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Luke is a 29 year old, ex-mixed martial arts fighter and Fresno California native. A little over a year ago he suffered a debilitating knee injury that according to doctors would take him out of commission for up to two years. (The injury was a result of his two younger brothers and he getting into a fight. Go figure.) Two months ago he was 35 pounds overweight and decided his knee was in good enough condition to start getting back into shape. Here is a simple overview on how Luke lost twenty pounds, and continues to lose weight and gain muscle, over the last sixty days.

• Make Exercising a Habit

Remember, you’re not Rocky Balboa so start out slow and stay consistent! Try spending half an hour to an hour a day at least 4 or 5 days a week. Spend half your time doing cardio and half your time using weights to build up muscle tone and strength. (The more muscle your body has the more calories it needs and burns.) 4-5 sets of 15-20 reps is a good place to start. Higher reps will build strength and start increasing your muscle tone. Try your best to keep up this regiment for at least three weeks to get a good habit formed. “The first 3-4 weeks are going to be the hardest. Being injured I had a good excuse, or so I thought, to sit around and not exercise. Getting out of that mentality was the hardest part of getting back into shape and losing weight.”, Luke says.

• Make a 45m-1hr Long Audio Track to Listen To

For a lot of people, if not most people, music helps a workout in a lot of ways. By making exactly a one hour (for example) long playlist not only will the music most likely help motivate you, it’ll make sure your workout actually lasts an hour! After 20 minutes of consistent excerise your body starts to burn fat, but don’t over do it especially at the beginning! Lot’s of good reasons. Two being that first if you push yourself to hard and are to sore and tired to workout the next day, simply put, you won’t. And second, that studies show that after approxiametly 1.5 hours of consistantly working out you’re only damaging your body by continuing to push yourself. “Music will help fight boredom and depending on your music preferences, inspire you to push yourself harder. I listen to Rage Against the Machine, Korn, and Tool.”, Luke says.

• Pick a Good Workout Partner

You don’t necessarily NEED a workout partner but they really can help a lot! If you can find a partner, pick someone that will motivate and inspire you. If you can find someone that is already in shape and consistently working out it will only benefit you for obvious reasons.

• While “Forming Your Habit” of Working Out Stay Clear of the Scale.

During the first few weeks do NOT weigh yourself. It takes a while to notice a difference in the mirror AND on the scale and since you’re building muscle and losing fat you’re not going to notice much of a difference on the scale anyway! “Constantly checking your weight will only depress and leave you unmotivated, so steer clear!”, Luke advises.

• Don’t be Afraid to Ask People in the Gym for Advice.

If you see someone with a great body, male or female, in the gym don’t be afraid to ask them for advice. They’ve worked hard to get the body they have and will more than likely be happy to give you any advice they can. Plus you may just make a friend!

• Ways to Stay Motivated

First and foremost, according to Luke, is being able to fit into his “skinny clothes” again and being able to take his shirt off without worries. Not to mention the overall feeling of being healthy! You’ve probably got your own reasons for wanting to lose weight and get healthy so every time you feel discouraged try to focus on WHY you want to get back in shape to help keep motivated. Also, when tired or struggling to make it to the gym remember how good you ALWAYS feel afterwards. Exercising on a daily basis not only is good for your physical health but it can also help your mental health as well! “I always feel so much better physically, mentally and emotionally after a good workout. It just takes time to get there!”, Luke says.

As stated, Luke was 35 pounds overweight and after 60 days following the above schedule, in addition to the diet he’s on which you can read about in part two, Lose 20 lbs in 60 Days the Healthy Way! Part 2 - The Diet, has lost 20 pounds and continues to lose fat and gain muscle.

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