Lauren Saint-Louis is an Exercise Physiologist and fitness and nutrition coach based in NYC. She specializes in behavior and lifestyle change and habit development and is passionate about helping clients overcome the “all-or-nothing mentality.” She founded LSL Fitness to help today’s high-performing professionals elevate the version of themselves that they bring to their careers and lives.
Lauren Saint-Louis, Fitness & Nutrition Coach, LSL Fitness
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
I’m Lauren Saint-Louis, Founder of LSL Fitness in NYC. I’m a fitness and nutrition coach who empowers today’s professionals to level up their lives through fitness. I work with executives, entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, etc. Basically, anyone who is a high performer or climbing in their career and needs to learn how to prioritize themselves and their wellness for the long term.
I’m originally from the Hudson Valley in upstate New York. My background was a competitive dancer for 22 years (ballet, modern, hip hop, etc), and thought I wanted to take that professionally. As a young adult, I developed a complicated relationship with food and body image and was injury-prone. I started getting into fitness as a means to become a stronger dancer, but it became much more than that. It totally changed my perspective on my body image once I realized how strong I was and healed my relationship with food once I was eating to build myself up versus trying to be smaller. That experience was the catalyst that pushed me to pursue fitness as my career and close my chapter as a dancer. I later went on to compete in the bodybuilding divisions of Figure and Wellness. I loved the feeling of “performing” and being on stage both as a dancer and bodybuilder. Similarly, I’ve always been passionate about how we can be more in tune with how our bodies operate and refine their performance.
I currently reside in NYC, where I have lived for the past 10 years. I am a huge explorer at heart, adore traveling and usually always have my next trip booked! With that comes a love for different cultural cuisines, specifically French food and drink. On the weekends, you can find me visiting my family upstate, dining out with friends, or recharging with my favorite shows at home.
What inspired you to create LSL Fitness and start your fitness business?
I have always been driven to have my own business and make as large of an impact as possible. When it comes to my inspiration, I reference my challenges with the “all or nothing mentality” as a dancer and competitor. Frustrated in not knowing how to find the sweet spot of sustainability while needing to perform at a high level. After restoring my relationship with food and fitness and leveling up my mindset, I wanted to channel that experience into a system that others could benefit from and find the freedom that I found.
I relate to my clients both from that experience and now, even more so, as a business owner myself. I wear so many more hats now than I did in the past and understand the grind they encounter trying to juggle it all while prioritizing themselves. Thankfully, my expertise makes maintaining my fitness level quite easy, but I also see the other side and how it can be difficult, especially when you don’t even know where to start or have accountability. I’ve always been very passionate about the concept of “leveling up” in life. I feel like my demographic has put in the work to do that professionally, yet needs the structure to bring themselves back to the forefront. It’s so rewarding to see them level up physically and mentally to match the persona they have built in their career and bring it all full circle.
Could you tell me more about the unique approach or philosophy behind LSL Fitness and how it differs from other fitness programs?
LSL Fitness is centered on the philosophy of “Balance in Motion” and helping its clients overcome the “all or nothing mentality” when it comes to building fitness into their demanding lives. This means education on the importance of small wins and adding in better behaviors instead of restricting or removing anything. Always doing something to move forward (motion) but understanding that it ebbs and flows (balance).
The training aspect of the experience is important for their physical results, but what makes LSL Fitness unique is the behavior change coaching that underlies the client’s process. We work a lot on mindset, softening the need for “perfection” especially for Type A individuals, and are creating a new lifestyle that is a tailored system for how they take care of themselves. A lot of high-performing individuals are overwhelmed and trying to be successful at it all… we optimize their habits and show them that it’s possible for fitness to fit into their life while simultaneously elevating it.
Nutritionally, they learn how to make high-level decisions in any environment and have meal plans that are realistic for a life of work, social and travel. Most importantly, they feel educated on how to always be moving forward in some way while still enjoying the finer things in life. Clients leave the LSL experience with renewed confidence in their ability to prioritize fitness for the long term and are bringing an elevated version of themselves to their lives and careers.
How do you ensure that your fitness programs cater to the diverse needs and goals of your clients?
From a training perspective, I’m well versed in a lot of different needs from injuries to IVF to lifestyle diseases and medications. So in that regard, I really tailor the client’s training program to meet them where they’re at and get them moving forward in a way that empowers them.
As far as helping them create long-lasting change, I do a deeper dive into their lifestyles, stressors, values and priorities. We develop habits and a routine that is intentional and well-paced so that they are actually ABLE to do it. My coaching style prioritizes slow and steady over quick results because so many of these individuals have had trouble sticking to anything in the past. Having a fast-paced life and career, means they need attainable actions that help them feel like they have MORE control over their lives. For example, some clients can cook, some order food for every meal and are always traveling. Some can work out 4x/week, some only 30 min at home 2x/week. It’s all about understanding their reality and creating a system to move forward instead of repeating the start-stop cycle and waiting for the “perfect time”.
What types of training methods or techniques do you specialize in, and how do they contribute to achieving optimal fitness results?
I specialize in functional movement, mobility, strength training and bodybuilding. The way I approach programming for clients is a blend of prioritizing better movement patterns and strengthening their bodies to be more resilient to life’s stressors. I really emphasize mastering the basics and getting each client to be able to perform a pushup, chin up (if applicable), and deadlift or squat their own body weight.
The main objective for each workout is could they (and would they) be able to do this without me? Meaning, I keep things simple and effective but teach them the intensity with which they should be pushing themselves. My dance and bodybuilding experience adds an aesthetic layer to how I train my clients. I see the body as a sculpture and also craft the workouts to shape and build the physique they want.
Additionally, I'm detailed about form, helping them understand how to move their bodies better and why. I prioritize education on some of the smaller details of working out and the pros/cons of certain machines or versions of exercises. Helping them learn HOW to translate that knowledge elsewhere when they’re on their own.
Can you share some success stories or testimonials from clients who have benefited from your programs?
Many clients have reduced their body fat percentage, built muscle, and achieved levels of strength they never thought they would be able to. Some have reduced or stopped using medication and improved their cholesterol or blood glucose levels. Even though all of that is very important, the most gratifying success stories come from their comments on how their quality of life has shifted.
Some examples are “I’m showing up more confidently at work and at my speaking engagements”, “I have a higher level of emotional/mental resilience to stress”, “I have more energy for life”, “I’m able to fit into my nicer clothing again and invest in my fashion in a totally new way” and “I’m no longer anxious or constantly thinking about food”.
In my exit interviews with clients who have graduated, they report feeling more capable and confident that fitness is now a part of their lives in a way they never thought was possible.
Most importantly to me, they feel like they have achieved a new state of balance and have the system to sustain it without me… which means I’ve done my job!
In what ways does LSL Fitness incorporate technology or online platforms to enhance the fitness experience for your clients?
LSL Fitness houses every client’s experience through its app. Their training program, nutrition protocols and progress data are available to them at all times with detailed records of ways in which they are succeeding.
Additionally, when it comes to building sustainable habits, its habit tracker shows their compliance score to show how consistent they’ve been over time. It’s especially helpful for my demographic because they travel so often for work (or pleasure) yet they have their plan and know exactly what to do even if I’m not with them.
Additionally, many of them are very metric and data-driven which helps them put their progress into perspective to see their wins or areas of improvement.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
I would want more people to realize that fitness isn’t just a sport or a sexy hobby, but it should be a way of life and a staple in how we take care of ourselves. We can take the overwhelm out of it, make it attractive and simple so that more people get out of this mindset that it's just something you’re “into for a phase”.
With that, can come more of an understanding that fitness is one of the greatest prevention techniques for lifestyle disease, illness and injury. As a society, we can prevent, reduce and in some cases overcome many of the medical issues we encounter if we just see this as a necessary vehicle for health and longevity.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
Over the past few years, I witnessed my dad’s up-and-down struggle with his own health. Due to pre-diabetes and other health complications, he recently was hospitalized for 5 months with an extensive recovery process. Thankfully, I had been coaching him prior to that, and had it not been for the strength that he had built, this experience could have ended very differently for him and us as a family. I’d also argue there could have been ways in which health care could’ve prevented him from getting there in the first place.
The reason this moment is so pivotal for me is because it drove me to pursue an avenue in which we can bridge the gap between medicine and fitness. Thus far, both worlds only collaborate in small ways but are not leveraging each other’s power to really help people prevent illness or heal in optimal ways.
I am now in collaboration with Dr. Sanjeet Baidwan M.D of I.M.Well Medical where we are launching our Total Transformation Program to do just that. Bridge the gap between medicine and fitness in a whole new way. I truly want to see these two worlds collide as much as possible to change the direction of health and self-care.
What does success look like for you?
Success for me is freedom. Freedom from risk of injury, illness, freedom to eat clean (or not) and not feel guilty about it. Freedom from the emotional response of what the scale says, financial freedom, freedom from anxiety (aka happiness and joy) etc. Once I mastered the discipline that creates those freedoms, it's now the compass I use for my life and how I will continue to be successful.
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