Happy Fourth of July!

Hey guys!

Happy Fourth of July (to my Americans)!! Let’s take a moment to appreciate the freedom and the opportunities that we have here in the US. Like even the fact that YouTube isn’t banned here!! If it was, where would we all be!?? So thank you US of A. I appreciate you :)

I hope you’re taking the day off to spend with your family, friends, and of course doing some sort of outdoor activity! If you’re headed to a good ole BBQ, don’t stress too crazy over the hotdogs, hamburgers, and baby back ribs. Have some and know that you’ll bounce back if you work out hard the next day! Or you could just eat the protein plus a side salad and you’re good. Keep hydrated though. TODAY IS HOT (at least in LA)!!!! If you are rockin’ a new bikini today with your new hard earned bod, hashtag #blogilates so I can see!

Also, since we’re talking Fourth of July, I wanted to extend a fun sale for you guys! FREE shipping on all orders in the US plus 25% off orders over $100 (for everybody) through Monday on shopblogilates.com.

This is THE time to take advantage of the equipment. Those babies are HEAVY and EXPENSIVE to ship. So get your hands on a new yoga mat, power ring…whatever you want! The POP Pilates Essentials Set is a great place to start.

Make sure to use code “BOOM” at checkout. I choose “BOOM” because that’s that’s the sound fireworks make when they explode. Oh dear. I have way too much fun coming up with coupon codes…haha.

Now…I wanted to share with you a fun photoshoot we did the other day! I’ve really been wanting to get a special new lens for a couple years now. I always see how amazing my fashion blogger friend’s photos look – golden, milky, crisp but bokeh – ugh so perfect! It makes me drool with desire!

So I finally sucked it up and saved up for the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 lens (for your photographers who are curious out there). Here’s what we came up with on our first test shoot!

This is my backyard. How can my backyard look so good!!? Shorts are from Evolvefitwear by Teeki.

Casual hair hold. Did we really take that!?

Sitting down like “heyyyy!”

We shot during Golden Hour which is basically the last hour before sun sets. Everything looks good during this time. It makes my skin look golden and angelic! (Nuts!) You should give it a shot. Notice how the background is super blurry. That’s because our F-stop on the lens is low…it’s 1.2. Now, I am TOTALLY super amateur at photo settings but so far this is working for us! I’ll share more details as we begin to learn how to use this baby! Also, the camera that I’ve been using for the past couple years is the Canon 60D.

Ooh! And if you’re trying to figure out what healthy treats to make today for your party, try these

Strawberry Protein Shortcakes that I made with Cambria from Breelovebeauty!

By the way, for those of you wondering what happened to

Cheap Clean Eats – don’t worry! It will be back soon. It’s just that I’ve been working really hard getting ready for the launch of BODYPOP Activewear that I haven’t had time to come up with new recipes. For now, you still get the Monday workouts on Blogilates and then

Cooking Clean with Quest recipes on Quest’s channel mid week!

Honestly though…I cannot WAIT for you to see and experience everything that is BODYPOP. We’ve truly delved into so many different aspects of entertainment for the launch. Music writing. Singing. Storyboards. Music video producing. Shooting on RED cams. Working with people and POPsters from all over the country. I spent most of my time behind the camera on this project! My only hope is that you will LOVE LOVE LOVE and enjoy the final thing. :D

Ok well have a beautiful holiday weekend! Train hard and make your dreams come true POPsters. Love you.

<3 Cassey