Tola Talks about the homeless man who fed his friends with $100 from YouTuber Josh Paler Lin, the woman who had a baby in the front seat of her van, CNN’s 5 lessons to make you extraordinary, plus the “best-of-the-best” with Taylor Swift, Chris Pratt & Kim Kardashian. On WTF Wednesday, Rich also discusses the 8 primary traits of happy people (thanks to Anne Parker). Weekdays on youtube.com/tolatalks. Merry Christmas Everyone!
GYST #28: Exploit Your Senses
This episode is all about having success with two sides of the same coin: Making the Best of your two key Senses, sight and hearing, plus doing whatever you can to Learn from the Best. With a healthy dose of inspiration from a true hero and prolific author/activist, Hellen Keller.
Do it with The Ellen Show
Are you one of those individuals who never has time to workout? Or to put it bluntly – since I’m definitely not one for beating around the bush – are you one of those non-fitness types who thinks they have a legitimate “I have no time” reason for never working out?
If you are (with no judgment whatsoever folks), then here’s a little something for you:
My 5-minute, full-body, Yoga-based workout from Rich Tola’s Yoga Survival Guide that you can do while watching The Ellen Show. That’s right, a 5-minute workout you can easily muster during commercial breaks with Ellen DeGeneres. With a little dance warm-up to boot!
From beginners to seasoned yoginis who want to enhance their practice by learning the proper fundamentals of Yoga, my 2 1/2 hour video encyclopedia of 100 Yoga poses will do just that. Learn Yoga anywhere…with my 5-minute fun & effective lessons that were filmed throughout the streets of Hollywood in 2010 to benefit my charity, The Boulevard Zen Foundation, teaching Yoga to women and children living in domestic violence shelters.
Because who doesn’t have 5 minutes a day to respect themselves? Enjoy – R
Sit Tall in the Saddle
Chapter 21 – Sit Tall in the Saddle, tells about when I interned with a top broker at Prudential Securities:
“The day I arrived, the first thing he did was hand me a framed picture of a cowboy sitting on a horse looking sternly off into the distance. Beneath the picture the caption read, ‘When you ride alone, you must sit tall in the saddle’. I just looked at him and smiled, while he looked at me with a serious face and said, ‘Always remember that and you’ll be fine.’ To this day, I can’t help but think how the little things I learned from some of Wall Street’s million dollar men continue to inspire me.”
So Sit Tall in the Saddle in whatever you do today…and don’t forget your Daily Fitness Program!
Enjoy – R
It’s only a temporary limitation
What happens if you get injured? Well, that depends on the injury, but continue working out. Of course, check with your doctor before beginning any fitness program, and if you can, exercise your other body parts that aren’t affected. Case in point: this morning I met this twenty-something year old gal in the gym who said she just started back after a year off due to a knee injury. She also said she exercised all time before getting hurt. So I asked her, “What about the rest of your body, like your abs, chest and arms?” She just shrugged her shoulders and gave me a look. But the reality is, what about the rest of her body? She thought she had a reason not to go to the gym because she had a knee injury, right? I disagree. Because if you’re able to workout around your injury, i.e., to safely avoid additional injury, then why not? Because your injury, it’s only a temporary limitation. Plus, exercising may help speed the recovery process, not to mention the mental benefits of knowing your body’s not losing a step because of a temporary limitation. Enjoy today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #62 – Triangle Pose. – R
Turn down the music
American writer and Nobel Laureate John Steinbeck once said, “Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” Well, much like handling rabbits, I’ve been churning out 5 minute fat burning workouts everyday for the past six weeks. Today is no different with three simple exercises that’ll make your abdominal muscles scream. At the very least, you can tell your friends you’re doing a little something to prepare your midsection for those 90 degree bikini days – which, for those of us living in LA, began yesterday. So turn down the music and enjoy listening to your soon to be ‘beach-ready’ abs scream in workout #38. Have fun! -R
Butt Beautiful
From the Wikipedia website we learn that one’s butt is eloquently described as follows: “The buttocks (singular: buttock) are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles.” The key phrase here being a layer of fat superimposed over muscle. And who doesn’t want to reduce that layer of fat while building muscle, right? Let’s give it a try with Workout #9 from my 5 minute fat burning web series aptly named, Butt Beautiful. And when you’re done, consider climbing stairs for another 15 minutes or go for that 1 mile walk. You’ll be happy you did! Enjoy your workout – R
Excellent teaching moments
You may already know that my charity, The Boulevard Zen Foundation, teaches yoga to kids and moms living in domestic violence shelters (www.BoulevardZen.com). I was inspired to start the nonprofit after visiting a shelter upon completion of my film, Boulevard Zen. My experience with domestic violence comes via the domino affect abuse has on families as my father was a victim of child abuse until the age of 12 when his father left for good. I have also befriended women in my lifetime that have experienced some of the most heinous crimes imaginable. Domestic violence and child abuse unjustly robs its victims of self-confidence and oftentimes prevents kids from experiencing what we at the foundation call excellent teaching moments. So when our yoga teachers find a unique opportunity during class to go beyond an actual yoga pose and teach meaningful life lessons, we all succeed. And the kids remember those lessons and bring that knowledge into their lives while impacting the lives of everyone around them. Which is why I get excited every time one of our teachers writes to me about an excellent teaching moment. Like today from Carolyn in our San Diego shelter. It’s what we strive for and are committed to doing: to be more than just yoga teachers and to impact lives forever. Because those lives are the future of our Nation and of our World. Namaste – R
Help with Sciatica
I spoke with my brother yesterday who said he could use some help with his sciatica. Sciatica occurs when there is pressure or damage to the sciatic nerve. This nerve starts in the spine and runs down the back of each leg. It controls the muscles of the back of the knee and lower leg and provides sensation to the back of the thigh, part of the lower leg, and the sole of the foot. Sciatica pain can vary widely. It may feel like a mild tingling, dull ache, or a burning sensation. In some cases, the pain is severe enough to make a person unable to move. So what can one do to help? A simple, yet rather uncomfortable yoga asana called Lizard Pose. I cover Lizard in Lesson #30 of my Yoga Survival Guide, aptly named Zoo Yoga. So if you could use a little relief, as I encouraged my brother to do, spend 4 minutes a day in Lizard (2 per side), then roll over on your back and come into Happy Baby for another minute – which is also covered in the same lesson. Remember to slow your breath and try not to wiggle around in the pose, however uncomfortable it may be. And enjoy your time at the LA Zoo!
Top 10 Excuses
So what’s your excuse for not making fitness a daily part of your life? Here are the top 10 excuses I’ve heard this year:
1. It’s too expensive. Well, if you can’t afford the $13.93 to download my 15 Minute Fat Burning Workouts – only $1.99 per workout – or the $14.99 to download my Yoga Survival Guide, then go for a free 15 minute walk or just lay on your back and stretch and work your core & abs – for any amount of time.
2. I don’t have the time. Who doesn’t have 15 minutes a day to respect themselves? And if 1% a day is too much time for you, then make it 5 minutes.
3. I don’t know what to do. Educate yourself for free on the Internet, or better yet, purchase any fitness or yoga video that resonates with you – hopefully mine.
4. I’m injured. Speak with your doctor about what you can do to avoid that area of your body – and mindfully and cautiously workout around your injury.
5. I’m afraid of getting hurt. Before you begin any fitness program, check with your doctor about what you can and cannot do, and really listen to your body at all times.
6. I’m too old. Nonsense! Everyday – including this morning – I exchange hellos with this eighty-something year old man in the gym. Plus, my oldest yoga student was an 88 year-old woman who could barely walk. Need I say more?
7. I don’t have the desire. Who does? I mean, what’s desire got to do with strengthening and preserving your body and your mind for the long term. It’s a necessity.
8. I don’t like working out. Same as above. Plus, try working out everyday for 30 years then tell me if you really like doing it.
9. It’s too cold outside where I live. Who says you have to go outside to workout?
10. I’m going to start in the New Year. Great. Now download my 15 Minute Fat Burning Workouts or my Yoga Survival Guide, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
All the best in 2011 – R