Tag: writer

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Top 10 Steps to Everlasting Youth (article)

Hey everyone…if you need the perfect motivation to read my new book, How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth: 30 Steps to Everlasting Youth, my feature article for Healthy Aging Magazine (Winter 2021) should definitely do the trick.

Top 10 Steps to Everlasting Youth

By Rich Tola

When it comes to the relentless march of Father Time, I think of myself as the rapper Eminem, flipping that aging bastard the bird with both fingers.

Why? Because when it comes to staying young, I’ve got that old ass curmudgeon beat.

That’s right, folks, there’s no way I’m letting Father Time’s renowned conspiracy theory, “Everybody Gets Old,” catch hold of me. Forgettaboutit!

Now get outta my kitchen, you pesky youth plunderer, because I consider my mind, body, and spirit – and my protective aura surrounding it – way too vibrant to be hoodwinked by you. Just like you should stop the aging process by fortifying and maintaining an everlasting aura that emanates into the Universe, keeping you harmonious, youthful, and strong.

Now you think who’s this Tola character and what’s he been smoking? Everlasting youth, yeah, right.

But I am right. Because the proof is in the pudding and with my youthful successes, that is to say, I’m a 57-year-old who got stuck at age 30; I know you can. Whoever you are and wherever you live, regardless of your current state of eternal metamorphosis, take my practical and very doable advice…and stop aging now.

Here are my top 10 tips for everlasting youth.

1. Keep Moving

Arguably the most important step of all, which begets one simple question: Do you wake up in the morning and soon find yourself sitting down for long periods? Can’t do it. Gotta keep moving – at all times – like baby dolphins.

2. Be Vain

We’re talking about the good vain here and not the obnoxious vain that Carley Simon sings about. Always be confident and proud of your accomplishments as well as your aura and appearances.

3. Love the Scale

Yes, the one device that displays a tiny number between your toes that can totally ruin your day. But you have to learn to love it because it’s crucial to stay within your optimum bodyweight range daily. Forever. Plus, it keeps you honest.

4. Be Passionate

In everything you do, or don’t do it. Passion keeps you young and vibrant.

5. Respect Yourself

Arguably the #1 Step again (or tied with Keep Moving) means that any way you look at it, everlasting youth and being your best possible self starts with self-respect. And as the saying goes, everything else is gravy.

6. Don’t Quit

Oftentimes the ‘art of winning’ is in the ‘never quitting.’ Plus, perseverance can take you all the way, no doubt. As Great Britain’s courageous Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said, “Never, never, never give up.”

7. Embrace Failure

You’ll find this one on the flip side of Don’t Quit. As basketball legend Michael Jordan professed, “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career, I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Amen.

8. Exercise Daily

This one goes without saying because your body is a temple that needs to be exercised every single day, something I’ve been doing for the past 50 years. It’s true; that’s why this one is easy for me. But no worries if it’s more challenging for you, kinda like cooking is, for me, impossible. Anyone can embrace a daily fitness program that’s easy to maintain. Just do it.

9. Know You’re Young

Believing and knowing are completely different energies. You Gotta know it.

10. Self-Correct

So what if you’ve fallen off the wagon again? Get right back on it. It’s that simple, self-correct, and you’ll be back on track. Because you can do anything, you set your mind to. Just like when I quit drinking alcohol altogether 13 years ago. And yes, you can too.

Now, what about all those aches and pains that seem to accompany us Boomers with each new dawn? Can anyone make those disappear and truly feel like you’re 30 again?

Not exactly.

But you can come close. Everyone knows that concept of mind over matter. It actually works and sure comes in handy when convincing yourself to ignore those aches and pains.

Tell you the truth, there are some mornings when my legs and feet are so sore from walking 10 miles a day – that’s right, 10 miles a day since the Coronavirus hit last year that I need to mindfully stretch my legs and crack my feet before stepping out of bed.

I also have recurring neck and back problems that date back to my baseball playing days of the 70s and 80s, plus hip and knee problems from all the walking I do. So yeah, I’ve got problems. Lots of them, but who wouldn’t after thousands of hours lifting weights and doing yoga and running canyons and walking all over God’s creation.

Yet I’ve loved every minute of it. That’s right, and I’ve been embracing good health and fitness since I was a toddler doing push-ups and sit-ups alongside my older brother Sam.

The good news for me and all the other fitness enthusiasts from the 70s and 80s who cherished all things Jane Fonda and Arnold Schwarzenegger is that staying healthy, strong, and fit is so deeply ingrained in our psyches that nothing can derail us from our daily workout routines.

In closing, let me say this: Regardless of your predilection toward exercise or anything else that’s really good for you or otherwise fat burning, anyone can drink from the fountain of youth. As I say on the back of my book, “Youthfulness is not contingent upon your physical body or even how old your face looks, but rather the force and energy you emanate into the Universe.”

So may the force be with you…and I’ll see you at the fountain!

Peace – R

Rich Tola is the author of Top 10 Steps to Everlasting Youth and How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth: 30 Steps to Everlasting Youth, which also doubles as a handy note-taking journal and is ideal for anyone looking to lose weight, feel more energized, be more confident.

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Last Class + Romantic Comedy in January 2021

You know what they say, all good things must come to an end. Like Tola Yoga classes on Zoom. So come get your yoga groove on this Saturday, December 19th for our last class, and be ready for another strong workout.

Also this January 2021, join us for 15 minutes of fun with my one-act play, My Intervention, a romantic comedy set for today’s speed-dating world. Zoom details to follow.

Stay safe everyone…and get your workout in! Peace – R

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China Foresees the Fountain of Youth

Hey everyone, I want to give a huge thank you shout-out and kudos to Miranda and Dali, my amazing team from China who did a wonderful translation of my new book, How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth: 30 Steps to Everlasting Youth (available in English on Amazon). Here’s yesterday’s press release:

How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth: 30 Steps to Everlasting Youth

China Foresees the Fountain of Youth
Author and yoga guru shares his 30 Steps to Everlasting Youth (in Chinese)

LOS ANGELES, CA, December 08, 2020

The new motivational book, How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth: 30 Steps to Everlasting Youth, has been translated in Chinese (simplified) and will soon be formally made public. Just four months after the English version was released on Amazon, author/filmmaker and modern-day yoga master, Rich Tola, will soon be revealing the secrets of his youthful success to more than 800 million daily readers throughout the People’s Republic of China. This family-friendly and easy-to-read “how-to manifesto”, as the author calls it, promises to encourage anyone on the planet looking to achieve their best possible self.

In today’s pandemic times when being fit and staying healthy can mean the difference between life and death, the 57-year old author – who thinks he stopped getting older at age 30 – believes that anyone can turn back the hands of Father Time. If you follow his “practical and wise” advice, as one reader describes it. The book delivers an inspiring message of hope and self-respect and that anything is possible if you set your sights and try. How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth provides step-by-step instructions on living better and stronger, and for being your best and healthiest self. The book is ideal for anyone looking to lose weight, feel more energized, be more confident, define their personal goals and aspirations, plus grow mentally as well as improve their entire outlook on life. It’s also for aspiring Millennials still searching for their calling, and for baby boomers who finally have the money but not the motivation to pursue their passion.

Tola’s book also doubles as a handy note-taking journal with a 50-word glossary to improve your vocabulary. Plus, his writing style is just like his Tola Yoga, fast-paced and colloquial, not to mention laced with insightful anecdotes garnered from a half-

century of experiences. With Steps like Be Vain, Love the Scale, Embrace Failure and Self-Correct, the author’s quite the sage who respects the powers of karma. Because, as Tola believes, “Everything in life is circular, so our choices, both good and bad, definitely come back to us in the future.”

Why China and why now? “Because I wanted my universal message of hope, self- respect, and self-discipline to permeate the globe in a big way. And what better society of strong, focused people is there than China, where they’ve been embracing my tough love values since the Xia Dynasty,” says Tola.

Rich Tola is also known for his heartfelt and witty memoir, Simply Between Millions: From Wall Street to Hollywood, and films such as Boulevard Zen and Skateboard Bandits.

For more information visit RichTola.com

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Good Things Come in Threes (like Tola Yoga)

Love that statement, and no doubt it’s true! Good Things Come in Threes is also the title of Chapter 60 of my heartfelt and witty memoir, Simply Between Millions: From Wall Street to Hollywood. You can find it right next to my new book, How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth: 30 Steps to Everlasting Youth. Both soon to be released in Chinese.

So much for the book promo, although they do make great holiday gifts for under $20, especially for someone who could use a little inspiration plus some fitness and weight loss motivation. Or simply join me for three more complimentary Tola Yoga classes on Zoom…then order the books on Amazon.

Have an awesome day everyone, and I’ll see you on the mat. Peace – R

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57 year-old “millennial” reveals his secrets

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The newly released How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth is actually two motivational books in one. “My proven, practical advice is meant to inspire anyone who wants to drink from the Fountain of Youth, plus it’s a journal for note-taking and for memorializing your dreams, actions and small victories in life,” says author Rich Tola, who, by the way, is 57 yet claims to have “stopped getting older at age 30.”

How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth: 30 Steps to Everlasting Youth
How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth: 30 Steps to Everlasting Youth

“Looking, feeling and being 20 years younger than your actual age is all about empowering and replenishing your aura on a daily basis, keeping it strong and vibrant for the long haul,” he says. Which is age 108, if you ask the Hollywood filmmaker and modern-day yoga master (who also worked on Wall Street).

How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth provides step-by-step instructions on living better and stronger, and for being your best and healthiest self. And if readers follow Tola’s 30 Steps to Everlasting Youth, “you’ll never be out-of-shape and overweight; I guarantee it.” Strong words to stand by, but Tola certainly does.

The book is ideal for anyone looking to lose weight, feel more energized, be more confident, define their personal goals and aspirations, plus grow mentally as well as improve their entire outlook on life. It’s also for aspiring Millennials still searching for their calling, and for baby boomers who finally have the money but not the motivation to pursue their passion.

Tola’s book is fun, fast-paced and colloquial, not to mention laced with insightful anecdotes garnered from a half-century of experiences. With Steps like Be Vain, Love the Scale, Embrace Failure and Self-Correct, the author is quite the sage who respects the powers of karma. Because, as Tola believes, “Everything in life is circular, so our choices, both good and bad, definitely come back to us in the future.”

Tola also claims he was fortunate to have embraced fitness at a very young age, and lists his childhood heroes as nutrition guru, Jack LaLanne, and 7-time Mr. Olympia, Arnold Schwarzenegger. He calls them the Best of the Best, and they’re listed with 45 other “preeminent trailblazers and artists” right before the Glossary. Yes, there’s a Glossary with 50 words found throughout the book. Because, as Tola says, “…it always serves you well to empower your mind with a good vocabulary.”

Rich Tola is also known for his heartfelt and witty memoir, Simply Between Millions: From Wall Street to Hollywood, and films such as Boulevard Zen and Skateboard Bandits. With success in writing, fitness and filmmaking, Tola has made it his personal goal to help everyone live the same healthy life while experiencing the same guaranteed results to being – and staying – youthful in a way that works.

Available on Amazon.com and RichTola.com

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Step it Up…When We’re Down

I don’t know about you, but I’ve definitely been stepping it up with a few projects about to bloom, even during these “up-and-down-again” pandemic times. Gotta do it. Keep moving forward that is, when you have the time to make good use of your time, with actions and small victories.

With our recent setback, feels like a swimmer on the starting block who takes off only to be whistled back for a false start. I should know, I swam competitively as a child and for two years in high school, and no doubt getting called back sucks. That’s right, and it goes like this; you make a great start off the block, or so you think – and hope – the official didn’t catch you leaving early, then your heart skips a beat when you hear that whistle blow and you know it’s you. Now you swim back, pull yourself outta the pool, pull yourself together, then get set again. But this time you’re a little more cautious so you don’t get another false-start, and thus, get knocked outta the race.

Tola Talks is coming back in August!

Sound familiar?

For those of us in LA and anyone else who’s been told to lockdown – yet again – that swimmer is us. But we gotta stay positive and keep rockin’ our worlds.

No matter what.

And rather than bore you with my June Exercise Report Card – as you can imagine, it’s the same as the two months prior with some actual gym time in there, albeit not nearly enough, I’ve also been getting ready to publish my next book (woohoo!) as well as re-launch Tola Talks (podcast + on youtube.com/tolatalks).

We’re just two weeks away from the R &R, release and relaunch, so I won’t give any more away other than my next book is about Everlasting Youth and is definitely a one-of-a-kind creation. And the talk show is, well, ditto.

Have an awesome July everyone, and get your workout in! Peace – R

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Tola Talks all things Millennial with Hollywood Writer, Ben Smith

Another great show on Columbus Day talking all things millennial with my good friend and Hollywood writer, Ben Smith.

Since moving to LA LA Land eight years ago, Ben has managed to survive by developing websites while pursing his passion as a screenwriter. He’s also become a much better writer and continues to hone his craft by taking show-runner classes at UCLA.

As a follow-up to last week’s “If I Were President”, I would raise the Federal Minimum Wage and require our unemployed receiving benefits to get their hands dirty, helping America achieve the cleanest streets in the world…no doubt!

In other news, Tola Talks Hollywood movies and gives a 5-star review to George Clooney’s The Ides of March, bestows the The Get Your Shit Together Award to a Judge in Michigan, plus “nudge” theory with this year’s winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in Economic Sciences.

Check it out below…and remember to get your workout in! Peace – R