Blogilates is one of YouTube’s most popular pages and the Internet’s hottest websites. Cassey Ho, the brains and the muscle behind Blogilates, is a Pilates instructor who is probably one of the most bubbly, happy, and enthusiastic individuals out there.
In Cassey’s new book Cassey Ho’s Hot Body Year Round, her personality shines through. I finished it within a day. Cassey starts off with a detailed story of how she stumbled into the world of Pilates, the struggles she faced to become an instructor despite cultural differences, and the success of her POP Pilates system, where Pilates is seen more of a dance rather than a series of slow movements. Sounds exciting, right?
She wastes no time here. When she says “year round,” she really means “year round.” The book is divided into seasons. There are meal suggestions (surprisingly, some were vegan friendly and easy to make!). But, these suggestions are mostly focused on the season: what veggies are in season? What fruits? How can you make the best out of the budget you have. Oh, yes, the beauty of this book is also in that there are not expensive ingredients, which wowed me. I was in awe of Cassey’s ability to keep fitness focused more on the seasons. She does not advocate eating meat throughout the book, which is awesome, too.
The pictures in this book are so cool, too. I mean, it is visually appealing. There is cursive handwritten notes, bright pink pages, and different colors with every season.
I have to say that I was expecting this book to be unforgiving for newbies. But, it seems like Cassey has a grasp on the difficulty of working out and starting with physical activities. So her suggestions for newcomers are reasonable and not that intimidating. She comes up with a schedule and rest days for beginners and intermediates.
The exercises themselves are mostly doable. Some are more intimidating than others, but that is to be expected. You want to challenge yourself and your body over time (and it is year round, so there has to be progress).
Another aspect I loved about Cassey’s book was that she approached fitness as a fun thing, not as a goal setting process. I thought that was very encouraging.
I would definitely recommend this book. Pick it up. Check out Cassey’s work on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and on her website.
Feature image credit: Sam Livits