Hey everyone!
Blogilates is a YouTube channel created by Cassey Ho, an "award-winning fitness instructor, entrepreneur and personality based in Los Angeles, CA" to quote her website blogilates.com/ She has her own brand of pilates - POP Pilates - and she is a very cheery, chatty person!
Here is her YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/blogilates...
Some of the workouts on it I feel a little dubious about, for example there is a 'Yoga for Splits' video which I wouldn't want anyone to get upset about (these types of moves really aren't for everyone!), and the usual claims about weight-loss and "sculpting" that make me mutter into my coffee. But she has some fun little innovative videos for working out indoors with no equipment - 'Toned Arms At Home' using two bottles of prosecco as weights, anyone? Actually I was disappointed to note that Cassey did not crack one of the bottles open at the end of the workout, but obviously this is an option...
Anyway, I'm not even reviewing THAT workout, I'm talking about the 'At Home Total Body Slimming Workout - Using Only a Couch!' video! This workout is about 12 minutes long only, and literally all you need is your sofa to do it! It is very well produced, filmed in a bright, sunny room with the usual plants and soft furnishings dotted about. A list of all the workouts displays on the screen during the introduction, with brief excerpts of Cassey showing the moves. There is a timer displayed in the top right hand corner of the video. There's low-volume but upbeat music that is used to pace the exercises, but it's easy enough to ignore it and go at your own pace if you want to. I found Cassey herself to be a lot of fun, if sometimes a little shrill ("Oh my goodNESS!!"). She talks constantly (which is very impressive during some of the exercises in particular), discussing the movements, what she's been watching on Netflix (Tiger King, but she's not going to spoil it for you), and the perils of owning a white sofa if you have dirty feet, amongst many other things.
The workout consists of ten exercises, each of 1 minute with 10 seconds rest in between. It's total body, and I was particularly feeling my arms and abs working hard - some of the moves made a minute feel like rather a lot longer!! Cassey does suggest a few modifications, but this workout is a bit more challenging than some of the others I have reviewed. However it's also another great apartment-friendly session with no jumping about involved.
I was running my 'Any Activity' app on my Garmin during the workout, and I note that my heart rate was pretty low during most of this low-impact workout. But there was one point, about 7 minutes in, where it suddenly increased quite a lot! This was the point where Cassey made me do the 'couch climbs' (in plank position, put one hand on sofa, then the other, then back down again, and repeat - ARGH!!) and my husband brought our cat Noodles into the room and plonked her next to me on the futon, before sitting himself down at his piano. I am not making this up! Noodles did stay on the bed for the rest of the workout though, which was very cute, and meanwhile in the video Cassey has been joined by two little dogs ("HI GEORGE!!!"), one of them dressed in a very peculiar outfit, who proceed to playfight on the sofa for the rest of the workout. At one point Cassey shrieks "I feel paws all over my feet right now!!".
Anyway. This is actually a pretty great workout, be prepared to work hard for a few minutes, and check it out!!!
Love, roseabi xxx
p.s. And have a look at our library of indoor workouts here: healthunlocked.com/strength...
