Tag: health

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Domestic Violence Permeates

By the time you’re 10 years old your subconscious has formed and thereafter differentiates between acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. For example, if you grew up with a mother or father who was a big drinker or smoked cigarettes, then your subconscious considers these activities (or bad habits) as acceptable behaviors. Behaviors that are more easily adopted by you because they’re acceptable to you. Thus, if you experienced or witnessed domestic violence in your youth – like more than 10 million children do in the United States every year – then domestic violence has permeated your subconscious and has become acceptable. Not good. Actually, it’s pretty pathetic that a child unknowingly accepts domestic violence at no fault of their own. It’s also pretty pathetic that a child has to identify the concept of LOVE with such traumatic visual and emotional experiences. And it’s horrible on the child’s mother (or father in some cases), to experience the physical, mental and emotional poison of domestic violence. Poison because domestic violence permeates a victim’s body, mind and spirit, oftentimes causing irreparable damage. Damage to the victim’s self-confidence and self-esteem.

That’s why my charity, The Boulevard Zen Foundation, is striving to bring the benefits of yoga to women and children survivors of domestic violence – everywhere. To help rebuild their SELF, because yoga is all about the SELF, and to teach these women and children how to respect their minds and bodies with the amazing physical and lifestyle benefits of yoga. Our compassionate and well-trained teachers also lead by example and serve as a living testament to how anyone can better themselves with the help of yoga.

Over the past year I have personally taught more than 100 women and children living in domestic violence shelters. I know that look in their eyes that says “I’m not good enough” and “I can’t do it”. A look that I’ll always counter with, “Yes, you can do it, and yes, you can believe in yourself”. Because I do and I know they can. Be well, believe & achieve! – R

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Get Comfortable with Feeling Uncomfortable

The other day I met a bodybuilder who said he tried yoga and hated it because it made him “feel uncomfortable”. I responded with just one word, “exactly”. Simple put, yoga demands you to get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable.

If you ever tried yoga and immediately began to fidget and squirm your way out of your first downward facing dog, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Because the physical practice of yoga (the asanas), put your body into challenging positions that will QUIET your MIND and get rid of all that mind chatter. Of course we know what mind chatter is, right? It’s that inner conversation you’re having with yourself about anything and everything that’s going through your mind. Including the discomfort you’re experiencing in a particular pose – including the simplest of down dogs.

When the ancient yogi’s practiced 6,000+ years ago, yoga was embraced as a culture that included the art of positioning their bodies into asanas (poses) for long periods of time to cleanse themselves and to reach a higher enlightenment, aka, nirvana. Yoga was revered as a lifestyle seeking union with the Supreme. Yoga also enabled it’s male practitioners – since women weren’t allowed to practice – to quiet their bodies and their minds while focusing on one particular object for an extended period of time. No matter the feelings of discomfort. Today most people think yoga is either just stretching and meditation, or some kind of body-twisting exercise that’s really good for you but really hard to do. And the really hard to do part usually has something to do with not wanting to endure discomfort – for any period of time.

So if you’re anything like our bodybuilder friend and don’t like feeling uncomfortable, keep your yoga workouts short and sweet with just 5 minutes a day. Soon you’ll get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable, and you’ll truly begin to experience the benefits of yoga. And always remember that pain is bad and discomfort is good. So enjoy some good discomfort with our upcoming FAT BURN AMERICA TOUR: 100 Cities in 100 Days, Hollywood Walk of Fame Preview! – R

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GQ – Letter to the Editor

If you’re a GQ reader like me, you probably read the August issue with Mila Kunis on the cover. On page 32, there’s a brief article by Mark Byrne called “Rewriting the Book on Yoga”, with a 15 minute yoga workout as prescribed by a studio owner in NYC. Unfortunately, I cringed when I reviewed the workout that includes three twisting and forward bending poses, the last of which is an advanced pose.

But before I add my two cents, let me state my fitness and yoga qualifications: I’m 48 years old, 5’7″ and weigh 150 pounds. My body fat is less than 9% and most people think I’m 33. I’ve worked out in fitness centers every day for the past 32 years totaling more than 12,000 hours. I’ve practiced yoga every day for the past six years totaling more than 2,000 hours. An accomplished student/athlete through college, I’m also a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Cycling Instructor, and 200-hour Certified Yoga Teacher. I’ve taught more than 15,000 yoga students of all levels in the past five years, from the ages 3 to 93. I’ve created more than 15 hours of instructional yoga videos in the past two years, including a Yoga Survival Guide detailing more than 100 poses.

I currently teach yoga to women and children living in domestic violence shelters, who had zero experience with fitness and yoga before I got there. I have neck, low back, shoulder and wrist issues, and have been injured three times since I started practicing yoga – all from bad teachers. Thus, my very precise teaching style is designed to minimize injury to any body part, especially the neck and low back. Finally, I’ve practiced yoga mostly in New York City and Los Angeles, the yoga meccas of the United States, and have taken classes with the “so-called” best teachers in the world. 90% of which are women.

That said, here’s why I disagree with the Byrne’s claim that GQ “found the best back-saving, workout-improving moves…” When it comes to anything twisting and forward bending while standing, you better move slowly and be super careful. Your stance is critical, which the caption doesn’t clearly emphasize. The caption also says “twist your head to look up”, which you should NEVER attempt without properly warming up the spine and preparing your body for such deep twists. Revolved triangle is a perfect example of this. A good teacher wouldn’t sequence this pose until at least halfway through the yoga class, because coming into this pose is AS IMPORTANT as the pose itself. So is coming back up to stand once you’ve been in the pose for any length of time. Here’s why: once your torso weight and your 10 pound head is down and over your forward leg, you’re balancing this weight over a tight triangular stance, making it quite difficult to manage. And since most men carry their weight in their torso and have tight hamstrings, coming into – or out of – this pose without bending your legs (like the picture shows), and without moving ridiculously slow, could lead to serious injury.

Thus, it’s not back-saving at all. It’s actually quite strenuous on your neck, low back and hamstrings. And requires ample core strength to control your torso as you’re folding forward at a 90 degree angle (if you keep your back straight like the picture – which is also very difficult). And although the directions state “you won’t be able to touch the floor right away – settle for your ankle”, very few men can even get to their ankle. Frankly, this is a very challenging pose for an advanced yogi, let alone anyone who’s never done it before. So take note and be VERY CAREFUL, especially when twisting and forward bending at the same time. And if you really want to experiment with this pose on your own, warm up and strengthen your core and abs first with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #82 – Easy Abs. Enjoy & hope to see you on the FAT BURN TOUR! – Rich Tola

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Domestic Violence, Yoga & Hollywood Sneak Peek

We’ll soon begin a 30,000 journey across America visiting all 50 states – 100 Cities in 100 Days – to raise money for my charity, The Boulevard Zen Foundation. We teach yoga to women and children living in domestic violence shelters. Ambitious? Yes. For a great cause? Yes. Impossible? Certainly not! I expect it to be life changing. For all of us, as well as all of you because we intend to EDUCATE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER and ENTERTAIN you with cool, trivia-filled workout videos from historical sites everywhere.

Here’s me teaching the women and children at the San Diego domestic violence shelter:

Here’s the Hollywood Sneak Peek Trailer for my Fat Burn America Tour. Enjoy! – R

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Help is on the way!

“Holy expanding waistline Batman, America just keeps getting fatter”. Now if you’re a fan of the infamous Caped Crusader and read this morning’s newspaper, this is definitely something Robin would say. Because in today’s Los Angeles Times, a new report on our nation’s weight crisis – as prepared by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America Health – says “16 states are experiencing steep increases in adult obesity, and none has seen a downturn in the last four years”. So what’s up with that? With an obese population of 19.8%, Colorado is the ONLY state with an adult obesity rate below 20%. Furthermore, “adult obesity rates have doubled or nearly doubled in 17 states. Two decades ago, not a single state had an obesity rate above 15%. Now all states do.” But no worries folks…help is on the way! Soon my team will embark upon my FAT BURN AMERICA TOUR, visiting every state in America, 100 cities in 100 days, filming my fat burning workouts to promote daily fitness & yoga, and to raise much needed funds for my charity, The Boulevard Zen Foundation. As you know, we teach yoga to women and children living in domestic violence shelters. And since the report also states that “obesity remains a condition disproportionately affecting those with poor education and income, and closely tied to minority status”, it’s all the more reason to bring my FREE Fat Burning Workouts to the public. Our goal: to EDUCATE, EMPOWER, INSPIRE and ENTERTAIN. So get ready and get set with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #94 – Leg Stretches. Enjoy and we’ll see you soon! – R

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“I’m glad you’re here”

It felt like a ghost-town when I walked into the gym this morning at 6am.  I expected it to be light because of the holiday, but it was barren.  And as I was making my way past the Chest machines, this older gentleman sat up tall and said to me, “I’ll glad you’re here.” Of course, right.  Because when it comes to a daily fitness program, sometimes it helps to get a little boost from your compatriots.  Let’s face it, honoring our Nation’s Independence deserves a day off from exercise, right?  Wrong.  That’s all the more reason to honor yourself and your freedom with a strong body – clear mind.  So don’t let the Fourth of July festivities spoil your routine.  Grab a fellow barbecuer and challenge yourself with today 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #95 – Dancer’s Pose.  Enjoy – R

Happy Independence Day Everyone!

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Are you Free Squared?

The other night I had dinner with Stephani Drapeau, my dear friend and co-star of my film, Boulevard Zen.  We were discussing the concept of “freeing your mind and your soul” from anything that prevents you from evolving to a higher level.  That is to say, letting go of the “ties that bind” you to past beliefs, or rather, disbeliefs about your dreams, your desires, and your life’s destiny.  Because when you free your mind and your soul, you evolve to a much better and brighter place.  A place where anything is possible if you truly believe it.  So make a conscious effort to become Free Squared, especially when it comes to fat burning and a daily fitness routine.  Because anyone and everyone has at least 5 minutes a day to respect themselves with a little exercise.  So enjoy firming your Core & Abs with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #97 – Side Plank.  My best – R

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Take compliments to Heart

Oftentimes we receive compliments from friends or people we recently met, and just let them slide off us without really absorbing their energy.  That is to say, really taking compliments to heart and warming yourself with the admiration.  Especially guys.  We can easily prefer criticisms to compliments because of our male conditioning.  But it’s OK for anyone to basque in the moment of the compliment.  Like what happened to me this morning.   I saw a friend in the gym I haven’t seen in a while who complimented me on my film, Boulevard Zen, and my 100 days of blogs when she went on about how she loved the film’s characters, and my “totally believable” girlfriend, and my “powerful blogs”, until she finally said, “And you know what Rich Tola, you got heart.”  Now that made my day.  And why shouldn’t it, right?  So take note and absorb that positive energy.  Take compliments to Heart!  And enjoy firming your Core & Abs as we countdown with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #99 – Core Power II.  – R

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100 Workouts in 100 Days

When you read this you might think, what’s so special about exercising 5 minutes a day, everyday, for 100 straight days?  I mean, you walk around and climb stairs everyday at work and home, and even work-up a sweat doing the household chores like scrubbing the bath tub.  But are you really embracing a daily fitness program?  One that’s effective, simple and attainable, and most importantly, one that becomes an integral part of your subconscious. Because moving the body around isn’t the same as exercising the body. With exercise there’s a purpose and a goal.  And if you exercise daily, you will see results. You’ll not only benefit from having more strength and flexibility, increased bone mass, better posture, better circulation, and better breathing, but also from the mental clarity and strength you’ll get from succeeding everyday at something quite challenging. All it takes is the belief and the courage to try.  So believe and achieve with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #100-Bridge Pose II. It’s also the finale of this fat burning series, with details coming soon about my Burn Fat America Tour.  Thanks for tuning in!  – R