It’s no wonder Cassey Ho’s New Year’s resolution is to try to sleep more.
She’s already won the Shorty Award for #SocialFitness, been named Best Healthy Living Blogger of 2012 for “Blogilates” by Fitness Magazine as well as Sharecare’s No. 2 most influential online personality …(only second to Jillian Michaels).
But 2014 doesn’t seem to be the year for Ho catching any more zzz’s.
On Jan. 1, she learned she had hit 1 million online subscribers on YouTube. The secret to her phenomenal achievements?
“My fans. I never knew or thought I would get to 1 million subscribers,” Hoo says. “Now ‘Blogilates’ has the largest subscriber base in its genre. I love going on Instagram to see what the fans are posting and I get inspired. Social media allows us to see we are all living the same life, but separate. It’s weird, cool and addicting.”
Ho will bring her high-energy POP Pilates routine Jan. 11 to the Mayor’s Race, Swim and Wellness Festival in downtown Palm Springs.
“I’m excited to be at this festival to spread positivity, and help others get fit and healthy. It makes me happy,” Ho says.
Joining Ho will be Billy Blanks, creator of “Tae Bo” Fitness, and Priya Pandya and Kajal Desai of Doonya Bollywood Dance and Fitness.
Ho’s Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle:
- Start looking at what you are eating.
- Eat clean (as whole and close to the earth as possible) and drink tons of water.
- Find a workout that you really love so you’ll stick with it.
- Keep a fitness journal to write your own transformation story.
- Stay away from sugar but eat one YOLO (You Only Live Once) meal a week.
- I love cooking and I always recommend my Blogilates 100 percent natural pancake (the recipe is on the website).
“You can live the life you want to and live happily!!”
Ho has lived by these words and is living the life she wants…on her own terms. Growing up the daughter of Asian American parents, Ho was set on a path to attain a perceived “success oriented” career as a lawyer, doctor, or engineer.
“But my heart is creative and my dream was to be a fashion designer,” she says. “My parents told me they were afraid I would not make any money and would not be successful if I pursued fashion and although devastated, I followed their wishes.”
While in college, she started teaching pilates. She graduated with an honors degree in biology from Whittier College, but she knew in her heart that she wanted something different than a career in medicine.
“I remember a professor in school saying, ‘If you don’t try something, there is 100 percent chance you will never know what you will achieve’ and this resonated with me,” she recalls.
After a trip to China, a brief stint on the East Coast, and a chance video on You Tube, Ho combined her passion for fashion with her dedication to fitness and ultimately launched “Blogilates” as well as her “oGorgeous” fitness bag line.
Ironically, Ho’s Mom and Dad are now helping grow her business.
“It brought our family together,” she says. “I proved that it’s possible to be financially sound in a ‘non-traditional’ career. In some way, I think that this helps pave the way for a lot of Asian Americans who may want to do something different without the risk of crushing their dreams.”
Catch Her If You Can:
• Ho’s new DVD is available at Target.
• She is working on a new book for a 2014 release.
• She has a new online fitness community website about to launch.
• Her yoga/pilates workout products line has new styles personally designed by Ho herself.