Connecting Objective and Subjective Learning: A Framework to Build Habits That Stick
Over the years of training, coaching, and studying exercise and nutrition, I’ve come to realize something simple but powerful about habit formation: learning complex behaviors like “eating healthy” or “living a balanced life” is hard. Not because people aren’t trying, but because the concepts are abstract and nuanced.
Here’s a method I’ve leaned on, both personally and professionally, that helps make the abstract more actionable:
Track the objective → Navigate with trial and error → Reflect on the feelings → Replicate it → Let it become second nature.
This process is where the real value of setting physiological goals comes in. When you pursue an outcome that challenges your body, you’re also forced to navigate the systems that support it. You gain tools, not just results. And through the process, you develop an internal sense of how things feel, which eventually frees you from needing to track everything all the time.
A Personal Example: Walking More
Back in my early bodybuilding days, I averaged around 4,000–5,000 steps per day. But prep required more movement, so I had to get that number up to 8,000–10,000. In chasing that number, I learned a lot:
Walking to and from destinations helped.
I walked more when I had friends with me.
If I missed a day, my body naturally wanted to move more the next.
Eventually, these became personal truths, not because someone told me to walk more, but because I experienced what made it easier for me. When prep ended, I no longer needed 10,000 steps daily, but the habit remained, rooted in awareness and preference.
This is how subjective knowledge is built. And it often starts with something objective, countable, and visible. It’s no surprise, really. We’re trained from childhood to learn through numbers in school.
Why Objective Goals Still Matter
Let’s say two people aim to walk 10k steps daily. One finds joy in walking with friends. The other prefers solo walks with a great playlist. Telling both to “just walk with friends” wouldn’t work. But saying “let’s find a way to get those 10k steps” makes the goal neutral and adaptable. That’s the power of using objective metrics, they offer structure while allowing space for personal variation.
The brain is a target-oriented machine. Clear goals help you stay on track while you work through the inevitable challenges.
But here’s the caveat: metrics are tools, not destinations. And if you make them the point, you risk missing the bigger picture. Goals also must be realistic, or learning is not possible.
Don’t Let the Metric Become the Measure
This is the essence of Goodhart’s Law: “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure”.
Let’s say your goal is to bench press 225 lbs for a single rep. That goal might lead to good training decisions: programming, nutrition, recovery, and even finding a supportive training partner. But if you hyper-fixate on that single rep without reflecting on the process, you might ignore recovery, skip leg days, or push too hard. The result? Burnout, injury, or regression.
So, set the target, yes but check in on how the pursuit is shaping you. Be willing to evolve the goal or let it go when it no longer serves your growth.
The Role of Reflection and Coaching
The truth is this kind of reflection is hard to do alone. That’s why coaching can be such a valuable tool when your goals are ambitious. Coaches provide that third-party lens to help you assess whether your metrics are still helping or hindering your progress.
If you’re doing this solo, try journaling. Ask:
What’s working?
What’s feeling forced?
Is this system still helping me grow?
Because the goal isn’t to hit numbers forever, it’s to internalize the feeling of what works and carry it forward.
Bottom line: Use numbers as tools. Let the experience teach you what actually works for you. Don’t neglect the important of reflection. Learn the feeling, live the feeling, and eventually, you hopefully won’t need to track it you’ll just be it.
