When 71-year-old Anna Guild signed up for The Push-Up Challenge, she did so with deep personal motivation. Seventeen months earlier, Anna’s husband James died after a three-year battle with cancer. His loss had reshaped her world. Regular exercise had become an important anchor during this transition, helping her stay physically strong and emotionally steady. Her twice-weekly gym classes in Methven, half an hour from her home on a high-country station in Windwhistle, became a source of routine, connection, and wellbeing.
Anna had always enjoyed push‑ups, and the challenge felt like the perfect blend of fitness, motivation, and meaningful contribution. It also resonated with her as a close friend’s grandson had tragically taken his own life at just 15-years-old. She wanted to do something to help.
Her daughter created an Instagram reel that helped spread the word. “I think the fact that I was doing the push-ups on my toes at age 71 captured the attention of lots of people and that helped drive donations,” she says proudly.
In all, Anna raised $4,500 dollars for the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand and was the second highest individual fundraiser during the Challenge, dedicating her efforts to all the families who have lost a loved one to suicide.
The positive reinforcement built into the challenge through The Push-Up Challenge app - tracking progress, sharing impact stories and linking each day’s push‑ups to a mental health fact - kept her energised and engaged.
Her gym group was also a great support. They rallied around and incorporated push-ups into their sessions too. Anna celebrated the end of the challenge by shouting her gym buddies coffee to say thanks for their encouragement and donations.
By the end of the challenge, Anna felt it had been a “total win‑win” - she improved her health, strengthened her resilience, and helped raise money for a cause she believes in wholeheartedly.
She knows how crucial mental health support and inclusion are, especially for the younger generation. Her participation in the challenge sparked a conversation with a friend whose daughter had been struggling with online bullying and self-harm. These connections, and her own seven mokopuna, reinforced for Anna how vital it is to talk openly, act kindly, and build stronger communities around mental wellbeing.
The 23 days of The Push-Up Challenge turned into something profoundly rewarding for Anna, and at the end of it she describes feeling “physically and mentally really, really good.”
She’s looking forward to taking part in The Push-Up Challenge again next year, hopefully in a team with her gym mates who she reckons won’t take too much convincing.
