- Building muscle can help increase your longevity and fitness, says celebrity trainer Sebastian Lagrey.
- With celebrity clients such as Meghan Markle, he said low-impact strength training is “the future of fitness”.
- Habits like walking and eating the foods you love in moderation are also key to a long and healthy life.
If you want to live a long and healthy life, you need to start strength training, according to a celebrity trainer.
Resistance training, especially with low-impact exercises, is key to healthy aging, says Sebastien Lagree, the founder of Lagree Fitness, who has worked with A-listers like Meghan Markle, Sofia Vergara and Jennifer Aniston.
“Not enough people understand the benefits of resistance training. It’s not just about aesthetics,” he told Business Insider. “Now that I’m 50, I’ve started spending a lot more time on how to make these workouts the best for longevity. It’s not a consideration, it’s a necessity.”
But training is just the beginning. Lagree said his approach to clients, as well as his own personal routine, focuses on muscle strength, consistent habits and heart health, as well as simple nutritional tips to improve your long-term fitness, both in and out. outside the gym.
Focus on building muscle to keep your body and metabolism strong
Resistance training to build muscle and strength is a key part of adding healthy years to your life, Lagree said (and there’s plenty of research to back it up).
Lagree’s fitness classes use unique equipment that includes resistance springs instead of traditional weights, which he says can be easier on the joints than activities like HIIT. The workouts also focus on the “time under pressure” strategy to help build muscular endurance, core strength and balance, all of which can help you become more durable and resilient as you age.
“I’m preaching low-impact training as the future of fitness. With low impact comes longevity, you can’t expect to do high impact forever and expect it to be good for your joints,” he said.
Lagri said he himself likes to hit the gym for bodybuilding workouts, and the main benefit of building muscle is that it can increase the amount of calories you burn by helping you better use the food you eat for energy.
“When you build, the nutrients in your body become your body’s fuel source,” he said.
Regular strength training allows him to make the most of his sweet tooth by using all those carbs for better gains.
“It helps tremendously to put on some muscle,” he said.
Take daily walks to stay in shape without the gym
In addition to regular exercise, adding more movement to your day is a great way to improve your health and fitness, especially if you’re a beginner, Lagree said.
He loves outdoor activities like hiking, but even walking every day can help improve your heart health, which plays an important role in longevity.
A major bonus of walking is that you don’t need a gym membership or any equipment, so you’re more likely to actually do it, he added.
“If part of your fitness plan is to go to the gym 30 minutes away, that’s not a good plan because eventually that commute will get old,” Lagree said. “Motivation comes from doing, not just wanting.”
Find a workout buddy to keep you training
Lagree said inviting friends to exercise is part of his routine, whether he’s at his home gym or on the road.
“I very rarely train alone, even though I’ve been doing it for over 30 years,” he said.
Joining a supportive community is one of the best ways to stick to an exercise plan, according to a Harvard researcher.
Recent research on some of the world’s longest-living people, in areas known as blue zones, also found community and social exercise to be crucial. A group of friends can make the gym feel like a fun social activity instead of a chore, prevents truancy, and provides support and accountability in keeping with your workouts.
Enjoy in moderation
But exercise is only one part of the longevity equation, and research shows how your diet can help extend your life.
Lagree said that as a foodie, his approach has always been to focus on portion sizes rather than cutting out foods entirely.
“I’m always travelling, there are always huge hotel buffets and I love to eat,” he said. “I’m French, I love sweets, so wherever I go I have to try a chocolate croissant because it might be the best. I just eat less.”
Lagree said it’s also important to be realistic about your goals and expectations and plan ahead to avoid failure later.
“People think, ‘Whatever I gain, I’ll lose by working out twice as much.’ I do the same thing!” he said. “It’s the same mistake we make on the weekends. We have this way of convincing ourselves to eat more, thinking we’re going to burn it tomorrow, we never will.”
Instead, focus on being consistent over time—building healthy habits may take a few weeks at first, Lagree said, but over time, they add up to help you stay strong and healthy in the long run.
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