How Your Mindset Is Affecting Your Health

Caitlyn Davey • July 8, 2025

Before you consider going on a diet, and blitzing your food and nutrition, you need to take a step back and consider what you want out of it – why are you pushing yourself to diet and what your goals are. On episode 43 of the Rebuild Health and Fitness podcast, hosts and qualified nutritionists, James Batey and Sean Carroll discuss the importance of psychology when evaluating people’s attitude to food. Speaking on the podcast, Sean says part of the problem is clients looking at training and nutrition as punishment. He says: “People come to us because they think they need to punish themselves, to get to where they want to go to be happy. It’s never a place of punishment. We’ve seen it time and time again, it doesn’t work like that when you have that approach.” James says when clients come in, the first part that’s considered is the mindset: “You have to work around the psychology of someone – behaviour and lifestyle. The thing we deal with the most, even though we’re not psychologists is the psychology – and the way that people view food.” Firstly they look at your mindset, and then, changes to ‘low-hanging fruits’ the quick changes that can make a big impact – hydration, sleep and eating vegetables.“Everyone is trying to find the shortcuts around that. But you just need to eat your veggies and hydrate well. If you do that, you’re going to be in a much better place,” says Sean. James agrees: “We say nutrition is simple, but simple is not easy.” They also encourage clients to eat the things they love every day to break the association of emotion and food. Food is a stressor for people, and they eat when they’re stressed, which causes them to stress about what they’re eating. A study was conducted on women who were constantly dieting and reducing their calorie intakes and the data found that these women weren’t healthy. Sean says: “There are interesting studies around cognitive dieting restraint. There were studies done on middle aged women who’d been perpetually dieting their whole lives – and even though their energy intake was low, because they were in such stressed states, it massively affected their energy output. “So, they thought they were eating minimal to lose weight – but they just weren’t getting enough nutrients in to want to move, because being in a stressed state affects your digestion so you’re not absorbing the nutrients as well as you could, so you’re not getting the energy to be a good human.” James explains: “It’s about finding that balance between nutrients. We harp on about flexible dieting a lot – flexible dieting being pro-choice, you get to choose what you like.But I think people get the wrong idea, thinking that flexible dieting means you get to eat whatever you want, to make progress, and it’s just not. You have to eat good, nutritious food.” James says: “Good nutrition is about obtaining the right quantities, and the right amount of nutrients, to allow our body to function in the way it’s intended to. “The quality of our food will dictate the way that we feel, and the quantity will dictate our size. You can be losing weight but if you’re eating poor quality food, you’re going to feel poor.” Listen to the podcast below, or if you want help with your nutrition, get in touch with our team. Team@rebuildhealthandfitness.com.

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February 16, 2026
If you live in Wynnum or Capalaba, you’re not short of fitness options. There are 24-hour gyms. Bootcamps. HIIT studios. Yoga classes. Running clubs along the waterfront. But despite more access than ever, many people still feel stuck. Tired. Plateaued. Unsure whether what they’re doing is actually working. For many adults across Brisbane’s bayside suburbs, the missing piece isn’t more cardio or more intensity. It’s structured strength training. What Strength Training Actually Does (Beyond “Toning”) Strength training isn’t just about lifting heavy weights or looking muscular. It is one of the most well-supported interventions in exercise science for improving: • Lean muscle mass • Bone density • Insulin sensitivity • Resting metabolic rate • Functional capacity • Injury resilience When you lift weights progressively, your body adapts. Muscle fibres increase in size. Neural drive improves. Connective tissue strengthens. Bone responds to load. This isn’t aesthetic. It’s physiological. For adults in their 30s, 40s and 50s — especially busy professionals and parents — maintaining and building muscle becomes increasingly important. From around age 30 onwards, we gradually lose muscle mass if we don’t train against resistance. Strength training slows — and can even reverse — that decline. Why Many People Plateau in Traditional Gyms Joining a gym in Wynnum or Capalaba is easy. Progress is harder. Many people follow random workouts. They jump between machines. They try classes without a long-term plan. They train hard, but without structure. The body adapts quickly to repeated stimulus. If load, volume or intensity don’t increase over time, adaptation stalls. This principle is called progressive overload — and it is fundamental to strength development. Without it, workouts feel hard but don’t necessarily lead to measurable progress. That’s why tracking lifts, planning training blocks, and adjusting volume matter. Effort is important. Structure is essential. Strength vs “Burning Calories” A common goal across the Wynnum and Capalaba community is fat loss. Many people default to high-intensity cardio to “burn more calories”. While cardiovascular training improves heart health and work capacity, resistance training changes body composition in a different way. Muscle tissue is metabolically active. The more lean mass you maintain, the more energy your body requires at rest. Strength training also improves glucose regulation and insulin sensitivity, which influences how your body uses carbohydrates. In simple terms: Cardio burns calories during the session. Strength training improves how your body uses energy long term. The most effective approach often combines both — but strength should not be overlooked. The Importance of Coaching in Strength Training Not all training environments are equal. There is a difference between access to equipment and access to coaching. Research in motor learning consistently shows that technique improves faster and more safely when feedback is specific and timely. Good coaching reduces injury risk, improves force production and builds confidence under load. For beginners, this means learning correct movement patterns. For experienced lifters, this means refining efficiency and progressing safely. In both Wynnum and Capalaba, more people are moving away from “do it yourself” gym models and towards coached environments that prioritise progression and accountability. Because consistency — not intensity — predicts long-term success. Strength Training for Real Life The real benefit of strength training isn’t what happens in the gym. It’s what happens outside it. Carrying children. Lifting groceries. Walking the stairs without fatigue. Reducing back pain. Improving posture after long desk hours. Strength improves quality of life. For people living and working in Brisbane’s bayside suburbs — balancing work, school runs and community commitments — training needs to support life, not compete with it. Two to four well-programmed sessions per week is enough to create significant improvements in strength and body composition when done consistently. You do not need to train every day. You need to train intelligently. What To Look For in a Strength Training Gym in Wynnum or Capalaba If you’re considering starting strength training locally, look for: • Structured programming rather than random workouts • Progressive overload built into sessions • Coaches who adjust for injury, mobility and experience • A community that supports consistency • A clear pathway for beginners Strength training should feel challenging — but sustainable. It should build confidence, not intimidation. A Quiet Shift in Fitness Across Wynnum and Capalaba, there is a noticeable shift. People are moving away from extreme short-term “transformations” and towards long-term strength development. They want: Energy that lasts. Bodies that feel capable. Training that fits into real life. Strength training isn’t a trend. It is one of the most researched, effective and sustainable forms of exercise available. If you’ve tried everything else and still feel stuck, it might not be motivation you’re missing. It might be structure. And structure changes everything.
January 19, 2026
If you’ve been thinking about getting back into training — or starting properly — this is your chance. From February 2–8 , you can train free for a full week at Rebuild Capalaba with unlimited access to our group sessions. No pressure. No judgement. No gimmicks. Just well-coached training, intelligent programming, and a community built around progress — not perfection. What Free Week Includes • Unlimited group training for 7 days • Coaching-led strength, conditioning, and cardio sessions • Scaled options to suit all experience levels • A supportive, ego-free training environment Whether you’re returning after a break, testing something new, or simply curious about what training should feel like — Free Week lets you experience it properly, without committing upfront. Free Week runs Feb 2–8. Spots are limited. Book your week and see how it fits into your life.
November 24, 2025
Try a Session. Meet the Coaches. See What You’re Capable Of If you’ve been thinking about starting, restarting, or finding a gym that actually supports you — Taster Day is your opportunity. This is a free, one-day event designed for real people. No pressure. No expectations. Just great coaching, a welcoming community, and a chance to see whether Rebuild is the right fit for you. December 6, 7:30am at Rebuild Health and Fitness - 10 North Road Wynnum West. This session is FREE for people to join.
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