Tola Talks on Wellness Wednesdays. Rich & Yasmine cover the gamut from Latest News Strange But True to Proper Gym Etiquette. Weekdays on youtube.com/tolatalks
Tola Talks Get Your S#!T Together & Proper Gym Etiquette
Tola Talks with Yoga Teachers Linda Baffa & Jessi Harper
Tola Talks with two incredible Yoga babes, Linda Baffa and Jessica Harper. On Wellness Wednesdays, Rich also discusses his definition of The Art of Yoga. Weekdays on youtube.com/tolatalks.
Tola Talks with Actress Troy Titus-Adams
Tola Talks with the exotic and talented Actress Troy Titus-Adams (who also co-starred and associate-produced Rich’s film, Boulevard Zen). Plus, it’s Top 10 Tuesdays so check out Tola’s Top 10 Most Frightful Pick-up Lines. Watch weekdays on youtube.com/tolatalks.
GYST #24: Be a Leader (like Derek Jeter)
There is much we can learn about poise and leadership from one of the greatest shortstops of all-time – The Captain of the New York Yankees, Derek Jeter. Thanks for the memories DJ!
GYST #18: Wax-on, Wax-off
Here’s a tribute episode to the inspirational film from 1984, The Karate Kid, that rocked the world and taught us that Wax-on, Wax-off was all about learning the fundamentals and building a strong foundation.
GYST #17: Manifest Good Health
Take a positive approach to your body and your health by manifesting it, i.e., make it happen. Anybody can…Get Your S#!T Together…do it!
Get Fit. Live Healthy. Lose Inches. Stay Zen
Because life’s a BLVD and you gotta be ZEN.
And everything else that comes with living a self-respecting and healthy lifestyle that keeps you happy and fit. As well as lean and confident, because feeling good about yourself positively affects your friends and loved ones as you project your inner strength out into the Universe.
So if you haven’t already, add some exercise and some Zen (i.e., enlightenment) to your day and you’ll be on your way! And if you could use a little inspiration to get you going today, then follow BLVD ZEN on Instagram (click below), and Get Fit, Live Healthy, Lose Inches and Stay Zen.
Enjoy – R
No Retreat, baby, No Surrender
Bruce Springsteeen’s quintessential phrase “No Retreat, baby, No Surrender” from his mega-hit, No Surrender, penetrates much deeper than our country’s blood brothers in the stormy night vowing to defend us through raging Wars. At least it does for me. And today was a perfect example of how a powerful song like this can inspire me to inspire you…30 years later.
Just as this song came on my playlist today about halfway through my 2-mile run, I passed this elderly woman walking up the hill. She had to be at least 90 years old, all hunched over and wearing a light blue cardigan sweater and dark wrap-around sunglasses to shield her from the rays. She was ever so delicately ambling up the steep incline with the help a walking cane. And if you’ve ever traveled up that 1-mile stretch from San Fernando Blvd to Sunset Canyon Drive at the base of the Verdugo Mountains in Burbank (see photo), you know that it’s pretty darn steep. So much so that it probably took this senior citizen 20 minutes to walk to the next house. No matter, because she was still walking up that hill.
Because getting older doesn’t mean you can’t fight Father Time and do something every single day to strengthen your muscles – and your bones – and to preserve your body as best you can. It’s called a Daily Fitness Program, and ANYONE can do it.
And it doesn’t matter what you do: walk, jog, bike, swim, Yoga, weights, Hulu-Hoop, whatever! Just do something, like the elderly woman in Burbank. While you still can.
Peace – R
Keep Kindness in Your Soul
When you lookup the word ‘humankind’ in the dictionary it says “human beings collectively”. Let’s go one step further and add “who are implicitly kind to one another”, and make that a requirement for the entire human race. At the very least, shouldn’t we always respect ourselves and be respectful and kind to others as we journey along this amazing ride called life? And more importantly is our ability to take this unreserved kindness we’re born with – because we all start as little babies that are sweet and kind, right – and Keep Kindness in Your Soul. Forever would be good…just keep it going into adolescence and throughout adulthood.
About 10 minutes into our trek I reached for my cellphone. Hmm, that’s odd, nowhere to be found. I immediately retraced my steps and figured it was somewhere between me and my previous seat. No worries, I’ll just remain calm and confident that someone has found it, and more importantly, that this someone has the KINDNESS in their SOUL to return it. Not to mention the good character to do the right thing. Interestingly, I really believed one of these Zoo-going kids would return it and save me from that nightmare of losing your phone!
So I stood up and shouted, “Excuse me, did anyone in the front of the bus find a little black phone”. A youngster immediately raised his hand and said yes. A rush of excitement washed over me as I saw the greatness of ‘humankind’ in that one boy. Way to go kid! Way to have KINDNESS in your SOUL…and way to set a great example for each and every one of us.
Keep Kindness in Your Soul, my friends, for as long as humanly possible.
Happy Thanksgiving & Hanukkah everyone! Enjoy – R
3 Tips to Improve Your Posture
It’s that time of year again, when the air is brisk and your Perfect Posture begins to wane in the face of Wintertime weather. I call that your Wintertime Posture, when your body naturally compensates for the cold with a defensive-type posture that seeks warmth by covering up and closing in. As opposed to your Summertime Posture, when the warm rays of the vitalizing sunshine make it easy to stand tall and lift your chin while opening your heart up to the sky, thus enabling a more offensive-type posture, and albeit, a much better one.
In the Wintertime we have a tendency to roll our shoulders in and lean forward, especially when we’re walking. It seems to protect us against the cold and get us there faster, or so we think. And because we don’t even know we’re doing it – who’s thinking about Perfect Posture when you’re walking or standing in the freezing cold – and because excellent health begins with excellent posture, that’s no excuse for letting good ol’ Mother Nature set you back.
Regardless of the changing seasons, arm yourself with my 3 Tips to Improve Your Posture:
1) Spend a few minutes every morning standing tall with Perfect Posture, i.e., feet planted firmly on the ground – shoulder width and hips distance apart, soften your knees and relax your butt, pull through your core (belly button) and feel your entire torso and spine elongating, roll your shoulders open with palms facing forward, shine your heart up to the sky, relax your shoulder-blades down your back and lengthen through your neck, soften and square your chin to the ground and reach your crown to the sky. Now relax your eyes and breathe slowly and deeply and let your inhales and exhales come naturally. Don’t hold your breath…and RELAX.
2) Repeat this Perfect Posture exercise many times throughout the day, for a brief as 10 seconds. Just do it. Like when you’re standing in line at the store, or on the corner before the light changes, or at the teller window, or waiting for a bus, or baking cookies, or even while you’re Watching the Ellen Show! It’s only for a short time and it reminds the body – and your mind – of Perfect Posture, thus creating a benchmark for success.
3) Spend a few minutes before you go to bed standing tall with Perfect Posture…you know the drill. Why, you might ask, considering if you did #1 and #2 then you already spent time working on your Perfect Posture, right? Because, you’d get the same exact answer if you asked any New Yorker that infamous question, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Practice, Practice, Practice.
Happy Veterans Day everyone! Enjoy- R