Tony Horton does POP Pilates! And a tribute to my dad :)

Hey guys!

We’re kicking off this week with a new series I’ve been working on called “LEGENDS of FITNESS” where I invite fitness celebs to take on and experience the wrath of POP Pilates! This week’s torture victim, ahem, I mean celebrity guest, is the one and only Tony Horton himself – creator of P90X!!!

Please do the above video with us for good laughs and total body toning. I took Tony through a series of my favorite moves and he held up pretty well. You should show this video to your boyfriends and husbands because:

1. They will feel more comfortable doing POP Pilates with a guy in the video. (Not just any guy either…it’s super human TONY HORTON!)

2. They will understand that what we do isn’t easy – this stuff attacks your muscles and it WORKS.

3. POP Pilates is for EVERYONE. Not just girls :)

Hopefully, they will choose to join you for your next Blogilates session with me. Or…will they be too afraid?

If you want to add a bonus video to your Monday workout list on the #reJUNEivate calendar, try this special collab I did on

We used a medicine ball for this quick and intense cardio routine. If you don’t have that, use a dumbbell, a bag of rice, a text book, or something you can grip onto making sure it won’t drop on you! Cuz…that would be the worst… Any weight between 4-10 lbs is recommended.

We’re also doing a giveaway on both the Blogilates Channel and the Tony Horton Fitness Channel – so be sure to check out the end of the video to see how to enter and win an autographed yoga mat by the both of us, or a P90x3 set also signed by us!

I had a great time filming with Tony at his gym. He’s such a funny guy – it’s no wonder he is such a superstar! I found out that he originally moved to LA to be an actor and then worked for a while as a stand-up comedian! I think it’s such a great talent to be able to make people laugh…ESPECIALLY when they are dying and are in so much pain from a workout! What relief!

Also, this past weekend was Father’s Day!!

Me and the fam went out to brunch and had Dim Sum on Sunday to celebrate my dad! He looooooves chinese food so this was a natural choice. We definitely WENT TO TOWN and ordered anything and everything we wanted to make sure his belly and soul were fulfilled! Can someone say #YOLOmeal!?

Before we ate, I initiated a special kind of cheers where each of us had to go around and say one positive word that described my dad. I think it was a very nice and slightly odd and unexpected thing to do, but I may continue this tradition moving forward when we celebrate another person! I suggest you try it too!

Just want to say thanks to my dad for always pushing me and my lil sister Jackelyn to be the best we could be. He taught us how to play tennis when we were wee babies and then we ended up being Varsity tennis team captains in high school. He taught us math, physics, and biology when we had questions. (Why do all dads seem to know this stuff!?) He even coached us in public speaking when I used to shake uncontrollably (yes like an earthquake) in front of my class. Ah, but you should also know that my dad is a hardcore Asian dad who wanted us to get the best grades, excel in sports, and get into the top colleges.

This last characteristic of his ignited our tough times, our disagreements, and our terrible yelling fests.

I remember when I couldn’t stop crying, when my heart felt like it was being ripped a part, and when he told me that I shouldn’t pursue fashion design because I wouldn’t make any money and how I should stop teaching Pilates because it wasted my time for studying. He told me this over and over and over again until I almost believed it. There was so much anger and negative feelings from both sides – my dad wanting me to follow a traditional medical career path - I on the other hand, wanting to follow my dreams of being creative.

This push and pull to satisfy both sides brought our father-daughter relationship to a dangerously sensitive, rocky, and horrible place where no one could say anything without offending the other. I did not want it to be this way. It was not a good place to be. But it stayed like that for a few years. I moved cross-country in hopes of leading a new life.

It wasn’t until Blogilates started to show signs of being something successful that my dad finally gave in and realized that I didn’t have to be a doctor to be secure. Then he started to lighten up and tried to figure out what was going on. He started watching my YouTube videos. He started to engage in social media. He even asked me to friend him on facebook…

He became more and more obsessed with Blogilates…and with you guys! It’s cute and weird all at the same time.

You can see him on the facebook wall sometimes answering your questions in his Confucius-like ways. (He really likes to philosophize. If you ever get in a conversation with him, good luck getting out! Haha. But he will engrain magnificent ideas in your head.)

Back when I was in college when this whole thing with my dad was happening, I honestly thought he was the most inconsiderate, negative, and close-minded person ever. Now looking back, I know that his intentions were good (he wanted me to be financially secure) but he just had the worst delivery techniques.

I know my dad is reading this and dad, I didn’t want to write this to make you look bad or feel bad in any way. In fact it is quite the opposite. I wanted to let everyone know how much you’ve changed. Yes you were stubborn but now you’re passionate. Yes you were demanding but you only want us to bring out the best in us. You’ve turned into a worldly, loving, and outstanding father who cares for me, my sister, and my mom dearly.

Our relationship has come full circle and now my dad actually helps out with Blogilates. Can you even believe it? Who would have thought that YouTube would bring us back together again!? Thank you internet gods! Thank you for healing our broken relationship. Thank you so much.

If any of you guys are dealing with something similar, here is my advice to you:

One thing I know to be true is to be honest with your heart. When I was so confused, terrified, and lost about what to do next, I listened to my deepest desires and just flowed where it felt good. I had no idea what was going to happen and what I was supposed to do! I just stopped doing things that made me unhappy and started taking risks to take me closer to what felt right. It wasn’t all fairytales. Oh no. It was a battle. An uphill battle with numerous unexpected challenges along the way. But what you’ve got to know is that YOU have the power to sculpt your own destiny. So BELIEVE IN YOURSELF even when no body else thinks you can.

In the end, your parents just want you to be safe and to be happy. Once they see that that’s happening, they’ll lay off your case ;)

So dad – even though we’ve had our rough years, I am thankful everyday for the chance to talk to you on the phone in agreement, in positivity, and not in anger. We’ve come a long way. I cherish this and hope we will continue to better understand one another and support each other’s dreams in the future.

Happy father’s day dad.

Much love from me and all POPsters!

<3 Cassey