Bill + Birthday

Bill + Birthday

Hey guys!

I just got back from Palm Springs and the whole Clinton Health Matters Initiative event! I’m super tired but very very honored to have been a part of it all alongside President Clinton, his daughter Chelsea Clinton, Kobe Bryant, Billy Blanks, and Denise Austin just to name a few…

billy cassey clinton denise

#ISTHISREALIFE

Umm. Not gonna contain my excitement. Can’t even believe this pic happened!!! I’ll try to get a clearer photo to share with you guys next time. Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

You can watch my stretch sesh and my talk about why YouTube can help the young people of our generation get more physically fit below. Most of the panelists were talking about how we need to decrease screen time in order to get kids moving, but as most of you know and practice…screen time for us means WORKOUT TIME!

 

I was supposed to have more time to talk but since the conference was running over time, they cut me short and I barely had time to say what I really wanted to say about you guys and how much you’re the best and brightest example of our world’s future. The presenters at the conference said that for the first time, our generation (USA) is going to be the first generation to die younger than our parents’ generation…by 5 years. Considering that 1/3 of Americans are obese…this is not surprising. It is just so sad. The good thing is…we can still prevent that from happening.

The athletes invited to talk kept saying we need to get our kids competing in more team sports to get healthier. But you know what I think? Not everyone likes that. In fact…as much of an exercise freak as I am…I didn’t like PE. I always feared things like being picked last for a team or the horror of mile days. The competitive nature of PE just didn’t work for me.

What works for me…is FUN.

I think if we implement Group Exercise classes in schools, we can help kids find the joy in working out. And once a kid finds out how happy and energized working out makes him or her feel, they’re bound to come back for more. At a young age, kids don’t think about how much they weigh or how they look, they just want to play, be with their friends, and have fun. So whether it’s a group dance class, pilates, or yoga…I really think we need to provide our youth with a variety of ways to get moving. I found Pilates on my own when I was 16 and fell in love ever since. It became my lifestyle and now…my whole living!

However, it seems to be ridiculously hard to do something so simple. I spoke with the owners of 24 Hr Fitness and they said that they’ve tried to talk to schools about implementing Group Exercise and nothing can get passed in the public system because it is so bureaucratic. Ugh. The thing I hate about big big corporations or government is that at every level…everyone wants to have a say or an opinion because they want to feel like they have power…and then nothing can actually happen. If only we’d all look at the greater goal and do what we can to support it. And that is to inspire our kids to be healthier, fitter, and smarter. Selfishness does not work. EVER!

Anyway, I want you guys to know that you are all leaders of our generation. You won’t die 5 years early…in fact you’ll probably add 10+ years to your life from all of the happiness you get out of doing Blogilates together. Even better, you will inspire those around you to do the same. I think it is so wonderful that you’ve decided to take your life into your own hands and decide your future. It takes guts and major self belief. I commend you for wanting to make that change for yourself. As our community continues to grow, I hope we are able to motivate more and more people who can’t find a healthy outlet in their school or their home to find support through us POPsters. Each and every one of you are incredible. And you are a leader. A game changer. Thank you for being a part of this with me 🙂

I’d love for you to go comment on my speech video HERE so the Clinton Foundation can have me back next year to talk more about what us young people can do to help healthify our generation! I feel so amped up from this conference knowing that this “change” that everyone’s looking for is actually within US. Like literally our community. I don’t know if they know that yet. But let’s make it known.

Hmm!

Didn’t expect that to go for so long! Anyway. It’s officially my bday! Woohoo! And here I am blogging at 12:36am because I am super super cool 🙂

So I guess I’ll tell you some things I wanna achieve this year.

1. I wanna finish a Draw My Life video for you guys!

2. I wanna launch the ever-awaited Blogilates Community.

3. I wanna make my activewear line come to life…my sketches and designs are now undergoing the sample making process and it has taken forever!! But just last week we perfected the super stretch fabric that doesn’t show your thong when you squat! It’s so perfect!! And was worth the wait 🙂 More to come.

4. I wanna get more creative with how we can make fitness and healthy eating shockingly entertaining and fun.

When I make goals, I make them happen. So I can assure you that 1-3 will manifest this year but #4 will have to go through a series of evolutions. It’s going to be a fun journey and I thank you so much for being a part of it.

Honestly guys…Blogilates is what it is because of you. We’re a driving force…an international phenomenon…a lovable group of friends…because of your passion and enthusiasm for fitness and for one another. Let’s keep doing magical things. I want you by my side in 2014.

Alrighty well…have a splendid day! I may go get a massage because my muscles have been asking for it for over 4 weeks now! I keep cracking my back and I feel achy everywhere. I’m flying out to Park City for the Sundance Film Festival at the end of the week and will be teaching a class every morning Saturday to Tuesday from 7am to 8am at YouTube on Main Street. Are there any Utah POPsters out there? If so, state your existence!!! I’d love to see you 🙂

<3 Cassey

PS – Use #blogilatesbday on twitter…let’s play a game and see if we can get it trending!

99 thoughts on “Bill + Birthday”

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  1. Emma says:

    I totally agree with you, Cassey, about having Group Excercise classes for P.E.! I am in high school and I am a 3-sport athlete so I play 3 team sports competitively, but a lot of the time pressure to win and be good stresses me out a lot and makes me not want to play at all. Doing blogilates videos are so great for me because there is Zero pressure and stress involved, it is all just having fun and challenging yourself to be better. Blogilates is an alternative way to get fit then playing team sports, it might even be healthier emotionally. Right now P. E. is centered around the team sports aspect of fitness when maybe it should be more centered around pilates and yoga, and competing with yourself and not other people.

  2. Candice says:

    Happy (belated) Birthday Cassey!!!!! Looks like you had an awesome birthday cuz you met Bill….one of my dreams. TOT haha
    I hope you achieve everything and more this year! And everyone else, too!

  3. Rie says:

    I hate gym class. I dread those three forty five minutes all week long… Because of p.e. I used to think that I hated exercising, and it wasn’t until I started blogilates that I realized how much I love being in shape and pushing my body to its max. Thank you so much Cassey!

  4. Katherine says:

    OMG STRETCHY FABRIC THAT DOESN’T SHOW YOUR UNDERWEAR LINE???? THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Also I can’t wait to see your draw my life video! And I never liked the competitive nature of P.E. It makes many people shy away from fitness because those who aren’t as fit or have problems are mocked, picked on, etc.

  5. KIm says:

    Happy Birthday Cassie! Nice job on your speech! Thanks for all you do. At 44 I am an older POPster but I am enjoying your videos and recipes nonetheless. I just found you at the beginning of the year but you and your energy and enthusiasm has helped me stay on track with my fitness goal for 2014. You are truly inspirational and are changing the world for the better, one POPster at a time! Keep up the good work!

  6. holly says:

    Throughout elementary and middle school, they made pe class so competitive with all the team sports. I felt like I was always getting blamed for not hitting the ball or not running fast enough. We had fitness testing and they even weighed you! I remember when I was in 3rd grade, I got a letter home to my parents saying that my bmi was in the overweight range. Keep in mind that I was NINE YEARS OLD! I’m currently
    A freshman and can still remember ththe embarressment of not being at the same fitness level and everyone else. Sports are just not my thing. On the other hand, I LOVE personal fitness and group exercise
    wHere im able to focus on my own ability. I completely understand where you’re coming from and also hope that changes are made to gym classes. I wrote a letter to my old middle school telling about my negative experience with gym class growing up and offered suggestions for different fitness options. I really hope this changes because i think it’s so sad that kids are growing up learning that sports are the only form of fitness.

  7. Carly says:

    My sophomore year of high school my school allowed us to choose what PE class we wanted to be in. We could chose from things like lifetime sports (golf, tennis, etc.) , walking, a more traditional PE class (I can’t remember the name) , and the one I chose Women’s Lifetime Fitness. I was overweight growing up and I hated PE because there was no way I could keep up with the athletes in my gym class and I felt discouraged and embarrassed. This class was totally different though! Yea we were required to do the mile and other fitness tests twice during the semester but with a small class of about 15 girls our teacher was able to focus on our wants and needs from a PE class. She brought us into the weight room at our school and taught us how to use the machines, taught us free weight exercises and even did yoga and meditation with us every Friday! It was a much more comfortable enviornment than a regular PE class and by learning the basics of an exercise program motivated me to take charge of my body and work towards a healthier lifestyle. That year I lost about 30 pounds and went from a size 12 to a size 6/8 and although my body has fluctuated since I can now say almost 7 years later I have maintained a healthy body and I give a lot of credit to my gym teacher for helping me jumpstart my healthy lifestyle! Change can happen we just need people like you and the rest of the POPster community to help fuel it 🙂

  8. Natalia says:

    I’m so jealous that you got to pose with Bill! How fun is that?

    I have to thank you so much for providing your fitness videos. I certainly take them for granted, but they’re the one thing I’ve stuck to, besides walking and sprinting which doesn’t require as much direction and motivation.
    I hated PE too, and even waited until my senior year in high school to take a PE class because I dreaded it so much. It’s so incredibly embarrassing for some people to participate in team sports, especially people who don’t come from sports-oriented families. I was definitely one of those kids, and I avoided fitness until college. Your videos have given enough instruction for me to be able to take charge of my fitness ON MY OWN, without anyone to compare myself to, which is exactly what you were aiming for. Thank you so much.

    Another thing I love about your videos is that you cater to introverts and extraverts. I recently read a book about introversion, called Quiet, and I found out that while the best way to encourage extraverts is often to challenge them with “you’re not working hard enough, come on!”, the best way to motivate introverts is to tell them “you can do it”. And I find both of those approaches in your videos–I’m sure that’s part of why so many people are still motivated by you.

  9. Anne says:

    Really Cassey! I have been dying to meet you or do one of your classes but the one time your were coming to my home town I had just moved half way across the world!!! Now you’re finally coming to Utah but two hours away and an admission fee too! I guess your videos are as close as I’m gonna get to you.

  10. Anna Banan says:

    Happy birthday! 🙂 I love your blog. Your blog and http://idasfitness.se is my 2 favorite blogs in the whole world!!! 🙂 Lots of love / Anna

  11. Kat* says:

    FINALLY got a chance to watch you at the Conference – Cassey, I LOVE YOU!!!! Haha I love that you are so energetic, passionate and excited about everything you do, it spills over so clearly and excites everyone around you too. You are such a “shining light” to all of us through your own example, I know for myself you and Blogilates have completely changed my fitness, my body, my mindset and my priorities in life and I can’t thank you enough for your never-ending dedication to making us a healthier, fitter generation. I’m so glad this was recognized and I hope you are asked to do this and many more conferences, talks and presentations in future – YOU ARE AMAZING! (P.S. I hope you did get your birthday massage in the end!) <3<3<3

  12. Stacy says:

    Hi Cassey-First and foremost, Happy Birthday. Congratulations on all of your success, I think you are amazing and you are a role model for me. I am a health and physical education teacher, personal trainer, and group fitness instructor. I feel like a lot of my views are very on point with yours. I have to comment though on your statements about including group fitness classes in schools. As a Physical Education Teacher, I currently do that. I teach my kids dance, yoga, pilates, kickbox, step aerobics, and boot camp. I recently wrote a grant for 35 spin bikes, which I unfortunately did not receive. I teach in a lower-socioeconomic district. We don’t have extra funds to do this stuff. I do it on my own and apply for grants in order to pay for it. At the same time, there is a curriculum that I have to follow to allow kids play, learn sports, and participate in games. 3 years ago, the PA government cut over half of the funds and money they provide to schools…the lower the economic status of the district, the more money they cut. Our district went from including health and physical education in EVERY students’ schedule, every day in every grade…to now my students (in grades 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8) have PE 6 weeks out of the year. That’s it. Schools are starting to have to completely CUT physical education jobs and programs due to lack of funding because of the focus on Math and Reading and state standardized tests. Some high schools now only offer physical education as an elective. Our government and politics are taking steps in the exact wrong direction of what we need to do in regards to this lack of movement among Americans and obesity epidemic. It truly is the job of the physical education teacher to introduce movement and exercise to students. However, those teachers have time limitations. Especially, since most kids don’t go home and play anymore…they go home and sleep, play video games, watch reality TV, or fool around on the computer. Your ideas are great, group fitness in schools is an awesome idea…but please remember that a lot of teachers already incorporate that. So please, don’t discount that some of us already do this with our students. Please don’t generalize that NO STUDENT is exposed to these things…because my students are…and I am POSITIVE that there are other educators out there doing it as well. However, a lot of us are very limited due to politicians that have connections with other people that aren’t interested in keeping the youth active. Thanks for listening. I hope I am not rambling, but I am just concerned about what your initiative is trying to do. If schools can’t afford physical education teachers, and there is someone else willing to come in and teach group fitness classes, where does that leave my profession? I have also written grants to change the school lunch programs. I received one which brought in exotic fruits and vegetables (for my students) for them to try and we incorporated them into the menu once a week. Students got to order asparagus, beets, kiwi, edamame, hummus, sweet potatoes and other healthy options that they are not exposed to at home. But this again, has to be paid for by a grant, because the government does not fund this type of food. So, there are attempts being made to improve the health and nutrition of young students. And the people that are attempting to make those changes are just as frustrated as you are. I would love to help you try to make changes in schools and I would love to see healthy changes in schools…Thanks for your motivation, thank you for being a positive role model for girls across the board.

  13. s6milerun says:

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASSEY!

  14. Louise says:

    To Dear, Beautiful Cassey,
    Happy Birthday! You do so much for all of us in the community and we love you for it. My life is so changed and it is completely thanks to you. You are a wonderful person and I hope your birthday has been completely wonderful.
    Lots of love, Louise

  15. Ceci says:

    Happy Birthday! I’m a little late, but I hope your day was absolutely flawless. I’m a Utah popster, so I’m thinking I’ll be able to head up to PC on either Saturday or Sunday! I’m excited!!

  16. Grace says:

    Thank you so much for being you, Cassey! Your positive attitude towards health and fitness is incredibly inspiring. Though I’m only a recent convert to the Blogilates craze, I can already feel the change happening in my body and lifestyle. As a girl who was also never very good at sports but loves to work out, I can really relate to your ideas about fitness. Your videos are the perfect thing to get me started every day!

    I celebrated your birthday this morning by blasting out the workouts on today’s calendar using my new hot-pink Blogilates mat (so cute!), eating a clean breakfast, and turning some Stanford tees into racerback tanks using your DIY blog post. They’re adorable – again, thank you so much for sharing your personality with all of us, and I hope your birthday was fantastic! If you ever have another Bay Area meetup, I’ll do my very best to be there. 🙂

  17. Layla says:

    Happy birthday! In addition, congratulations on 1 million subscribers! 2014 is YOUR year too! 😀
    <3

  18. Rachel says:

    Happy Birthday 🙂 You truly deserve a great day, you work hard to make everyone else’s life better so hopefully you had time to take a moment and enjoy your day!
    Commenting on your speech, I love the message you give to everyone. But I would also like to point out, screen time can be bad 😛 Video froze so didn’t watch the entire thing, but screen time on your butt is bad, screen time for blogilates or other workouts is what we should be aiming for. Also school sports teams should be encouraged everywhere, but you are right in encouraging alternatives. Some people don’t have the coordination to run and dribble a ball at the same time, so even though they want to get fit, they won’t enjoy it. I’m so glad you are reaching out to other personalities, and not just going with the flow of what everyone else does. I’m in school for Kinesiology, and one of my classes this semester is Health Counselling and Behavioural Change, and the way you want to get people to exercise and stick with it is to find something that suits their personality. You have done a fantabulous job of doing that. You deserve multiple awards in my opinion, I’m so glad you are recognized for what you do!

  19. leila says:

    words cannot describe how thankful i am for you! i could not have asked for a better role model <333 you really have not only changed my body but my whole outlook on life. you deserve the best birthday ever! now go eat the most amazing yolo meal of your life because you've definitely earned it lol. I LOVE YOU CASSEY <33333

  20. Sydnie says:

    Happy birthday Cassey! You’re such an inspiration to me and others, I’m so glad I found your videos! Have a wonderful day xx

  21. fusiongrl1115 says:

    Happy Birthday! do you think you could come to Chicago sometime for a meet and greet/ workout thing? I would really love to go to it but all the ones you do are too far away!!

  22. Christina says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey! You mentioned President Clinton, you mean former President Clinton. Glad you had a great time.

  23. Michelle says:

    Happy birthday, hope you have a fab-tastic day! I’m new to your work outs, thanks to my sister, and LOVE them. I’m getting married this year and just know I’m going to feel amazing come the big day 🙂 keep inspiring! Xx

  24. Kiara says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey! Thank you for what you do for us, we appreciate all the work you do and how dedicated you are! You looked really pretty at the Clinton event too!

  25. willa says:

    (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧ Happy Birthday Cassey! (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧ Thank you so much for starting Blogilates. Even though I “see” you through a screen, I feel that you genuinely care about your viewers. Thank you for including that exercise is not only about aesthetics but also being healthy and gaining confidence. I wish the very best to you in the future!

  26. A says:

    Happy Birthday ^ ^.
    Guess what Cassey, I did a beep test today (running), and I got the highest level in my class! Whenever I got tired, all I was thinking was, ” I’m going to make Cassey proud.”

  27. Louise says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey!! 😀 Hope you have a wonderful birthday!
    Also, I just want to thank you so much for everything you do for us. Thank you for doing amazing workouts. You’re such an inspiration. <3

  28. Stephani says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey! I hope you had a great day! Wishing you the best in the years to come! <3333

  29. Ana says:

    Happy Birthday to us both. It’s so nice to show that I share a birthday with someone as inspiring as you. I hope you have a blast. I plan to.

  30. Becky says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey! Thank you so much for everything you do and have a great day.
    As a birthday present for you, I’m going to kill it on my workouts today!

  31. Tricia says:

    Happy birthday Cassey! You have changed the lives of so many people for the better. You’re an inspiration and a role model for me and I’m just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. You deserve the best B-day ever. Go have fun!

  32. katerina says:

    Happy birthday Cassey from Greece!!!

  33. Laura says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey!! I want to thank you so much for all you do and how much you inspire me to achieve my goals everyday. Hope your birthday is awesome!!

  34. Kelsey says:

    Happy birthday! Also, I wanted to let you know that I discovered your blog when I got a new teaching job and was informed that I’d be teaching a yoga/Pilates class. I have 3 classes of about 40 high school students. I really like it because it draws a different type of student compared to recreational sports, or body building. So be encouraged, the norm is slowly starting to change. By the way, I use all of your printables in my classes – thank you for them!!

  35. Cat Musgrove says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey!!

    Great talk! I think it’s a good point that a lot of kids just don’t really like team sports. I wasn’t into fitness AT ALL until after I graduated from high school and discovered things like group classes and running (I mean, obviously there’s running in high school… but so competitive!) (Now I’m so into it I made a game about it!! (although I haven’t ever run a marathon!) http://www.troubleimpact.com/games/2013/2/25/amelia-vs-the-marathon.html)

    Anyway, I just wanted to say a quick thank you for all that you’ve done. I love your videos. I had done a number of your videos in that past, but now that the 12 week new body makeover has started, I’ve been doing following your calendar every day and I love it. Someday I hope to be able to get all the way through one of your workouts without taking a break!! ;D

  36. marthe says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey !! And thank you so so much for what you’re doing for us !
    I’m just at the begining of a new fitness journey but I feel that, thanks to you and you’re ever so positive attitude, this time will be the good one !

  37. Charlotte says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey! I wish you all the happiness in the world!
    You have no idea how much you’ve done to improve my self-esteem and for that I want to thank you. You’re truly an inspiration! I loved your speech, and I agree with you about screen time. Most of my friends go to the gym but for some reason it intimidates me and I’m so so so happy I found another way to do some exercises every day – in my own time and on my own. Even though I’ve always been in pretty good shape, I wasn’t very happy with myself and Blogilates has totally changed the way I feel about myself! I’m so much more comfortable in my own skin which is such a great feeling. Not to mention you actually make exercising so much fun! Lots of love from Europe! x

  38. Ilse says:

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASSEY!!! Lots of love, Ilse.

  39. Amy says:

    When I was in middle school, I had options to choose from. I could play sports or do aerobics in the gym. I choose aerobics because I am awful at sports. Middle school made me hate running because we ran the mile once a year. We never trained for it. It was embarrassing because I was nearly last each time.

    I absolutely hated gym in high school. I had to sports for gym. It was awful. I barely did any exercise there. I stood around in softball, either waiting to catch a ball or to swing (and miss) the bat. I only had to take gym for two 9 weeks in high school. I was not active at all in high school.

    Students would enjoy PE more if there were choices. Not everyone likes sports. I cannot catch a ball to save my life. I am now at a point where I enjoy working out because I found a workout plan that I enjoy. And I actually enjoy running now.

  40. Marsha says:

    Cassey, I just wanted to say that I agree with you 100% about what you said about PE class not working. I totally hated PE also for the reasons you cited above (team sports, mile runs, etc.). Speaking of group exercise, I remember when I was in 4th grade, when it was too cold to go outside, my PE teacher would put on a Richard Simmons record (OK , I know I’m dating myself here!). Anyway, I totally loved it. As corny as Richard Simmons is, he was way more fun to work out to than playing some stupid game of dodge ball. Stay classy, Cassey!

  41. Crystal says:

    Happy Birthday and thank you for being such an inspiration and motivator to not just me, but so many others. You are changing lives and I know that you have only just begun to change things up, which means it’s only up from here!

  42. Carrie says:

    ALSO I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU MET BILL CLINTON! <3 (ps. WAS HILLARY THERE?!)

  43. Carrie says:

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASSEY! I remember finding your videos and blog about 3 years ago. For some reason, my mindset was not in it so I didn’t continue. I have revisited your site for the new year and, along with outside research on nutrition, I feel I have all the tools necessary to finally lose weight and get into the best shape of my life. Thank you for all that you do, and for the wonderful Blogilates community that you created and that you are continually the inspiration of.

  44. Missy says:

    Happy Happy Birthday, Cassey! I love your program and how it has kept me coming back for more and more! At 43, you challenge and inspire me to be the best I can be! I used to think I had to be perfect with my workouts and that simy hasn’t happened with you as my instructor or trainer! I am so grateful that I found you on Pinterest 1 and 1/2 years ago! You are human and real just like me and that what’s keeps me coming back day in and day out! You have been a true blessing in my life! Thank you and enjoy your day because you deserve it!

  45. Tishana says:

    Happy happy birthday!!! Hope its the greatest birthday ever!

  46. Minda says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey!!!! You are so amazing and I enjoy “seeing” you everyday. I wish you a wonderful birthday! But I want you to have an amazing day every other day too. Keep inspiring others the way that you inspire me.. Love you too!!! XOXO Minda

  47. sarah says:

    But Cassey, one of the main problems of school is how the PE subject is organised.
    You can like doing sport, but never get to play sports in PE. In my case we have to do burpees, tight rope and many moves/testings like that one, we have to do more than (number) of burpees in a limited time, and if you have trouble doing them, you just hate the whole subject, and it creates a bad feeling in yourself, like hating the whole day just because you have PE.
    I think the teacher has to encourage their pupils to overcome their fears of ”I can’t do this” because if all the children believed they can do something, then they would love PE, in some way.
    We have to tell children working out is not going to make you skinny, it wasn’t designed for that, it was designed to work your ass off in something that isn’t in a book,it’s about health, working out is in our minds, it’s the difference between a YES or a NO. And teachers have a lot of work to do here.
    If we don’t tell our children life’s not all about learning things by heart on books, we won’t grow the person and the power that is in their inside.

    Let’s make generations wiser and more human than the last ones 🙂
    Thank u xo

  48. Madi says:

    Happy Bithday Cassey! You’re such an inspiring person, I was smiling through the whole video!

  49. Eva says:

    Happy Birthday! My was on Sunday:)
    Dear Cassey thank you for create this community I am proud to be a part of it!

  50. Krista says:

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASSEY!

    I found blogilates a few months ago and it has definitely made changes in my life. I do my best to keep up with it, some days I just don’t have time unfortunately, but it has made such an impact on me.

    Not only is it helping me get healthier a little at a time, I’m learning so many new things on how to eat healthy and live healthy….but it has also brought my sister and my brother in law closer. She lives in AK, I live in OK so it is hard to keep in touch and have something in common. Recently I introduced my sister and my brother in law to blogilates. It wasn’t really his thing, but my sister loves it. She has a lot of health problems and is limited with her body, but this has given her something new that she can actually do regularly without issue.

    An extra bonus to introducing them to blogilates is that we do it together. My sister and I make it a challenge and we create our own dietbets or we set goals for one another. It gives us something new to bond over despite the physical distance between us. It’s super exciting to have this for us and I can’t thank you enough, Cassey (oddly enough, my sister’s name is Kassi, hah!)

    Again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY and THANK YOU for sharing Blogilates with us and being so supportive and positive and giving the community the tools to succeed with our fitness journey….it means so much to me and so many others.

    1. Krista says:

      Correction, my sister, my brother in law and I closer. Oops!

  51. Bri says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey! I can’t even begin to explain how much of an inspiration you are to me! I started working out regularly last June, and even then it wasn’t all that regular. I’m getting better though, and (finally!) I’m making the switch to clean eating! It’ll take some time, but I’ve set myself goals and I want to make them happen. Anyways… I was never a very active kid, but doing workouts with you are just so fun! and even when they aren’t, I still feel so good when they’re done that I keep going, every day. And a recent plus: I just learned that when I take bouts of 20 minute studying followed by one of your videos, I do better on tests! My semester grade in math is an A and I thank you!
    Sorry this is so long, but have a happy birthday! xoxoxo

  52. Marthe says:

    Happy birthday!! I really love all the work you do to help us get fit and lean :). Although I must say I really miss cheap clean eats.. I know you said it takes incredibly long to film and edit one episode, but maybe one a month is doable O:-)?

  53. Demi says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey! You are an inspiration to all of us! 🙂

  54. Teffy says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey!
    That is incredible, congratulations! Such an amazing pic, one to show the whole neighborhood (and world wide web!

    {Teffy’s Perks} X

  55. Emily says:

    First of all happy birthday Cassey!!

    Second I have to say since you talked about PE in schools that one of the most frustrating things for me while I was studying to be a teacher was that if the kids didn’t score high enough on their standardized testing they didn’t get PE or art or music. It really makes me angry. My 5th grade kiddos that NEEDED to let off steam in a healthy way weren’t allowed to go to PE. Studies have shown that PE and music and art all help kid reading and math abilities but instead of going to their extra curricular class, my 5th graders had to sit in the classroom and read kindergarten books. But they wouldn’t really read them because they were so depressed and fristratrated that they didn’t get to go so mostly they just caused problems for the teacher so the 25 mins all the other kids got to go to PE was mostly just a disapline session. Yes only 25 minutes for PE! Ahhhrgg! It’s not right I tell you. And the buracracy to change anything is horrific. The teachers are treated like crap and the students are treated like criminals. Anywho, maybe we can all help to influence change.

    Cassey you are awesome. Have a truly wonderful day!!

    <3

  56. B says:

    Happy Birthday! Nothing but the best for you on your special day!
    Thank you for giving me the drive and tools for getting myself in shape.
    Have a wonderful celebration!

  57. Yasmine says:

    Happy Birthday!!! <3

    I really wanna thank you Cassey just for being the great & lovely person you are! And don't forget to take time for yourself & a good rest once in a while…you definitly derseve it! Take good care about yourself, so we all can enjoy much more time with your bright smile in our lifes!

  58. Ana says:

    Happy birthday Cassey!! My birthday was on Janurary 11, so we are blessed to were born in this month!!! hahaha. But, seriously, congratulations!! You deserve all the success!

  59. Clara says:

    Happy Bday Cassey! It’s just so great the number of lifes you are changening… I’m so proud of be part of this community, I can’t imagine myself with any of this now you are an important part of my life! Keep inspiring! I love you!!

  60. Bernice says:

    Happyyyy birthdayyyyy!!!!! Keep doing what you do! I am so happy I have joined the POPsters!!!! 🙂 and look forward to seeing positive change for our youth! Enjoy your massage, you deserve it!!!

  61. Heidi says:

    Happy birthday, Cassey, hope you have wonderfully amazing day today (and of course the rest of the year, too)!

    You’re so right about PE and how competitiveness is not the answer. I’m also one of those people who just plain dislike competing because for me, it just sucks all the fun out of everything. Also, I wish everyone would have a PE teacher who encourages them to move no matter the sport – when I was 13, my PE teacher didn’t think dancing was a ‘real’ sport. And I’ve always been interested in dancing the most, so yeah, I just learned to keep my mouth shut about my dancing-related hobbies. Seriously, that kind of attitude from someone whose job it is to encourage young people to work out… Which is why I love what you’re doing, Cassey. You’re encouraging us to be the best version of ourselves, and that’s such a refreshing attitude to encounter.

  62. Ana says:

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! My Birthday was yesterday (15) how cool is that!! Love you, your awesome and thanks for getting me on my way to getting fit!!

  63. Carolin says:

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASSEY!!!! You’re a great person and I just want to say thank you for everything you did for all of us!
    Have a great birthday!
    love you :-* (greetings from Germany)

  64. Sabrina says:

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASSEY!!! Thank you so much for being the eve amazing and enlightening inspiration that you are 🙂 I hope you achieve everything you want this year, it’s truly deserved since you help all of us come closer to achieving our goals every year with your motivation! You are truly and incredible person 🙂 may the universe bless you and your dreams!!!

    Love you!

    Sabrina xox

  65. SOO KIM says:

    OMG, the first pic is awesome!!! unbelievable! haha
    Just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY Cassey!!!!
    And I also thank you for making blogilates and so many healthy changes happen.
    If it wasn’t for you, I would still be feeling so miserable all day :'(
    So thank you, you are my hero. Happy birthday again, hope you have a fabulous day!!

    xoxo
    Soo

  66. Lynn says:

    Happy birthday Cassey!!!!

  67. Morgan says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey!! Treat yourself to something special today.

  68. Carina Cristina says:

    Happy birthday, Cassey!

    You look amazing in that video – you totally make me smile 🙂
    Hope you have a wonderful day. You deserve nothing but happiness.

    Love C

    PS. OMG you met Kobe Bryant??! KIKDSFHSKDJLDFHJGSSFASFAGA!!

  69. eri says:

    Happy birthday Cassey !!! Truly hope you’ll have an amazing day !! I want you to know that i love you and that you have completely changed my life like no one ever before !! you are a total inspiration and you deserve the BEST !! Keep doing what you do !! <33

  70. Marta says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey!
    I want to thank you for your hard work and dedication for us! I discovered your channel 1.5 years ago.
    Since then, I am happier, healthier, have more energy and I try to share that energy with my family, my friends, with my fiance. I would like to POP Pilates has become a big part of my life! Thank You so so much! Kisses and greetings from Poland! :*
    And greeting for all PoPsters all over the world! ^^

  71. Mirela says:

    Happy birthday Cassey!I wish you all the best!

  72. congrats on your awesomeness and happy birthday! billy blanks and denise austin!!! that’s so cool, i pretty much grew up doing their videos….. oh and i guess the former president of the united states is pretty cool too 😉

  73. Alice A says:

    I LOVE group fitness classes, they’re my favourite thing to do at the gym! I love your workout videos as well, you’re so fun and bubbly and it’s great motivation for me. You totally inspire me and I’ve yet to find better workouts than yours. 🙂

    Happy birthday, Cassey! I hope you have a good one!!

  74. dawn says:

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASSEY!!!!!
    THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOU DO . I LOVE YOU!
    SO GLAD I FOUND YOU 3 MONTHS AGO!!!.
    YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION TO ALL !!:)
    THANK YOU FOR TEACHING ME CLEAN EATING AND PUTTING FUN IN MY LIFE THROUGH CRAZY WORKOUTS AND FEELING GREAT ABOUT MYSELF!!:)

  75. Laurel says:

    Hope you have a great birthday Cassey… Please tell me that you’re having a YOLO meal today to celebrate your birthday!? Let us know what you have.

    Anyway, I loved your speech. Well done and Thank you for making exercise so fun for me too. I have been doing your workout calendars since September and I am doing the New Body Makeover which is making me feel so good about my health and body.

    Cheers,
    L x

  76. teilzeitDAU says:

    not sure how things work in the US but over here i think one reason why group exercise hasn’t (yet) made it into our PE curricula is the fact that PE teachers (or ppl who are responsible for the curricula) don’t want PE to be seen as a subject where kids “just” move. They want to educate their students about the concepts of and the theory behind different sports or training in general (e.g. the concept of supercompensation or the techniques of how to do high jump, etc.). They say that PE isn’t “just” about moving, just like, for example, English isn’t just about talking but also about grammar, literature, etc.

    this was by no means meant as criticism, but rather as an explanation 🙂 hope that didn’t come out wrong…

    btw: I hated the competitive nature of PE too, omg, mile days!!! the worst!!

  77. Kerstin says:

    Happy birthday to you Cassey, and many happy returns! I hope you have a wonderful day! I am so glad I found your videos. You ‘re so motivating and inspiring. Cannot wait for the community. XO

    (P.S: You’re so right about PE. It nearly put me off working out for good. Luckily I found swimming, hiking and blogilates :-))

  78. Kristina says:

    Happy birthday Cassey 😉 have an awesome one you deserve it lots of love Kristina 🙂 from Australia love ya 😉 xx

  79. Kristina says:

    Happy birthday Cassey have a an awesome birthday you deserve it lots of love 😉 From Kristina Australia 😉

  80. Emma says:

    Thank you Cassey for all of your hard work and I hope you’ll get a wonderful birthday!

  81. wayu says:

    Now I don’t use twitter that much (if ever), but I’d still like to wish you happy bday! 😀

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASSEY!

    Thx for always being there when I need a workout. In fact I’m getting a bit hooked and have managed to workout with your schedule every day so far! Now this is a record! Haven’t done that since I was small and played a lot of sports 🙂

    HAVE A WONDERFUL BDAY and hope you eat some delicious yolo meal today 😀

  82. Clem says:

    I usually never comment, but for once I want to say how amazing it is to see you getting people moving at he Health Matters event and talking about our generation’s health. Keep it up 🙂
    And I wish you a very happy birthday !

  83. Liz S. says:

    Wishing you a VERY happy birthday, Cassey! Celebrate big.

  84. Katja says:

    HaPPy BiRtHdAy, CaSSeY!!! May all your dreams come true =) Your enthusiasm and dedication are so inspiring…Thank you for all that you do with us and for us! xoxo

  85. Anja says:

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! 🙂

  86. Tine says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey!!
    You are so right about school gym. Growing up in Belgium, all I got was soccer, running, basketball, swimming, some more running, hockey, volleyball, even more running and, if I was lucky, maybe twice a year a class were we did some gymnastics or self defense.. I hated sports in school! I really don’t like competing against another team, trying to get better just to win a game, being called names by a trainer because your team lost. That was not fun at all! In my free time I did streetdance and judo, because I could do that on my own, for my own fun. Now, 10 years later I am totally addicted to Blogilates; I have started 3 months ago and have done it every single day, just because I like doing it!
    So yes, there are kids who don’t want to compete against each other or run for hours just to get through the beep test (you have that in the USA? it used to kill me…) , who just want to dance and jump around! So, honestly, I hope you can make a difference in trying to change the school system, it would mean the world to a lot of young people out there!!

    Enjoy your birthday!!

  87. Sara says:

    Hi Cassey!

    I just wanted to mention that I went to a fairly average public high school in Pennsylvania, but I took a group exercise/fitness class all throughout high school for P.E. credit. It is what got me motivated to be a healthier teen while I was in high school. While my views have slightly changed about healthy eating and exercise, I still just wanted to mention this, because I think that it is a great idea to give kids more options regarding gym classes in public schools!

  88. Greta says:

    Happy birthday!!! Congratulations on all that you have accomplished and thank you so much for your support! 😀

  89. yuki says:

    Happy birthday Cassey!!! wishing u a wonderful year filled with love,happiness,energy,accomplished dreams and wonderful encounters <3

  90. Esther Chan says:

    Happy Birthday, Cassey !!! I am grateful that u come into my life and transformed me 180 degree!!! i am now more motivated,happier, and in the best shape of my life..!!! Thank you and keep up the Blogilates community momentum that you created…..I will always be with Blogilates~ 😀
    Love from Malaysia ….<3

  91. Christina says:

    OMG YAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASSEY 🙂
    You could say that I’m one of your “newer” viewers – only found you in August last year, but over those few months I have hoarded over all your videos and blog posts and I can honestly say that you have inspired my greatly! I can now proudly say that my body, my mind and I are ready to take 2014, and I’d love to be able to accomplish my goals with you this year 🙂
    Thank you so much Cassey! You really have inspired me (:

  92. bel says:

    Happy birthday Cassey!! Thank you for all that you do and for changing my life :’)

  93. Lisa says:

    Happy birthday Cassey!!!!!! Thank you for everything <3

  94. WELL LIVING BLOG says:

    Happy Birthday dear Cassey !! Lucky girl to meet Clinton and support great cause ! Congrats !!

    XX Luba
    
http://www.well-living-blog.com

  95. Monika says:

    Happy belated Birthday! You are awesome! Stay as you are! (Greetings from Austria)

  96. Lauren Ruffin says:

    Happy Bday!!!! 😀

  97. Leanne says:

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASSEY!! Hope you like my tweet pic of the card I made for you 🙂 I love you and this community!! You inspire me so much <3 have a blast on your birthday!!

  98. Daisy Amnell says:

    Happy Birthday Cassey 😀