Learning Goal Setting from "Hooked": How to Build Lasting Fitness Habits
- dailycalisthenics0
- Jun 28
- 4 min read
Have you ever started a fitness program with great enthusiasm, only to lose motivation after a few weeks? Or perhaps you've chosen a course that matches your fitness level perfectly, but still struggle to maintain consistency?
The problem might not lie in the program itself, but in the foundation of goal setting. Today, let's draw wisdom from Nir Eyal's "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" to learn how to establish truly lasting fitness habits.
1. Understanding What Goals Are: The Four-Stage Habit Formation Cycle
The Habit Loop: Trigger → Action → Variable Reward → Investment
Eyal (2014) demonstrates that all lasting habits follow this cyclical pattern. Let's break it down step by step:
a) Trigger: Recognizing Your True Needs
What do you really want?
Triggers fall into two main categories:
Emotional Needs - Wanting more confidence, stress relief, sense of achievement
Functional Needs - Wanting to be stronger, lose weight, improve physique
Many people focus only on functional needs when starting their fitness journey, overlooking the deeper emotional drivers. Are you beginning to exercise because you want to love what you see in the mirror? Or do you hope to feel more energetic in daily life?
b) Action: Making Goals Quantifiable
How do we transform vague wishes into concrete actions?
Eyal suggests using Frequency × Utility to plan actions. The key insight here is: when utility is low, we need higher frequency to compensate; as utility improves, we can moderately reduce frequency.
Let's use language learning as an example to understand this balance:
Stage | Frequency | Utility | Strategy |
Beginner Stage | 30 minutes daily | Can learn 5-10 words each time | Use high frequency to compensate for low efficiency and build learning momentum |
Intermediate Stage | 4-5 times a week, 45 minutes each | Can learn grammatical structures, understand short texts | As efficiency improves, frequency can be slightly reduced but depth increased |
Advanced Stage | 2-3 times a week, 1 hour each | Can have fluent conversations, read complex articles | Low frequency but high-quality practice to maintain level |
Why is this balance so crucial? Because it avoids two common pitfalls:
Pursuing perfect results initially while neglecting frequency establishment
Maintaining excessively high frequency in later stages, leading to burnout
Similarly, fitness goals require this kind of dynamic adjustment approach, allowing you to find the most suitable rhythm at different stages.
2. The Key to Transforming Goals into Habits: Discovering Your Values
Variable Reward: Three Types of Driving Forces
Eyal (2014) identifies three core reward mechanisms:
a) Reward of the Tribe - Social acceptance and community recognition
b) Reward of the Hunt - Satisfaction from pursuing challenges
c) Reward of the Self - Joy from personal growth
The Most Important Discovery: Intrinsic Motivation and Sense of Competency
Did you know? What truly drives us to act is not the sensation we receive from the reward itself, but the need to alleviate the craving for that reward (Eyal, 2014).
This aligns with psychological concepts of Ideal Self and Actual Self. When you realize that this goal can bring your current self closer to your ideal version, you naturally experience deep satisfaction.
Imagine this: Six months from now, you can effortlessly perform a human flag. Standing in front of the mirror, you see not just a stronger body, but a completely new version of yourself who has broken through self-imposed limitations. Is this transformation worth your investment?
Investment: The Best Investment Is in Yourself
Achieving goals takes time, just like any valuable investment. But investing in yourself is always the safest choice.
Every training session, every drop of sweat, every breakthrough is accumulating capital for your future self. At DAILYCALI, we commit to facing every challenge alongside you, because we believe: when you invest in your own growth, the returns are immeasurable.
Are you ready to begin this journey of self-investment? Remember, what matters most is not where you start, but your willingness to take the first step toward your ideal self.
TRANSFORM BODY & MIND
Based in Hong Kong. Since 2021, DAILYCALI isn't just a name—it's a mission. We're here to revolutionize your approach to fitness by making calisthenics an integral part of your daily life.
Whether you're looking to build strength, master impressive skills, or simply find a fitness approach that actually works for you, we're here to guide you every step of the way.
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References:
Eyal, N. (2014). Hooked: How to build habit-forming products. Portfolio.
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