Tag: father

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Tribute to a Local Legend..my Dad

For those who knew my father, he was a man like no one else. I guess you could say my own uniqueness, and passion, and desire to go my own way was just like my Dad’s. RIP to a local legend who was arguably the best barber in the world – and best hitting instructor! Below please find his obituary and Celebration of Life event this Sunday.

FRANCIS “RICHIE” TOLA (click HERE to visit the Obituary)

Francis “Richie” Tola (1938-2024) passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer on Monday, October 28th. Born on July 7, 1938, he was 86 years young. For those who knew him, Richie was the greatest guy who had passion in everything he did. Born and raised in Trenton, NJ, he was a legendary barber for nearly 68 years beginning in 1957, one year after graduating from Trenton Central High School and serving in the National Guard. He was also a motivational mentor and hitting instructor to scores of kids and adolescents who ever played the game of baseball. He was revered for helping anyone and everyone who wanted it. The beloved “Richie the Barber” was also a terrific storyteller as well as an infinite source of knowledge, recounting true tales about the Mafia, baseball, Sicily (his home country), movies and anything medical related. As one longtime friend and customer tells it, “before there was Google, there was Richie.” He is survived by his wife, Rose Mary, son and daughter-in-law, Sam and Pam Tola, son Richard, daughter and son-in-law, Karen and Patrick Tuffy, four grandchildren, Matthew and Samantha Tola, and Riley and McGwire Tuffy, brother and sister-in-law, Ronald and Carolyn Tola, his four nieces, and pre-deceased sister and brother-in-law, Joan and Joseph Pallotti. Per his wishes, there will be no funeral services. There will, however, be a Celebration of Life held in his honor on November 10th from 4-6pm, in the main batting cage at Nottingham Little League. In remembrance of Richie’s life and love, the family requests any donations be made to “Nottingham Little League”, P.O. Box 2521, Hamilton, NJ 08690. Thank you for being his friend, patron or baseball player he influenced throughout his wonderful life.

Thanks for your enduring impact on the world Dad, and with love and light, I’ll see you on the other side. RIP – R

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Suicide Sucks – Ep 8 – Tola Talks Texas

Today we’re talking about the 10th leading cause of death in the United States: suicide. To put it bluntly – and I say this numerous times on the show – suicide sucks so don’t f**king do it! Because not only does it eliminate nearly 50,000 lives every year, that’s 1 death every 11 minutes, it has far-reaching impacts including serious emotional, physical and economic costs to society. With depression and anxiety among teens and young adults at an all time high, especially with the fear mongering from COVID and Omicron, suicide has to be thwarted and stopped. Not to mention that anxiety affects 1/3 of adults and adolescents in the United States today, further complicating matters. And kudos to all schools K-12 for their prevention efforts against bullying and other forms of abuse that adversely affect students of all ages. So what should you do if you’re anxious and distraught: save yourself with fitness and yoga, and more specifically, come take my Tola Yoga class at Plano Athletic Club starting this Saturday at 12:30p. That’s right, Tola Yoga is back, and I’d love to see you there front and center. Because who doesn’t want to empower their mind, body and soul while drinking from the Fountain of Youth? Plus kudos to the David Bowie estate as well as Bruce Springsteen, aka The Boss, for such massive sales of their music publishing rights. PS – good luck to my father with his cancer surgery at Sloan Kettering today…you’re gonna rock it! Peace – R

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Vacation workout

Twelve days ago I posted my 100th video/blog for my 100 days of 5 minute, low-impact, yoga-based, fat burning workouts.  Since then I visited my family in New Jersey, and spent some time with friends in New York City, Philadelphia and San Francisco.  Of course I continued with my daily fitness program, as well as took a few yoga classes. Challenging, yes, since you’re busy enjoying your time off.  But do-able. Especially with my Fat Burning Workouts.  That’s why I wrote this poem…to inspire you to keep with your daily fitness program even while on vacation.  Enjoy your Daily Workout.  – R

YOU CAN DO IT

I’m here to help you
There’s no need to fail
If you know what to do
Then just step on the scale

Believe you can tighten
Believe you can win
Cause who better than you
Conquers that battle within

Mother Nature’s quite cruel
Father Time’s a quick chime
Who says you can’t switch
To a program like mine

Don’t despair my good student
You’ll never be bored
With a daily fitness program
You’ll love your reward

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Gotta love ‘Opening Day’

As a child, my brother and I used to play baseball for hours on end with my tireless father hitting us popups and grounders until the sun went down.  To this day my father and brother coach kids of all ages from childhood through high school.  My two nephews are also following in our footsteps, becoming quite the ballplayers we knew they would. So of course I’m a huge fan of ‘Opening Day‘.   The smell of freshly cut grass, the sounds of the crack of the bat, the pop you hear when the pitcher fires one past the batter right into the catcher’s mitt. Hmmm, hmmm, good!  There’s also that feeling of a new beginning. Because once the season starts, nobody cares about last year, let alone what happened yesterday. Everybody gets a fresh start – something we all can use from time to time.  So if you’re a baseball fan like me, take this time to start something new.  Like a daily fitness program. Because just like ballplayers forgetting their past seasons, you can forget about the workout you didn’t do yesterday and start anew.  Why not?  It’s Opening Day!  Have fun getting terrific triceps with my 5 minute fat burning workout #36.  Let’s play ball – R

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External motivation

Let’s face it.  Sometimes you need a little external motivation to get you going to the gym or yoga studio, or for that power walk around the neighborhood.  Take me for instance.  In six weeks I turn 48, which makes it 31 years since I started driving and began my daily workouts at Man’s World gym in Trenton, NJ.  But even today, after all those years, I often require that external motivation to keep me interested and to give me that little extra something to work towards.  Fortunately, in my gym there’s this guy who’s built like Adonis, and like me, works out every single day.  Yesterday I asked him his age thinking “if this guy is anywhere close to my age I’ll retire”.  Luckily he said 31.  That makes me old enough to be his father, and since he was born the same year I started working out, I felt relieved.  Because we all know the powers of Father Time and Mother Nature, and how your body certainly slows down as the years click by.  So in the gym this guy’s my motivation.  As for the yoga studio, I started practicing in 2005, so let’s just say my internal motivation kicks in at all times!  So if you need a little external motivation to get you going, pick someone who’s got that rockin’ bod, or better yet, find that beautifully sculpted body in a magazine and post it our your vision board.  And if you don’t have a vision board, then post it on your bathroom mirror.  Because when if comes to anything fitness, sometimes we can all use a little help.  Enjoy your workout – R

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Get a good lead

North Pole Sunset

When you’re a base-runner it’s always best to get a good lead so you’re in a better position to advance.  And just like in any sport, and in life, it’s always best to be well-conditioned and well-prepared to achieve whatever advantage you can over the opposition.  So let’s consider Mother Nature and Father Time the pitcher and the catcher, and let’s say you’re on base.  Why not get a good lead by starting your new daily fitness program today, if you haven’t started one already?  Because with all the punishing weather out there it’s easy to just curl up in a ball and chill out on the couch for 12 hours.  Well, that sounds relaxing, but don’t forget to get your workout in, even if you stretch out and work your abs for 15 minutes.  Hint: “Thursday’s 15 Minute Fat Burning Workout”.  Plus, you’ll get a head start on your New Year’s resolution to lose weight or get in shape or start sculpting that bikini body for next summer.  So take advantage of Mother Nature and Father Time and get started today.  And don’t forget the sugar-free hot chocolate!  R