Sarah Jessica Parker is known for two things—playing Carrie Bradshaw on the hit HBO series Sex and The City and looking incredible at the young age of 59. Due to her tall, slim body and long legs, you would probably be surprised that she is, in fact, not tall, standing at 5’3”. Her appearance and height are just further testaments to her amazing body, and a lot of women are wondering what her workout plan is.
Fitness Principles Of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Workout Routine
As you can probably guess, Sara Jessica Parker does not follow a typical bodybuilding workout at the gym. Her goal is not to build massive muscle but rather to stay lean and healthy.
Even if you think you have nothing in common with Sarah Jessica Parker’s workout routine, there are quite a few important lessons everyone could benefit from. Here are the fitness principles that Sarah Jessica Parker uses to guide her workouts.
1. Daily Activity
Sarah Jessica Parker's approach to daily activity is refreshingly simple. She doesn't necessarily commit to a full workout every day, but she ensures to incorporate some form of movement into her routine, whether it's a leisurely walk around the city or a stroll through the park.
While simple, we at SET FOR SET think this is a crucial element of fitness that many people neglect. For one, staying active simply keeps you on track. Newton’s first law of motion says, "an object in motion stays in motion.” And while we know that’s totally misused since she definitely stops to go to sleep at night, the gist is 100% true.
Training daily helps build good habits that will carry you forever. If you’ve ever heard a lifelong fitness enthusiast talk about training, they’ll tell you that training is just a part of their life – they don’t think about if they want to train; they just do it.
2. Gets Her Steps In
One goal that ensures Sara Jessica Parker works out daily is she insists on hitting 10,000 steps a day.
While the 10,000 steps goal may seem anecdotal, it's a significant factor in successful weight loss. Our experience has shown that achieving this step count is a major determinant of weight loss success, providing a tangible goal for those on a fitness journey.
We often throw this number around indiscriminately, and the history behind it is pretty amusing. Even though its original inception was based on a marketing scheme, some research has been done on this topic in the last few years.
It works.
Researchers have found that persons engaged in at least 10,000 steps daily, with at least 3,500 done at moderate-vigorous activity in bouts of 10+ minutes, were significantly more successful in weight loss at the 6-month and 18-month mark.
While this may not be relevant to everyone, she has also mentioned in several interviews that her mansion has 3 to 4 flights of stairs. When her schedule is really busy, she walks some flights.
The main teaching point here is intent. Even if you don’t have a mansion to walk steps in, be sure to get your steps in. You could also invest in an affordable treadmill.
3. Uses A Variety Of Exercises And Activities
Sarah Jessica Parker's fitness routine is anything but monotonous. She takes advantage of the diverse range of exercises available in the fitness world, ensuring her workouts are always engaging and interesting.
Her list of training classes and activities include:
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Hip-Hop Dancing
- Weight Training
- Swimming
- Kayaking
- Barre (Physique 57)
She’s also a big fan of the Anna Kaiser Technique (AKT), a form of training that incorporates hip-hop, pilates, HIIT, yoga, and strength training into short sessions, usually around 30 minutes.
Sarah Jessica’s Parker Workout Routine
Now, let’s talk about her workout routine in terms of strength workouts in the gym.
The truth is Sarah Jessica Parker doesn’t seem to follow a strict workout routine in the gym. In fact, she has mentioned she’s not a huge fan of traditional workouts, even though she knows she should. She points to benefits such as bone mass as the reasons she needs strength training, which is true since load-bearing exercises increase bone strength.
We know that they are generally short when she does work out. It’s been said that Sarah Jessica Parker usually works out in the gym for no more than 20 minutes. Further, while her workouts aren’t necessarily structured, they seem to always include a few exercises such as:
- Squats
- Overhead Pressing
- Abs
Her strength training routine could look something like this:
Circuit x 4 rounds:
- Dumbbell Goblet Squats: 10 reps
- Dumbbell Overhead Press: 10 reps
- Leg Lifts: 20 reps
- Plank: 30-60 seconds
or, an even quicker workout combining movements...
Circuit x 3 rounds:
- Dumbbell Squat to Overhead Press: 20 reps
- Knee to Elbow Planks: 10 reps each side
Recap Of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Fitness Routine:
- Always get at least 10,000 steps a day
- Be intent on doing daily activity
- Yoga (ideally 3 times a week)
- Aim for 2 strength oriented weekly workouts
Sarah Jessica Parker’s Diet
Another major component of Sara Jessica Parker’s fitness regime is her diet. Even though she admits that she loves to eat, Sarah Jessica Parker does have a lot more structure in her diet.
If you look at her diet right off the bat, you will notice that it’s clean. It’s 100% clean, but it’s more than that—Sarah Jessica Parker follows something known as the Hamptons Diet.
The Hamptons Diet
The Hamptons Diet is a whole-food diet emphasizing healthy fats, quality protein, and low—to moderate-glycemic carbs.
Some of her favorite proteins include:
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Fish
- Beef
When it comes to fats, she concentrates on healthy fats, including:
- Avocado
- Nuts
- Olive Oil
- Fatty Fish
- Eggs (The whole thing!)
Concerning her carb intake, the Hampton’s Diet allows a moderate amount of carbs, about 60-70 grams a day. More importantly, the diet also explains where the carbs come from.
Further, these carbs come from low-glycemic foods such as;
- Leafy greens such as spinach and kale
- Berries such as blueberries and raspberries
- Whole grains such as quinoa and brown rice
Perhaps more important is what you shouldn’t eat. The Hampton Diet requires you to refrain from eating saturated fats (butter), added sugar, and processed foods—you know, junk. However, she does allow herself a bit of candy, so there’s a bit of flexibility.
The last component of the Hamptons Diet is that it emphasizes the consumption of multiple small meals throughout the day.
Out of all the diets out there, this actually sounds really good! We might even have to try it!
Final Verdict On Sarah Jessica Parker’s Workout Routine
We’re going to assume you didn’t search for Jessica Parker’s Workout Routine hoping to find a 6-day mass-builder workout for bodybuilders. Therefore, we don’t think we need to elaborate much on the fact that this isn’t going to be a good workout routine for anyone looking to put on size or massive amounts of strength.
But that doesn’t mean it’s not effective for some people.
The most valuable aspect of her workout routine is consistency. Think about it like this. Let’s say we design the most scientifically based training program for you with fully optimized variables; it can’t improve. However, when we give it to you, you hate it, and it doesn’t fit you, so you just stop following it. That “perfect” training plan is worthless.
Sarah Jessica Parker knows she needs to stay active, and so she uses a variety of methods to do that. Sure, we could critique her training volume and methods, but that’s not the point of her workouts. She’s almost 60, looks great, and maintains a very active lifestyle. That’s awesome and is the best you can hope for—an active lifestyle you enjoy.
We also really like her diet and overall outlook on food. While she doesn’t say it outright, she almost seems to follow an 80/20 principle with her diet. The 80/20 principle applies to nutrition and is a form of flexible dieting that says you should get 80% of your diet from whole foods, and then 20% can include processed foods.
Should You Use Sarah Jessica Parker’s Workout Routine?
Her workout routine is a bit different from others we have looked at, as it’s not meant to put on a ton of muscle mass or prepare you for athletic competition. In fact, it’s hard to even call it a “workout routine” as it’s more of “a way of life,” which is awesome and something we can promote.
So, if you want to build muscle, this isn’t for you. However, if you’re simply looking for a fitness regime to keep you healthy and in shape, learning from Sarah Jessica Parker could give you a great blueprint…find something you love and do it every day!
Related: Michelle Obama's New Workout Routine
Garett Reid
Author