GymHippie, Reading (2026)

19/10/2026

I turned 38 this year

Sod knows where the last two decades have gone 😆

I’ve noticed something changing in the way I think about health & fitness

When I was younger, I mainly wanted to look good

I’ll admit I’ve spent much of my life struggling with my self-image

My inner critic Alan always finds something wrong with my appearance 🙄

And apparently Alan’s latest obsession is getting older 😂

Brilliant

But the older I get, the more I realise that looking good is only a small part of what I want from my health & fitness

Don’t get me wrong, I still want to look good!

But these days I’m thinking further ahead

I’m noticing the same shift in lots of my clients

We’re less interested in building a summer body

We’re more interested in building our old man & old lady bodies 😂

I want to be able to…

💪 Stay strong, mobile and independent
👨‍👩‍👦 Keep up with my boys as they grow older
🥾 Go hiking and have adventures with friends and family
🎸 Get back on stage with my band one day
❤️ Feel confident, attractive and physically capable
🧠 Look after my mental health and wellbeing

And hopefully still be doing those things well into my 70s and 80s!

I don’t want to start saying NO to experiences because my body won’t let me

It’s not about chasing some imaginary perfect physique

It’s about building a body that allows me to enjoy life for as long as possible 💚

But strength training, cardiovascular fitness and sustainable habits give us a better chance of staying healthy, capable & independent

And you don’t need to live in the gym to benefit!

Small changes, repeated consistently, can make an enormous difference 🙌

Because ultimately, it’s not just about adding years to your life - it’s about adding LIFE to your years

And if I can keep the wrinkles at bay, even better 😂

📗 Want to start building a healthier future for yourself?

Check out my FREE eBook “Fat Loss That Lasts”

Link in bio 💚

12/10/2026

Do you want to lose weight - or lose fat?

Because they’re NOT the same thing, and the distinction matters

In my experience, when most people tell me they want to “lose weight”, what they usually mean is they want to reduce body fat

⚖️ WEIGHT LOSS simply means becoming lighter

But your bodyweight is made up of loads of different things

💪 Muscle
🧈 Fat
💧 Water
🦴 Bone
🫀 Organs
🍽️ Food in your digestive system

So when the scales change, they don’t actually tell you WHAT has changed

You could lose water and weigh less

You could lose fat while gaining muscle and weigh roughly the same

You could even gain muscle, weigh more, and look leaner

That’s why simply chasing a lower number on the scales doesn’t always make sense

You don’t just want to become lighter - you want to make sure you’re losing the right stuff

I.e. body fat and NOT muscle
 To this end…

💪 FAT LOSS is different

It’s more targeted

The aim is to reduce excess body fat while preserving - or even building - muscle

That’s called improving your body composition

The goal isn’t simply to weigh less

It’s to build a stronger, healthier body, feel better in your skin and make changes you can actually maintain 💚

And the fundamentals aren’t particularly sexy 😂

🍽️ A sensible calorie deficit
🏋️ Strength training
🥩 Adequate protein
😴 Sleep and recovery
🔁 Consistency over time

No magic diets

No shortcuts

Just the basics, built into your lifestyle long term 🙌

It’s a longer process - but if your goal is to build the best version of you, you almost certainly want fat loss…

Not just weight loss

📗 Want to understand fat loss without all the confusing nonsense?

I’ve put together a FREE eBook called Fat Loss That Lasts which breaks the fundamentals down in a simple, sustainable way

The link’s in my bio 💚

05/10/2026

Ah this one catches SO many people out!

When we talk about food, there are two things we need to think about

1️⃣ Quality
and
2️⃣ Quantity

They’re related

But they’re absolutely NOT the same thing 👇

Calorie QUANTITY = how many calories our food contains ⚖️

Calorie QUALITY = how nutritious those calories are 💚

High-quality foods - aka “healthy” foods - typically include things like

🍎 Fruit
🥕 Veggies
🥑 Healthy fats
🍗 Lean proteins
🌾 Whole grains

Lower-quality foods - aka less nutritious / heavily processed foods - typically include things like:

🍪 Baked goods
🍦 Ice cream
🍭 Sweets
🍫 Milk chocolate
🍔 Junk food

Now here’s where people get caught out 😬

Whilst high-quality foods ARE generally LOWER in calories - fruit, veggies etc

They aren’t always

Take an avocado 🥑
Healthy
Nutritious
Still pretty calorific

Equally

Whilst lower-quality foods ARE generally HIGHER in calories - baked foods, junk food etc

They aren’t always

Diet Coke says hello 🥤😂
Very low calorie
Not exactly a nutritional powerhouse

Don’t assume that healthy food is lower in calories - it isn’t always

Don’t assume that junk food is higher in calories - it isn’t always

-

You can eat 100% healthy food and still not lose weight if calories are too high

And you can lose weight while eating rubbish if calories are low enough - although, let’s be honest, you’ll likely feel like crap 😂

-

Anyway, the key point here is this 👇

If we want to lose weight, we need to care about the QUANTITY of calories we consume ⚖️

If we want to be healthy and feel good, we need to care about the QUALITY of calories we consume 💚

And if we want to lose weight AND be healthy, we need to care about both 🙌

Simples 🤓

-

If you want more help making fat loss feel simpler, my new FREE eBook Fat Loss That Lasts breaks down the fundamentals without the fads, extremes or all-or-nothing nonsense 📖

Link in bio 👆

27/09/2026

If you’ve ever thought…

“I’m training loads, why aren’t I losing weight?”
 “I’ve eaten badly, so I’ve ruined the week”

You’re VERY much not alone 😂💚

Here are 7 fat-loss mistakes I’d love you to stop making 👇

1️⃣ Treating training as the main fat-loss tool

Strength training is brilliant for muscle, shape, strength & confidence 💪

Not for burning fat

Fat loss requires a calorie deficit ⚖️

And for most people, nutrition is BY FAR the easiest way to achieve it

2️⃣ Trying to burn fat from one specific area

Sadly, we don’t choose where fat comes off 😭

500 crunches WON’T melt belly fat

But if you stay in a calorie deficit, build muscle where you want more shape & be patient

Eventually you’ll burn fat in the areas you want

3️⃣ Avoiding weights because you’re scared of getting bulky

Lifting is far more likely to help you feel stronger, firmer & more capable

Trust me, you won’t accidentally wake up looking like a bodybuilder 😂

4️⃣ Using a method you KNOW you can’t maintain

Crash diets & extreme restriction can create short-term progress

But if the method isn’t sustainable, why would the result be?

5️⃣ Calling foods “fattening”

Carbs aren’t fattening
 Chocolate isn’t fattening

Body fat increases when, over time, we consistently consume more calories than we burn

6️⃣ Chasing perfection instead of consistency

I’d rather you hit 60% forever than 100% for six weeks, then 0% for six weeks etc

Consistently “good enough” beats inconsistently perfect 🙌

7️⃣ Trying to out-exercise your nutrition

Sure, exercise burns calories - sometimes a lot

But trying to “out exercise” a high-calorie diet is piffle 😂

The real magic 👇

🥗 Mostly nutritious food 🍗 Enough protein 💪 Strength training 🚶 Plenty of movement 😴 Good sleep 🔥 Moderate calorie deficit 🔄 Repeat
 No forbidden foods
 No “fat-burning” workouts

Just a sensible process you can actually live with

THAT is sustainable fat loss 💚

-

If you know what to do but struggle to put it all together, I can help 🙌

FREE eBook: Fat Loss That Lasts 📖💚

Link in bio 👆

31/08/2026

Ten days in Ireland ❤️🇮🇪

Family, beaches, sea swims, long walks, runs, traditional music, Galway, the Aran Islands

Ice cream 🍦 Pizza 🍕 Guinness 🍺

And plenty of Irish hospitality where your glass is apparently NEVER allowed to become empty 🤣

I ate more than usual

Drank more than usual

Had less control over my food environment

Had ZERO interest in seeing the inside of a gym 😂

And definitely had a few…

“Sod it, I’m on holiday” moments 😆

I’ve come home roughly 2kg heavier

And do you know what I’m going to do about it?

Absolutely nothing 😂

Well… nothing dramatic

No slashing calories

No punishment cardio

No trying to undo ten days of indulgence in a week

Because THAT is how the all-or-nothing merry-go-round starts 🎠

Overindulge
⬇️
Feel guilty
⬇️
Go ridiculously strict
⬇️
Burn out
⬇️
Overeat again
⬇️
“Start properly Monday” 😵‍💫

Sound familiar? 😂

When the scales jump after a holiday, the brain immediately wants to FIX IT

But nothing needs fixing

I just need to return to the boring stuff that worked before 😂

So this week it’s back to…

🍽️ Planned meals
🥗 Nutritious, high-protein food
🏋️ x3 strength sessions
❤️ x3 20-min cardio sessions
🚶 10k steps
😴 Normal bedtime routine

That’s it

Within a week or two I’ll be back in balance

And crucially…

I can JUST KEEP GOING 🙌

Because if you want to sustain your progress, the method you use to achieve it MUST look remarkably similar to the method you use to maintain it

If your fat-loss plan requires avoiding holidays, restaurants, birthdays, family meals and anything remotely memory-making…

How sustainable is it really? 🤷‍♂️

Holidays are part of life

For many of us, they’re the payoff for working bloody hard the rest of the year 😂❤️

Learning to enjoy them without guilt and CALMLY return to your routine afterwards is a crucial part of the fat-loss toolkit

It’s not a failure of the plan

It IS the plan 💚

—

If you’re struggling to balance enjoying life with your health and fitness goals, I can help 🙌

My FREE eBook, Fat Loss That Lasts, is all about finding that balance 💚

Link in bio 👆📖

10/08/2026

This was pretty much rock bottom for me

It was 2020, towards the end of the first lockdown

I’d barely moved for months, partly because we were stuck at home, but also because I was recovering from a herniated disc 😖

My activity had fallen through the floor, but my calorie intake hadn’t

I knew I needed to eat less, but my body dysmorphia brain had other ideas 🧠😂

“Eat less = get skinny” 😱

So I carried on eating as before

And honestly, food had become a coping mechanism too

I was worried about GymHippie going under, supporting my family, unable to train and managing chronic pain

Eating felt like one of the few pleasures I had left 🍕😂

I quickly gained 30kg

But here’s the interesting bit 👇

Even though I REALLY didn’t like what I saw in this photo, I knew I’d be okay 💚

I remember thinking:

“This isn’t who I am”

Not from shame, but from knowing:

“This isn’t where my story ends”

I didn’t know HOW I’d turn things around

I just knew I would

Maybe you’ve caught yourself in a photo and thought “bloody hell, is that really me?” 😬

Maybe you’ve spent so long prioritising work, kids and everyone else that somewhere along the way…

you’ve drifted away from yourself

I’ve learned you don’t need to hate yourself to decide you want something different 💚

As my back improved, I took action

I hired a coach, invested in myself and put myself in the right room with the right people 🤝

Things changed slowly

Not through a heroic 30-day transformation or extreme diet

Through small actions repeated over time 🌱

I rebuilt my training, improved my nutrition, worked on my mindset and created better habits and routines

Most importantly, I became a better version of myself

New Luke knows things Old Luke didn’t 🤓

That’s what makes change sustainable

💚 Great things take time

💚 Small steps = giant gains

💚 Remember why you started

💚 Setbacks are opportunities to learn

💚 Working on yourself is a way of life

If you’re ready to move forwards but don’t know where to start, drop me a message 👋

P.S. My new FREE eBook Fat Loss That Lasts 📖 explores the mindset, habits and systems that make progress sustainable

Free download - link in bio 👆

03/08/2026

When was the last time you put your health at the bottom of the to-do list? 🤔

If you’re juggling a demanding job, family, deadlines and everyone else’s needs…

I get it 💚

You tell yourself…

“Once work calms down”

“Once this project finishes”

“Next month I’ll get back into the gym”

But somehow… that time never comes 😕

Weeks become months

Months become years

And before you know it, you’ve drifted away from the person you want to be

I’ve been there 🙋‍♂️

Before becoming a PT, I worked as a financial auditor

I know, crazy times 😂

Every week I was travelling to different clients

Early starts 🚗

Hours in traffic 🚦

Long days 😮‍💨

By the time I got home…

The gym felt impossible

Cooking felt impossible

So I started winging it

Service station food 🍔

Takeaways 🍕

No routine

No training

Very little energy

I remember looking around the office thinking…

“Is this what my future looks like?”

When I left, I realised I’d been chasing one form of success whilst neglecting another

Because what’s the point of building a great career…

If you don’t have the health or energy to enjoy the life it’s supposed to create? 💚

Ironically, looking after yourself often makes you better at your job too

⚡ More energy

🧠 Better focus

💪 Greater resilience

😊 More confidence

As the old saying goes…

“People spend their health to gain wealth… then spend their wealth trying to regain their health”

If this resonates…

You’re not alone 💚

Maybe work has become all-consuming

Maybe you’re constantly putting everyone else first

Maybe you’re simply exhausted

Whatever the reason…

You don’t need another short-term fix

You need a lifestyle that fits around your life 🌱

One you can still stick to when work gets busy

If you’re struggling to prioritise your health alongside your career, drop me a DM 💚

⸻

P.S. My free eBook Fat Loss That Lasts explores this idea in much more depth 📖

Inside, I share the mindset shifts and practical systems that have helped hundreds of busy people build healthier habits that actually last

Link in bio 👊

27/07/2026

One of my favourite quotes is:

“We don’t rise to the level of our intentions… we fall to the level of our systems”

I think it perfectly explains why so many people struggle with health & fitness 💚

Between 18 and 22, I toured the UK & Europe in a metal band

The biggest challenge wasn’t the late nights, the alcohol or the service station food…

It was the lack of routine 😅

Every day was different

Different town

Different venue

Different schedule

I had all the right intentions…

🥗 Eat well

💪 Train

😴 Get an early night

🍻 Drink less

🍟 Avoid McDonald’s

(I even bought a pair of dumbbells to keep in the van 😂 They spent more time rolling around taking people’s ankles out than they did being lifted)

But good intentions weren’t enough

My environment kept dictating my behaviour

Not because I was lazy

Not because I didn’t care

Because I had no systems to support the person I wanted to become

I see the same thing with clients all the time

Most people intend to eat better

Exercise more

Sleep more

Drink more water

Manage stress better

But when work gets busy…

The kids need you…

Or life throws you a curveball…

Those intentions disappear

If we’re serious about changing our behaviour, we need more than good intentions

We need systems

We need structure

We need a few non-negotiable habits that anchor our weeks

Because consistency isn’t something you find…

It’s something you design 🌱

For most people, the problem isn’t motivation

It isn’t knowledge

It’s trying to build a healthier life whilst winging it

And in my experience…

Intentions without systems are often just wishes 💚

P.S. If this resonated, my free eBook Fat Loss That Lasts explores this idea in much more depth 📖

Stop relying on motivation, build habits that fit around real life, and finally create results that actually last

Link in bio 👊💚

20/07/2026

One of my proudest moments as a coach happened this week

Not because Emma hit a personal best

Not because the scales had gone down

But because, for the first time…

She stayed in the game when life got messy 💚

Maybe you know this pattern…

Life gets busy

Motivation disappears

Nutrition slips

The gym becomes less frequent

Then comes that little voice…

“I’ve ruined it”

“I’ll start again Monday”

That’s exactly where Emma used to be

For two years we’ve worked on improving her relationship with food, fitness and herself

Then life threw everything at her and we had to take a coaching break:

Work stress

Family stress

Money worries

A failed house move

A broken-down car

She was even assaulted in the street

When I saw her again after a couple of months, I was preparing for the worst

Historically, this would’ve meant binge eating

Crash dieting

Feeling completely out of control

Instead…

She smiled 😊

She’d still been eating well

Not perfectly

But consistently

No bingeing

No “sod it”

She’d actually stayed in the game ❤️

That was the moment I knew she’d changed

Not because she’d become perfect

Because she’d become resilient

She’d gone from “all or NOTHING”

To “all or SOMETHING” 🌱

One bad meal no longer became a bad week

A setback no longer meant weeks of spiralling

This is why I care so much about mindset

Most people think they need a better meal plan

Or a tougher workout

In my experience…

What they really need is the ability to navigate real life without abandoning themselves

That’s the difference between losing weight…

And becoming the sort of person who can keep it off 💚

If this resonated, my free ebook Fat Loss That Lasts dives deeper into the psychology behind sustainable fat loss 📖

Inside, I share the mindset shifts that help you build a healthier relationship with food & fitness

Link in bio 👊

13/07/2026

I’m not proud of it

Especially considering I was one of his best men 😬

The day before the wedding, he challenged me about the shirt I was wearing

To him, it wasn’t the cowboy shirt he’d been asking us all to wear for months

To me, it was a shirt I knew would fit and wouldn’t trigger my body dysmorphia

I’ve got a long history of finding smart clothes incredibly difficult

Sometimes it’s stopped me going to events altogether

Other times I’ve turned up underdressed because it was simply the best I could manage

This time, I genuinely thought the shirt was close enough

Looking back, I completely understand why he was angry

But in a moment of madness…

I reacted

I said what I said

Adam was furious

And I regretted it immediately 😔

For years, I thought resilience meant never behaving emotionally

I don’t believe that anymore

Resilience isn’t about never getting triggered

It’s about knowing what to do when you are

Instead of becoming defensive, I apologised

Then I got curious

What had actually happened in my head?

Being challenged about clothes in front of other people had touched years of body dysmorphia, embarrassment and insecurity

I felt attacked

Humiliated

Ashamed

I’d put so much effort into trying to show up for him, only to feel like I’d failed

That wasn’t the reality

It was my reality

Once I understood that…

I could explain it to Adam

It wasn’t that I didn’t care about him or his wedding

It was years of hurt that had been accidentally poked

The conversation changed almost instantly ❤️

Not because either of us had “won”

But because we understood each other a little better

24 hours later we had one of the best days of our lives 🍻

It reminded me of one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned…

You can’t change a thought pattern you don’t understand

The better you become at recognising your emotional triggers…

The easier it becomes to respond instead of react

That’s true in relationships…

And in health & fitness too 💚

P.S. If this resonated, my free ebook Fat Loss That Lasts dives deeper into this 📖

Link in bio 👊💚

GymHippie

19/10/2026

12/10/2026

05/10/2026

27/09/2026

31/08/2026

10/08/2026

03/08/2026

27/07/2026

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