STRONG Pilates backs Gotcha4Life charity during Mental Health Awareness month

Leading Australian fitness franchise, STRONG Pilates has partnered with mental fitness charity, Gotcha4Life, to inspire the Australian community to prioritise their mental fitness and support others by fundraising throughout October (Mental Health month) and November.

As part of their commitment to supporting mental and physical fitness, STRONG Pilates and its ambassadors, NRL’s Nicho Hynes and Shaun Johnson and AFL’s Nat Fyfe and Travis Boak, have launched an initiative, FEEL STRONG, from today to 22nd November.

Designed to promote positive habit building, the 30-day program will challenge the community to complete low impact, cardio-infused sessions, a series of weekly mini-challenges and a new form of stretching for effective recovery.

The initiative will be supported and undertaken by the athletes who will share their own benchmarks with the community via the STRONG app and social channels, focusing on resilience and good habit building.

Cronulla Sharks player and mental health advocate, Hynes advises “building good mental health habits has been a formative part of my personal and professional journey. Being mindful of implementing mental fitness in our daily lives is what makes the biggest difference in the long-term. Let’s implement FEEL STRONG and not only support ourselves, but also fundraise to support the community through Gotcha4Life.”

Dally M finalist and NRL player, Johnson added “as professional athletes, we are constantly being assessed, so it’s important to exercise a healthy mindset and ensure a balanced lifestyle. Together with physical fitness, it makes creating habits and goal-setting so much easier and achievable. The Feel STRONG challenge is not only a way to give back to yourself but also to others by fundraising for Gotcha4Life.”

In addition to completing these challenges, STRONG Pilates will also encourage its members to use their set goals as motivation to fundraise for Gotcha4Life in support of mental fitness for the wider community. Participants in the challenge will be able to form competitive groups or fundraise individually.

The STRONG Pilates studio which raises the most funds at the end of the 30-day period will receive prize packs from partners including apparel brand, The Upside along with a mental fitness workshop hosted by Gotcha4Life.

Gotcha4Life’s Chief Executive, Belinda Elworthy noted “Gotcha4Life’s partnership with the team at STRONG is a powerful opportunity to highlight the positive impact that building strong bodies, minds and friendships can have on people’s mental fitness.

“Our collaboration also hopes to raise awareness and vital funds so that we can continue to support our youth to build the emotional muscles they need to tackle life’s ups and downs.”

STRONG Pilates co-founder, Michael Ramsey went on to say “community is core to the success of STRONG and we are committed to providing ongoing education to our members which supports their holistic wellbeing.

“A positive and healthy mindset can make all the difference in achieving life’s goals, so we are proud to be partnering with Gotcha4Life to spread the message of mental fitness.”

The campaign is running from 23rd October until 22nd November.

For further information, visit strongpilates.com.au

Images: Nicho Hynes (top), Travis Boak (middle) and (below, from left): STRONG co-founder Michael Ramsey, Gotcha4Life Chief Executive Belinda Elworthy and STRONG co-founder Mark Armstrong.