024.
We've completed two Olympic triathlons, a sprint distance triathlon, and recently the Noosa full marathon. Each event we've completed to the best of our abilities on the day. It's been wholesome seeing humans of all ability levels getting out there and giving it their best shot! Turns out this stuff isn't just for super elites.
Whilst our toe nails and feet are battered and bruised our mental health is definitely much better. These challenges are very much YOU against YOU, with an US component to make it tolerable and fun.
We're both still far from A+ mentals but grades above our self-assessed D- nine months prior.
I also haven't bothered to look at a scales since starting because the physicals are now FEELING pretty darn good.
Now to the task at hand... 3,249 push-ups in 24 days to raise awareness and funds for mental health in Australia.
Eerily it feels like I'm right back at the local August last year.
Push ups are completely unfamiliar territory... but I've now become much more accepting of living in momentary physical discomfort.
This post is hopefully the nudge/reminder you might need to re-commit to prioritising your own physical and mental wellbeing this month of June.
Winter is very much upon us in Aus so seeking solace, warmth, and comradery at a local run club/Park Run makes sense if you're looking to get started with a $0 down payment... Or perhaps join me and thousands of others in The Push Up Challenge! Jump on Team BUSY if you're looking for a squad.
Or if you're really looking to spice things up there's a 70.3 Ironman/IronPeoples May 2025 in Port Macquarie... 12 months away... sounds like a later problem to me! There's a price warning on this one though as these events are rightly expensive on account of the effort required to put them on.
Shorter winter days have also provided me with a good excuse to lock down some evenings and crack open "those motivational books" that have been collecting dust. Currently I'm boats deep in Goggins... but actively accepting recommendations.
P.s. If you can spare some change for Headspace Indooroopilly (my local mental fitness club) by sponsoring some Hot Trots Push Ups that'd be greatly appreciated :)
Supporting headspace Indooroopilly
headspace is Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation, providing early intervention mental health services to 12-25 year olds.
Each year, headspace helps thousands of young people access vital support through our headspace centres in over 157 communities across Australia, our online and phone counselling services, our vocational services, and our presence in schools.
The support headspace receives from the community helps us achieve our vision - that all young Australians are supported to be mentally healthy and engaged in their communities.
My Challenge History
Pushuperer for 1 year
| Push-Ups | Funds | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,698 | $185 |
| Total | 1,698 | $185 |
My Push-Up Progress
Our Team Members
Christie Bemportato
Cassandra Horan
$100.00
Paul Miles
$155.00
Louella Tutauha
Scott Ritchie
Tayla Kerwin
Michelle Ryan
$20.00
Georgia Bremner
Krystal Major
Caitlin Auerbach
Amanda Chapman
$50.00
Heidi Hohua
Michelle Ryan
$20.00
Harrison Hewitt
$105.00
Kylie Brown
Mitzi Kok
$10.00
Riley Morse
$190.00
Jonathan Cremonini
$148.12
Maurizio Piazza
$50.00
MARGARET ANN GOY
$120.00
Alyne da Silva Tavares
$10.00
Anna Scobie
$65.00
Elijah Hoffmann
Marikka Wilken
Bodie Green
$100.00
Carl Naude
$20.00
Celeste Montecinos
Jonti Miles
$100.00
Kireten Ibbotson
Benjamin Gonzalez
$20.00
Hayley Wood
$70.00
Carly Brown
$251.38
Stacey Turnbull
$200.00
Kevan Sangster
$205.00
Kirsty Holt
$85.00
Mitchell McCarthy
$60.00
Helly Trajkov
$50.00
Peter Hur
$65.00
Pushy McPushface
Josh Butler
$101.42
Damien Shea
Beverly Brillantes
Linda Schuster
Nicola
Jasmine Jansen
Brooke Dirou
$40.00
Andrea Clarke
Sebastian Ezra
Lana Endersby
chiquita muller
Toby Fewre
Hot Trots
$185.00
Karen Radburn
$325.00
Mark Daniels
$10.00
Roy Sigvart
Lorretta Evans
Liss-Tove Guest
Emily Schuster
Mark Daniels
$50.00
Jason Scrivener
Aaron PAPAS
Tiffany Jeffcoat
$35.00
Kelli Isaacs
$80.00
Jay Harris
Miguel Almadin
Part of Team The BUSY Group
