Features
CLUB SPOTLIGHT: Blogilates
By Sharon Liu and Jean Chen ’17
April 17, 2015
The Blogilates Club is a brand-new, hip, fun club that provides a great opportunity for all people to practice Pilates and sustain a healthy, fit lifestyle. The only requirements are determination, perseverance and a yoga mat. Our club works out alongside Cassey Ho, a certified fitness instructor, by projecting her YouTube fitness videos on a large screen.
Cassey Ho created the brand, Blogilates, to teach Pilates in a more upbeat style by using music to enhance the experience. These videos, which are free for all viewers, provide quick but effective workout routines, ranging from “Fat Destroyer,” “Extreme Abs” and “Feel Good Stretches” to “Abs on Fire!” In addition to weekly videos, she also creates monthly calendars to provide a workout schedule for both beginner and advanced viewers. By using YouTube as an international platform, Cassey is able to reach out to viewers of all ages, genders, and fitness levels. Cassey Ho’s Blogilates YouTube channel currently has over two million subscribers.
The co-founders, Jean Chen ’17 and Sharon Liu ’17, started exercising to these videos right after winter break. As students unaffiliated with any sports on campus, they found it difficult to maintain a challenging yet fun workout regimen, until they discovered Blogilates. Blogilates provided easy-to-understand Pilates videos that allowed people to strengthen and tone their bodies without any heavy equipment. In addition, they found that working out together was much more enjoyable than simply working out alone, so they decided to share the opportunity with others. With this realization and the support of Dave Thompson, Chen and Liu created Blogilates Club to provide a comfortable environment for students to stay active by practicing Pilates.
Pilates provides a great way to begin a new type of lifestyle, as it is a fantastic way to become more active and fit. Instead of intense workout reps targeting one particular area, Pilates focuses on using every muscle for full-body strengthening and stretching. The individual can go at his or her pace to reach his or her desired workout level, all the while developing self confidence and instilling body positivity. This is especially important for stressed college students who are in need of a fun outlet. Typically, people find that Pilates tightens and firms certain body areas, improves body posture and leaves people feeling relaxed and refreshed.
This sport is great for people of all fitness levels, as Pilates is able to work areas that are frequently neglected. In addition, Pilates is great for people of all genders; this is not just a “girls’ club.” Although the instructor is female, these moves are great for everyone. If you are still skeptical about Blogilates Club or even just the benefits of practicing Pilates, Chen and Liu would like to invite you to attend one of their sessions, which are every Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Multipurpose room. You are guaranteed to leave the gym proud and sweaty.