Instructor Spotlight: Sara Benson
Instructor Sara Benson leading a Pilates Mat Class
Could movement be the fountain of youth?
Our instructor Sara Benson thinks so!
“She grew up in a one stoplight town…,” or so the song goes. But for instructor Sara Benson, that was real life - growing up in a small town in upstate New York with her dad. She says she didn’t even have cable tv until she went away to attend college at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY. Sara wanted to study to become a chef but she always had a fascination with the way things worked, and her Dad recommended she take an engineering track instead of whipping up French recipes. Upon graduation, she took a job helping architects and mechanical engineers design HVAC systems. It’s no surprise Sara was drawn to movement; her fascination with systems, actions and reactions, coupled with the curiosity of a cook, were the perfect ingredients for starting a lifelong expedition into exploring the science and results that come from intelligent training of the body.
It was 2005 when Sara first began practicing Pilates. After attending classes religiously 3 times a week, she decided to complete a comprehensive Pilates training certification offered at her local studio. As Sara says, “I worked full time at a geeky job and taught Pilates part time on the side.” In 2013 a promotion took Sara, and her boyfriend Dan to Virginia Beach. Shortly thereafter Sara felt a burning passion start to develop in her for teaching and movement, and Dan - who was now her husband – shared that hunger.
Sara and her husband Dan doing what they love best, adventuring in the mountains!
Within the span of two years Dan & Sara got married, bought a beach house, and decided to open up a CrossFit Gym and Pilates studio. They were living their dream, or so they thought, until they started to feel an itch to travel. They noticed their adventures always took them to the mountains, for the hiking, biking, skiing, camping, and exploring in the outdoors. No longer satisfied with a four-hour plus drive just to go for a hike, they set their sights on Park City and came up with a 2-year plan to make their dream of living in the mountains, a reality. The mountains were calling…and they had to go. Sara and Dan listed their business for sale and with an eager buyer, and in 6 months, rather than 2 years, they were starting their new life in Park City.
Never underestimate the power of strength training!
We asked Sara about what first drew her to movement and how she found Good Movement Studio. Here’s what she had to say about that:
“What first drew me to movement was how my own injuries started to slowly go away and get better the more I moved; first through Pilates and then through intentional strength and conditioning work. Over the years my love and fascination with movement has grown and is always renewed with each amazing story I hear from our clients. I think I was really hooked when I started working with the over 50 population and I saw how the quality of people’s lives could be changed so drastically. We are talking about just making small consistent changes - say moving 2-3 times a week - and the next thing you know I am hearing stories from clients about how they are now able to get dressed without hurting themselves or how they no longer worry about falling over when standing up from a seated position. Every time I hear something like this, I know I am in the right place and doing the right thing… this is what I was born to do!”
Mountain Strong!
Sara recognizes that while many people work out to look a certain way, the reality is that all of us are aging, and no amount of working out can stop that inevitability. There’s a transitional point where the motivation to workout really comes from simply wanting to feel better and continue to move throughout our day without getting hurt. Movement not only has the power to heal but to continue to strengthen, lengthen and create more durable bodies that are still capable of playing in the mountains in our 60s, 70s, and beyond! As Sara says: “While it’s awesome to be able to do cool shit, we’re all aging. Movement can make that process slow down and be far less painful. While I want everyone, including myself, to be able to do epic stuff for a long time. I really want to help people know they don’t have to stop moving because they get hurt, they are sore, or are simply getting older.”
Sara has quite the arsenal of fitness certifications under her belt, including a Classical Pilates Certification through Power Pilates, CrossFit Level 2, CrossFit Weightlifting, Gymnastics, and Mobility, and is a certified Precision Nutrition coach. She is currently teaching Pilates and Strength & Condition classes at Good Movement Studio. Sara says her favorite part about teaching here is the people, the environment, and the other instructors. “I really love that I get to show up and do what I love.” She says that while owning her own fitness studio was an incredible adventure, most of her energy was spent on running the brick-and-mortar side of the business, not focusing on working with her clients, which is what she loves most.
Sara and her family
With over a decade studying and training others in movement, Sara has a lot of wisdom and experience to share. She says that when it comes to movement, our biggest hang up seems to be on focusing on being perfect, rather than acknowledging the progress that we are making. We asked Sara to share what she thinks is the most valuable advice when it comes to working out and moving our bodies. Here are her 3 top tips:
Move to feel better, not just look a certain way. Movement has the power to heal and moving everyday can quite literally change your life. She says she still needs to be reminded of this sometimes.
Say yes to strength training. “We should all be lifting weights. I’m stronger and healthier now at 44 than I was 10 or 20 years ago and it’s 100% due to lifting weights and practicing Pilates”, which she thinks when paired together equal the holy grail of wellness.
Don’t worry about being perfect just show up. Walking through the door can sometimes be the hardest part.
When you feel good on the inside, it radiates to the outside
When she’s not teaching or taking class Sara says her absolute favorite place is behind a boat waterskiing. While she and Dan don’t have a boat here in Utah yet, it is definitely on her wish list! “As a teenager I performed on a waterski show team. Between the team and my Dad’s tutelage I became a rather good boat driver”, she says. And not to worry, Sara says her inner geek is still alive and well and has allowed her to have a pretty thriving side business working on websites and as a small business consultant.
Sara ripping it up behind the boat, her favorite place to be when she’s not teaching.
Sara, thank you so much for giving us a little peek behind the curtain into your world and for inspiring us to keep moving… so we can keep moving, and not just surviving but thriving through all stages and ages of life! You truly bring so much value and wisdom to this place and GMS simply would not be what it is without you.