My 7 DAYS Active: Denise Germano

At 7 DAYS Active, we believe an active life is about more than movement — it’s a mindset. Rooted in our core values of BODY, MIND, and SOUL, we’re launching “My 7 DAYS Active” — a new monthly series on our social platforms.

We invite our community to share how they stay active throughout the week — from workouts to moments of mindfulness. It’s all about living with intention, balance, and energy, every day.

What is your go-to workout/activity?

After leaving dance school in Italy and moving to Copenhagen, I discovered strength training but got properly into it when I moved to Paris. Today I’ve rethought how I train, and I focus on training like a dancer should for optimal performance and injury prevention, using the knowledge I gained as a coach and with the help of other professionals: ballet, dance, strength and boxing are my go to activities. I also do some Pilates, but I teach it more than I practise it. My own format, the Scultòrea class, is built from a dancer’s mind and body but open to everyone. It mixes strength training and calisthenics with Pilates. It's my way of training and teaching.

What does your active week look like?

My training has changed over the years. This year I’m focusing on what I love most, dancing and boxing. I do two days of full-body functional strength training and two days of dance, one ballet and one contemporary. I also box once or twice a week. Tuesday is ballet in the morning and boxing in the evening. Friday is strength again, with a boxing session that’s more about physical conditioning. One day is dedicated to flexibility or specific objectives I might have during a training cycle. At the weekend, if I’m not doing more flexibility work, I go for a walk or to the pool. Swimming is wonderful for lymphatic drainage, and I’m a water sign, so if I can’t be by the sea, I need to be in the water :)

How do you stay motivated to keep moving every day?

I don’t think of it as discipline. It’s the structure that holds the rest of my life together. My work covers events, fashion, art, production, PR, and coaching too, so I have a lot of meetings and no two days look alike. My training week is the one thing that stays steady. Teaching helps too: when you’re the one in front of the class, you show up no matter your mood. And dance always brings me back. Wanting to dance is never the hard part.

What role does being active play in your overall well-being?

It’s everything. Movement is where I think most clearly. The rigour of a ballet class or a round of boxing empties my head and gives me back the energy I need for the rest of my day. It’s also part of my work: Scultòrea sits where art, fashion and movement come together, so my body is my instrument as much as my starting point.

Do you prefer to work out alone or together with others—and why?

Both, for different reasons. I like strength sessions alone with my music, because I need to stay completely focused. Ballet, dance and boxing I love with others: a room full of people moving to the same music, or a good partner pushing you, gives you something you can’t create alone. Still, even then I always find myself in my own head. Teaching is another kind of togetherness. I get as much energy from my clients as I give them!

What is your favorite place to be active?

A studio, always, and especially a dance studio. A wooden floor, a barre, mirrors, good light. That’s home for me. And in summer, the south of Italy, with long walks and the sea.

How do you balance being active with rest and recovery during the week?

I alternate intensity rather than stopping completely. Strength, ballet and boxing are my hard days. Flexibility work, walking while listening to a podcast and swimming are my recovery activities.

I run my own business so I often work on the weekend, and training is what keeps me focused, even if it’s just a walk outside. That’s very important to me. A dancer’s training is about precision, not exhaustion, so when my body asks me to slow down, even though it is hard, I try to listen and practice what I preach :)