I’m a big fan of doing challenges. Sometimes I finish them, and sometimes I don’t. After a few weeks of intense workouts that included torturous exercises like plank jacks, up and down planks, burpees, and more plyometric things, I wanted to do a challenge that was fun and not too intense and which would still challenge me.
I was in desperate need of some fun, motivation and encouragement. And there is only one person I have found who can make any workout seem like a party, and that is Cassey Ho. If you don’t know who Cassey Ho is, she is an online Pilates instructor, YouTuber and blogger who has been helping people around the world get stronger cores for a very long time. You might know her YouTube channel or blog better as “Blogilates”.
What Was my 2-Week Blogilates Challenge?
Although you will find a lot of workout calendars and challenges on the Blogilates website, I decided to put together my own challenge using the workout videos that looked like the most fun. Some days I was doing Pilates exercises she named after Disney movies and working out like a princess and others I joined Cassey and did 100 reps of some of the hardest Pilates exercises I have ever done.
Why is Pilates Beneficial for the Body?
A strong core can help you in more ways than just being able to stay in plank position for over a minute. Having a strong core will help you with balance, improve your dance skills if you are a dancer, improve your stability and skills when doing sport, improve your posture…..
While doing ab exercises like sit-ups, weighted machine exercises and … will help you build a stronger core, you want to incorporate a variety of different core exercises to help you build the strongest core possible.
Pilates exercises help you strengthen your deeper core muscles. The workouts are also low impact, which is great for those who do not want to feel like they are dying during exercise and those who cannot do high impact exercises for medical reasons.
What Did I Think of the Blogilates Pilates Workouts?
The Blogilates workouts were incredibly fun. I love Cassey’s energy and spirit, and she really makes you feel like you are working out with your best friend. I work from home, and I don’t get to interact with many people during the day, but when I took breaks from work to do my Blogilates workouts, her presence, even online, while working out helped quite a lot.
Since working from home, guided workouts have helped break the silence in the house a bit.
I must mention that I did this challenge during the luteal phase of my menstrual cycle, which is the phase leading up to your period. During the luteal phase of my cycle, I am usually quite fatigued, especially in the last week. And let’s just say on some days I find myself to be quite moody. Ah the joys of PMS.
On days where I really didn’t feel like doing, well… anything, it was nice to be able to do anentire workout while lying on my back. I quickly learned which of her videos only included exercises where you had to lie on your back. I did not want to keep having to get up and go back down to the floor. The floor was my friend. I chose to stick to the floor.
Cassey’s energy and positivity also provided some needed light into my life on gloomy days. She brightened my mood quite a few times.
If you haven’t tried the Blogilates workouts yet, what are you waiting for? If you are new to exercise. Want to add Pilates to your routine to help you with your performance in the gym or in sport, feel lonely at home and feel like working out with a friend, or have PMS and you don’t want to work out, Cassey is your girl.
I did her workouts every day for the last two weeks and I feel so much better. My core is stronger, my mood is better, and I am ready for my next challenge. I will still incorporate her workouts into my routine, but perhaps not every day.
