How to Start Meeting Your Goals

You've set your goals, now make those healthy habits stick with these simple tips from Nike's Senior Director of Performance, Ryan Flaherty.

You've got the best of intentions to train regularly, eat healthier and sleep more. But how to actually make them happen? Turn ambition into action by approaching your goals as habits: Give them a specific, designated spot in your day-to-day routine, says Ryan Flaherty, Nike Senior Director of Performance. This means putting the habit (like doing yoga or meal prep) in your calendar, the same way you would a doctor's appointment or a work meeting.

The more details you add, the more likely you'll be to stick to it. Include exactly what you want to accomplish, and make it a recurring appointment—say, scheduling a three-mile outdoor run every Monday at noon or a shopping trip to get fresh produce every Sunday morning.

Sure, this sounds simple, but it can have a radical effect. By creating this kind of predictability in what you want to accomplish, you take ownership of your time and get in the groove of forming new habits that put you on track to getting after any goal.

Picture all of the daily habits you have that you never think about doing: brushing your teeth, queuing up a show to watch at night. Now, imagine if each time you did one of those ingrained behaviours, you tacked on a healthy action that you've been meaning to make a habit.

Want to strength train regularly? Every time you brush, do air squats. Been meaning to work on your mobility? Foam roll while you watch TV. Attaching a new behaviour to an existing one gives you an automatic and regular reminder, and it's a proven way to make your goals more likely to stick long term.