You may not remember what you were watching on television 44 years ago today, but if you were about my age, say 2-5 years old, you were probably watching the debut of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. This first-of-its-kind “television visit” with Fred Rogers helped children develop their imagination, creativity, cooperation and self-esteem. The show was theme-based, slow and simple. However deceiving these qualities can be, the Neighborhood was a tremendous success. Interestingly, my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workouts are also theme-based, slow and simple. But don’t be deceived. Because you now have 88 different – and effective – workout themes to choose from, including today’s Screaming Abs II. So thanks for the memories & RIP Mister Rogers. – Rich
Be as unique as a fingerprint
Oprah Winfrey said, “I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.” I love Oprah’s belief because it lets you be you, and incorporates the collective energy of everything and everyone around you as part of your destiny. So be as unique as a fingerprint today and everyday, and don’t forget your 5 minutes of fat burning with Workout #87 – Dancing Warrior. Enjoy – R
Power and economy go hand in hand
I read this in my Horoscope this morning and immediately thought how it relates to almost everything in life, including the correct fitness program. I say correct because the power comes from doing a combination of simple, full body workouts using the proper technique, and the economy comes from maximizing your time and results by doing them on a daily basis. So maximize your power and economy today by getting started with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #86 – Terrific Triceps II. Enjoy – R
Fitness + Family = Fun
Yesterday I taught a one-hour fat burning class at a domestic violence shelter in San Diego on behalf of my charity, The Boulevard Zen Foundation. I was excited to teach about ten children (ages 3 – 12), with a few ever-so shy moms and grandmothers too. It was certainly a family affair, with the kids leading the charge! Since I don’t have any children of my own – at least not yet – I’m always fascinated by the pure joy kids find in the simplest of activities. And with their moms and grand-moms joining in, they had FUN, regardless of how challenging it was. Simply put, Fitness + Family = Fun. So gather your entire family today and enjoy strengthening your legs, and your family bond, with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #85 – Chair Twists (the exact same exercises we practiced at the shelter). And have fun! – R
Slow and steady wins the race
Everybody’s read Aesop’s fable, The Hare and the Tortoise, right? It’s about a hare who vainly boasts of his great running speed and challenges the slow tortoise to a race. However outpaced, in the end the tortoise wins because the hare decides to take a nap en route to the finish line. The moral lesson here: slow and steady wins the race. Just like with your daily fitness program. It may seem to progress slowly, but in the long run you’ll certainly see the results you desire as well as feel the rejuvenating affects of doing a little something to strengthen your mind and body every single day. So enjoy getting Fantastic Forearms with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #83. – R
Don’t Make Assumptions
When was last time your friend called to say someone hasn’t called her back because she thinks “blah-blah-blah”? And the reason for “blah-blah-blah” is because what your friend thinks doesn’t really matter. Because if your friend is assuming, which is usually the case when our feelings get hurt, than she’s probably wrong. We all know what ass-u-me means, right? Have patience for the truth, it’s much easier to handle. Don’t make Assumptions. Like, with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workouts. What the heck can you get done in 5 minutes, right? Well, these bite-size workouts are little gems because if you rarely exercise, than working out a little bit each day is priceless. If you do workout a few times a week, you’ll empower yourself with a DAILY fitness routine. A routine that’ll soon eclipse 5 minutes, as well as make you feel better about yourself, give you more energy and awareness, and increase your body image as your subconscious registers these daily workouts as wins. Or, as I like to call them, small victories in the war. Not to mention the preservation aspects of strengthening your muscles and bones. Because battling Mother Nature and Father Time is a war. So don’t make assumptions and get off to an easy start with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #82 – Easy Abs. – R
Don’t let time waste you
William Shakespeare once said, “I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.” For anyone who’s ever read the world’s pre-eminent dramatist, this is some pretty straightforward prose. Or is it? Because like anything by Shakespeare, it helps to read it a few times and let the true meaning of the words really sink in. In this case, the concept of wasting time has a double meaning – time being wasted and time doing the wasting. If you really think about it, whenever you waste time it has a tendency come back and bite you in the butt. That is to say, wasting time can negatively impact you as well as prevent you from reaching your goals. Whatever it is you’re doing. Especially with fitness. So don’t waste time planning and talking about your new exercise program. Keep it simple and workout everyday. And enjoy strengthening your core and toning your abdominal muscles with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #81 – Plank Crunches. – R
Remember “the Eighties”?
Who can forget “the Eighties”, right? Ronald Reagan and the end of the Cold War, Nancy Reagan’s Just Say No to drugs campaign, Dallas, Dynasty, Seinfeld and Miami Vice, Pac-Man and Nintendo, the Walkman and the Boombox, the arrival of Halley’s Comet, the Mount St. Helens eruption, MTV, Madonna and Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the Yugo and the DeLorean, “Big hair” and Ray-Bans, the Cabbage Patch Doll, famine in Ethiopia and the Live Aid concert, the Chernobyl diaster, the Lockerbie disaster, the Bhopal diaster, the Tiananmen Square protests, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the NASA Space Shuttle Challenger’s disintegration, the Exon Valdez spill, the beginning of the AIDS pandemic, the Apple Mackintosh, Wayne Gretsky, Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, Donald Trump and Michael Milken, Chariots of Fire, Platoon, Top Gun, The Breakfast Club, Rain Man, Terms of Endearment, Beverly Hills Cop, The Terminator, Die Hard and Rambo, the death of Bob Marley, and the assassination of The Beatles John Lennon, Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi, and Marvin Gaye. For those of us who experienced the go-go Eighties, it was quite a decade. Now it’s time to enter the Fat Burning Eighties, i.e., today marks our 80th consecutive 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout. So enjoy today’s Killer Kalves as we reminisce about the Eighties. – R
Do it with consistency…like the self-flushing toilet
Exactly 219 years ago today, the toilet that flushes itself at regular intervals was patented. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could automatically set yourself to exercise at regular intervals? That would certainly make it easier to stick with a daily fitness program, right. Believe it or not, you can set your internal clock to go off daily, reminding you to workout. That’s right. Because like any activity that’s become routine in your life, e.g., brewing your morning coffee as soon as you wake up, taking that afternoon cigarette break at work, or going to the laundromat every Wednesday night, you can program yourself to workout on a daily basis. The easiest way to do this is to do it with consistency. Because once you’ve established the habit of working out, your mind and body will crave it. Plus, your internal clock will subliminally remind you that it’s time to exercise. It’s true. At this point in life, I couldn’t go two days without exercising and not feel my “alarm clock” reminding me to workout. So enjoy flushing that fat away with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #78 – Sculpt Those Shoulders II. – R
Friends and honesty, do they match?
I was speaking with a friend this morning about telling your best friend something that’s true, but may hurt their feelings. Or worse yet, may drive your best friend away, especially if they’re in a difficult place in their life. Like my friend’s best friend, who’s responding to adversity with an eating disorder. The thing is, with friends it’s oftentimes difficult to be brutally honest, especially if the truth is difficult to swallow. And since the truth can be as painful to give as it is to receive, it’s always best to proceed with sensitivity and compassion. For those of you who have seen my film, Boulevard Zen, you know that my character, Bobby D’Angelo, inspires others to overcome adversity while communicating the truth through example. He uses the healing powers of yoga to help students deal with their depression, infertility, hypertension and anorexia. So be sensitive with your truth telling, especially if it involves something serious and beyond your expertise. And always encourage your friends to make that mind-body connection with some form of fitness, especially yoga. So enjoy restoring your body with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #77 – Restorative Legs, Core & Abs II – R