- sweatandsocialdist
Sweat with Sarah
In honor of my focus on gratitude, I decided to make the workout class that I teach "feel good" themed. This is obviously a pretty loose theme, but the general focus was on self-care. When I taught this workout in a class a few months ago, I had 15 people come to the class, which was my best turnout yet. And I'm glad this was the case because I had a sense that I wasn't the only person in the room who was lacking energy. The workout seemed to go over pretty well, so I figured I would share it here not only to keep for my own reference, but also in case anyone is interested in trying it out. So without further ado, here is your full-body, "feel good" workout:
Warm up (~4min./through the duration of 1 song) - Standing side stretch - Alternating hamstring curls - Mini squats with foot taps - Jog in place - Skater jumps - Cat cow stretch - Bird dog sequence - Downward dog w/ peddling of the feet Circuit 1 (x3) - Skater jumps - Burpees - Wide arm push ups - Plank dumbbell rows Circuit 2 (x3) - Jumping jacks - Wide stance squats - Single-leg dumbbell deadlift - Overheard dumbbell press Circuit 3 (x3) - Jump squats - Mountain climbers - Bicep curls - Overhead tricep dips Cardio Burst (x2) -High knees - Lateral burpees - Plank jacks - Forearm plank w/ hip dips Cool Down - Step touches (to bring heart rate down) - Standing side stretch - Standing calf/hamstring stretches - Runner's lunge - Pigeon pose - Child's pose **For the circuits, I had clients complete each exercise for about 45 sec. with about 10 sec. of rest before beginning the next round of work. I would recommend working with a lighter set of dumbbells given that the goal is to get a total body workout rather than just build strength, but feel free to use different weights for different exercises. As for the cool down, stretches should be held for a minimum of 10 sec. and should be completed on both sides. For my playlist, I chose songs that are upbeat, yet subtle. Some crowd favorites included "Africa" by TOTO, "Dance Monkey" by Tones and I, and "Happy" by Pharrell Williams. I was bias in choosing songs that make me feel good, but I've been finding that I can't really go wrong with pop/80s movie music. I also kept the volume at a medium level so that I could easily cue exercises without having to shout, further adding to the low-stress environment that I try to foster. In order to create the themed class, I spoke briefly about self-care (emphasizing how great it is that so many people decided to invest in their health today) at the beginning and the end of the workout. I have always liked when instructors ask students to compare how they felt before coming into class to how they feel after the fact because it is almost always at least a little better. That said, I've been incorporating similar strategies over the past few weeks as means of reiterating the benefits of taking some time out of the day to not only be active, but also give yourself a break from whatever stressors are currently imposing. One of the most rewarding parts of teaching is hearing from clients who felt some sort of positive impact from the class. I am aware that I may not get this feedback every week, but I will certainly cherish it when I do. Let me know what you think of this workout! I am new to teaching and 100% open to feedback :)
What I think I look like while teaching:
Versus my true thoughts:
