In this week’s celebrity trainer secrets column, best friend actresses Michelle Williams and Busy Philipps get into shape with Lauren Kleban’s dance cardio. We got the celebrity trainer’s best health tips, which, by the way, include eating sweets
Hollywood’s cutest BFFs Michelle Williams and Busy Philipps do everything together from getting glam on the red carpet to sweating it out at a dance cardio class in LA. The pair have been besties since starring in Dawson’s Creek together in the early 2000s, and their affection for each other is often displayed as they go around arm-in-arm at award shows.
After 15 years of friendship, there are plenty of cringe-worthy, but adorable photos they like to share with friends. Busy, who is about to star in a Tina Fey comedy pilot show, shared an epic #TBT post on her Instagram in December, showing how far her and the Manchester by the Sea actress Michelle have come since 2001. ‘2001/2016 I love that we almost always stand on the same side of each other. Also, can I just say – we aren’t at a costume party in 2001. That’s legit how we were dressed for a regular night out,’ she captioned. ‘I guess I really was my character from Cougartown? And thank God my eyebrows grew back.’
The actresses’ trainer, Lauren Kleban, tells Healthista dance inspired interval training is the best way to work out, especially if you need a fun way of exercising to keep you engaged. The LEKfit method classes uses mini trampolines for low impact, ballet and yoga-inspired moves for sculpting, and high intensity cardio for fat burn, all whilst motivating music blares.
Jumping upon the LEKfit mantra is what got Busy into her best shape yet, saying she has changed her lifestyle for the better, rather than using crash diets for movie roles. ‘I still SoulCycle and occasionally use a trainer, but for me there’s something really fun and special about jumping and dancing around for an hour with a bunch of women’, Busy told Pret-a-reporter. ‘We’ve all gotten to know each other and it really feels like a little tribe of dancing ladies who are there to support and have fun and get healthy together.’
Other fans include America Ferrera, not so ‘Ugly Betty’ as her most famous role characterised her. Her natural beauty and curves shone through from her younger acting years, but she noticeably lost around 30 lbs in the past couple of years. She has been documenting her Triathlon training on Instagram, alongside posts about women and human rights. Her woman power is radiating!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRMxuW-Dq1e/?taken-by=americaferrera
Lauren Kleban’s dance-inspired workouts, LEKfit, have recently launched as a subscription service, and her approach to healthy living makes it sound far from a boring controlled regime. Lauren drives her clients away from extremes in dieting and working out, and believes in leaving room for rest days, eating candy and dancing. We love her already. We spoke to the incredibly youthful looking mother of two about how she trains A-listers in the most intimate of studios in LA.
Training celebrities
Almost all of my celebrity clients schedule a workout with their girlfriends
‘I am currently training Busy Philipps, Michelle WIlliams when she is in LA, Kim Raver (Grey’s Anatomy), Judy Greer (Jurassic Park) and others. In the past I have trained Robin Tunney (The Mentalist), America Ferrara (Ugly Betty star), Sara Foster (90210) and her sister Erin Foster and many more!
I am currently training Busy Philipps, Michelle WIlliams when she is in LA, Kim Raver (Grey’s Anatomy), Judy Greer (Jurassic Park) and others
‘Almost all of my celebrity clients join my open classes or schedule a workout with their girlfriends. My workouts typically last about 50 minutes. Some of my celebrity clients see me almost daily and others will stream my LEKfit workouts when they are away on set. I am a big believer in listening to your body so some days we go super hard and other days we are more gentle.
MORE: Celebrity trainer secrets: we trained with Thandie Newton’s PT – see what happened
https://www.instagram.com/p/BR3ZqvegU2E/?taken-by=lekfit
Lauren shares snippets of almost all her classes
Q. Is a celebrity body achievable and if so, how?
‘Of course it is! Celebrities are just normal people. They might feel the need to improve their body for a role or event but honestly, the celebrities I train are working out because they know it makes them feel healthy and strong and that’s all it should be about.
‘Busy works out with me almost daily, and she has seen her body lean out and tone up since going full out with me. She is stronger, has more energy and she literally glows.
the celebrities I train are working out because they know it makes them feel healthy and strong and that’s all it should be about.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRB3OPoA1Sk/?taken-by=lekfit
Q. What is your most reliable go-to type of exercise for all round fitness?
‘Dance inspired interval training. It creates a much more effective workout. As a dancer, my cardio is certainly dance inspired, but it is not to be confused with choreographed dancing. Clients are not forced to remember sequences but rather move their bodies in a correct way that feels good and gets their heart rate up.
‘People are finally beginning to understand that you don’t need to do 60 minutes of straight cardio to achieve your healthiest self. Our bodies need a shorter amounts of intense cardio combined with strength training.
People are finally beginning to understand that you don’t need to do 60 minutes of straight cardio
‘I don’t think the body needs more than 30 minutes of cardio in a single workout. For me, the perfect balance is getting the heart rate up with 25 minutes of short bursts of intense cardio bursts and bringing it back down with 25 minutes of strength training – all in a 50 minute workout. I like to mix up the sequences from week to week or even daily so your body never has a chance to get bored. I recommend 4-5 times a week of my CARDIO + SCULPT classes with 1 day of just SCULPT and a day of complete rest or active rest (walking, restorative yoga).
Q. What would be the one tip you use to keep clients, or yourself, motivated to continue a workout?
‘Find a workout you can enjoy and commit to it. Working out shouldn’t be a punishment for your body, it should be both fun and effective. Why waste your time dreading a workout when there is something out there for everyone to enjoy? You are much more likely to stick to a workout if you like what a you are doing and the people you are doing it with.
A trainer’s diet
‘I am typically a pescatarian but if I am craving meat, I will have some ground turkey or lamb. Just as with exercise, when it comes to food, I listen to my body. ‘ I try to limit my dairy and gluten and I make sure I am getting enough protein, but I don’t ever deprive myself of something I want. I don’t believe in cheat meals. I LOVE goat’s cheese and will never give it up.
If I am having a craving it usually means I am deficient in something.
Q. What is the best diet tip you can give people?
‘There are no quick fixes, no shortcuts and cleanses or juice fasts are a waste of time and often do more harm than good. Eating healthy needs to be something you can do while still enjoying your life. Anything is fine in moderation.
Q. What do most of us get wrong when we aren’t seeing results?
‘I think we fail to see that a healthy body is obtained by healthy living. It’s important to know that working out, eating healthy, getting sleep, drinking water, managing stress and enjoying life are ALL key factors in achieving your healthiest self.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRbcWN_gTh6/?taken-by=lekfit
Follow Lauren Kleban on Instagram (@LEKfit) or find her website here.
Is there a celebrity you would love to know how they work out? Let us know by tweeting us at @HealthistaTV!
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