What Progress Truly Looks Like And How To Achieve Your Goals

Caitlyn Davey • July 8, 2025

 'It's putting off what you want in the moment, for what you want most.'There may come times in your health and wellness journey where you plateau, or struggle to hit your goals. It happens to plenty of people, they work and work but struggle to see results or achieve the goals they set out to reach. So how do you overcome roadblocks and hurdles and ensure the road to success? There are some steps you can take to ensure you get to where you want to go. James and Sean speak about it on episode 26 of season 2 of the Rebuild Health and Fitness podcast, to help you reach your goals. Here's what you need to know. Unknown roadblocksWhether that’s falling sick, an important commitment, or any setback that causes a sudden hindrance to your goal – sometimes it’s inevitable and how you power through is what defines the sort of person you are.“You will get stuck, you can set amazing goals, but you need to understand that things will come up that you didn’t plan for and they’re going to get in your way, side-track you and how you respond to it will be the determining factor to whether you will succeed or not,' says Sean. 'We see it with covid popping up everywhere, these mini setbacks that you don’t plan for and the next thing you know is that you’re testing positive and suddenly you don’t know what to do anymore.' Stockdale ParadoxWhile it’s important to have this big goal that you want, there will always be smaller steps you need to take. And while that’s being thought of, it's equally important to have faith in yourself and belief that you will come out stronger.Sean explains the Stockdale Paradox fits in well with the discussion of goal setting, setbacks, and progress. “The Stockdale Paradox refers to your ability to retain the faith that you will prevail at the end regardless of the difficulties but at the same time, confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be. You can have this really good goal you want to hit but because of your current situation, you will get there but it’ll just take you longer. People get too hung up on getting stuck in the mud when they face difficulties.” Motivation and disciplineSean believes you shouldn’t let not having motivation be the thing that keeps you from progressing forward. “One of the early roadblocks people fall into is a drop in motivation. I think understanding that motivation is one of those things that gets you going but commitment to your core keeps you going.”He outlines two types of motivation: Intrinsic motivation is where you’re motivated by personal reward, or where you’re performing an activity for its own sake. For example, when people go for runs because they enjoy the feeling that running gives them, they’re not going on runs to avoid some sort of punishment.Extrinsic motivation is where you’re motivated to earn a reward or to avoid punishment. For example, when someone is training to win a gold medal, or when you’re training to be someone else, you’re not doing it for yourself.Sean adds, “I think some extrinsic goals are fine but if you're truly going to be successful long-term, you need to have a decent reason from within yourself that motivates you and pulls you back when you’re questioning whether you want to put in this effort or not. Effort is required and just because you’ve got simple tasks doesn’t mean you don’t need to put in effort.”For him, discipline really defines you as a person and is the key indicator to whether or not you will be successful. “Having that little bit of control and discipline around key behaviours and actions will be the biggest indicators of success. You can never fully get what you want out of life unless you have some discipline and make some sacrifices in life. Some of those sacrifices aren’t terrible ones but may just be some ingrained habits that you've had and may make you feel weird when you drop it,” he says. Making tough choices and doing things you don’t enjoy In life, nothing comes to us easily. There’s always a certain amount of discomfort required to reach a goal or to make progress from your current state. Though this might make the process tougher, and to a certain extent might slow things doing, what you need to focus on is the end result. Sean prefers to live a life satisfaction knowing he’s worked his way up on the success ladder, despite all the painstaking hard work that’s gone into it. “At some stage in your journey you need to do things you don’t enjoy, you need to lift weights, you need to put in the steps, you need to get your heart rate up, or you’ll either suffer the consequences or the brutal reality of you not achieving your goals. I’d rather suffer on my own terms doing things that will make me a better person, or stronger, or fitter, or suffer the consequences of me being lazy and not willing to make those sacrifices.”James says it's all about choices. “With all this, it comes back to your choices, you can always make choices around your goals and the sacrifices you make. I don’t want to make it sound like people aren’t trying hard enough, it may not be your fault that you’re in the position that you are in right now but, it’s 100% your responsibility to fix this. That small step of taking some sort of action is the first step you can take into making progress towards your goals,” adds James. 

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July 22, 2025
If you live in Wynnum or Capalaba , chances are you’ve seen a bootcamp in action — high-intensity sessions in parks, with lots of burpees, sprints, and shouting. While bootcamps can be a fun way to get sweaty, there’s a reason more people are choosing structured strength training instead. At Rebuild, we often meet people who’ve jumped from one bootcamp to another, chasing results they never quite achieve, or can’t maintain. Here’s why strength training, not bootcamp-style fitness, is the smarter long-term approach for your health and body. 1. Progress Over Punishment Bootcamps often focus on burning calories and pushing people to their limits every session. It feels intense — but it’s usually random. There’s no plan beyond “go hard”. Strength training is different. It’s measured, progressive, and adaptable . Whether you’re lifting a barbell or doing bodyweight movements, the goal is to build skill, strength, and confidence over time. You're not punished for where you're at — you're coached toward where you want to be. 2. Stronger Muscles = Better Results Cardio-heavy bootcamps might help you lose weight quickly, but they rarely help you build muscle, and muscle is the key to long-term fat loss, strength, and mobility . When you train with resistance (weights, bands, or bodyweight), your body becomes more efficient. You burn more calories at rest, move better, and feel more capable in everyday life. And unlike bootcamps, strength training actually preserves lean mass while you're in a calorie deficit — which matters if your goal is body composition, not just weight loss. 3. Individual Coaching Matters Most bootcamps have one instructor yelling instructions to a big group. There’s rarely time to check your technique, let alone adjust for injuries, experience, or confidence levels. At Rebuild, our group sessions are coach-led and purpose-built . We take time to teach proper form, scale movements to your ability, and track your progress. You're not just surviving a workout — you’re learning how to move better and train smarter. 4. It’s Not Just About Today’s Workout Bootcamps often lack structure. You show up, do something exhausting, and leave. There’s no continuity or long-term planning. Strength training follows a programmed approach , meaning each week builds on the last. You’ll have sessions designed to improve specific movements and outcomes — whether that’s lifting more weight, increasing core strength, or mastering your first pull-up. That structure keeps you consistent, motivated, and injury-free. 5. Sustainability Over Shock Tactics If you’re tired of the “go hard or go home” mentality, strength training is for you. It’s adaptable to all ages, bodies, and goals . You’ll get fitter, stronger, and more confident — without burning out or breaking down. Ready to train with purpose? If you're looking for something better than a bootcamp in Wynnum or Capalaba , join us at Rebuild. We coach real people — not fitness models — to get real results. 📍 Structured training 📍 Expert coaches 📍 Community that has your back You don’t need to be fit to start. You just need to start.
July 22, 2025
A lot of people have completed a marathon but how many people have collapsed at 40km?

Sometimes you do everything right, and shit still doesn’t go to plan.
 Last weekend I ran in the Gold Coast Marathon, my first ever marathon. I trained properly, my body felt relatively good (all things considered when preparing to run 42.2km), I carb-loaded, and my race day nutrition was dialled in.
 I was ready.
 We set off. Jess and the kids met me at different points on the course with signs, the atmosphere was great. I loved seeing the kids with their signs. Pacing felt on point. The first 21km? Easy. I felt great. Maybe I should’ve drunk more water, but I didn’t think too much of it at the time.
 At 25km, I felt slower, but pace wise I was still holding well. I’d kept telling myself throughout the day "The race starts at 30km." And let me tell you, it does.
 By 30km, the sun was out, and I was starting to struggle. My watch started glitching so I had no real idea of my splits. I thought I was slowing down a lot (turns out I wasn’t), but the effort to keep the same pace suddenly felt 10x harder.
 I hadn’t taken on enough water. Usually, I can get away with lower fluids. Not this time. Dehydration crept in. hard.
 At 35km I was in survival mode, one foot in front of the other, flicking between moments of pain and little short lived waves of “let’s go.” But by 39km I was delirious. I could see the finish line, I hit the 40km mark (where I thought enjoyment might return to finish), and I collapsed.
 I was gone. Scary stuff.
 The last few hundred metres were a complete blur. All I remember is the crowd, the medics, and about five paramedics suddenly around me. I was vomiting, shaking, confused, in and out of it. I had this overwhelming, indescribable feeling, and honestly, for a moment, I thought I could die.
 My memory went. I couldn’t recall the day, the year, where I lived, or how to spell. I only knew who Jess and the kids were, and that I didn’t want them to see me with wires in me. 
 My temperature had hit 40°C. Blood pressure crashed. Thankfully, the medics and paramedics were incredible, I had a drip running into me within 10 to 15 minutes.
 As I already knew, I’m stubborn. I wanted to run it all. Not walk. Not stop and breathe and In hindsight, I should have. 
 Seems like my mind was just a bit stronger than my body on the day. I never thought I could push myself there in all honesty. 

Am I gutted? Of course, I was only 2km away but I gave it everything I had on that day. Heat stroke, exhaustion, and dehydration got me. 

I am always reminded here of the quote ‘The man in the arena’ look it up if you need. 
 Will I run 42.2km again? Yes, I feel I need to. 

Would I do things differently, now I’ve run 40km under race conditions? You bet, lessons learnt. Always lessons. Never be scared to not succeed. Be scared to never try in the first place. 
 We go again.
By Caitlyn Davey July 8, 2025
You Need To Earn The Right To Be Good At Something
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