Author | Filmmaker and Host, Tola Talks
Anyone can get a great full-body workout with my Top 5 Super Set Exercises. Super sets are quick and effective and give your muscles a “super” pump by combining two different exercises consecutively – without taking a break in between. Enjoy – R
Get Fit. Live Healthy. Lose Inches. Stay Zen.
RichTola.com. Follow on Instagram @BLVDZEN
Still wondering if you should give away that little stool you have stashed in the closet?
Don’t be a stooly…workout with it!
Check out the latest episode of Stay Zen, 10 Ways to Workout with a Stool, where you can Get Fit, Live Healthy, Lose Inches and Stay Zen. Enjoy – R
What should you do when it’s too cold outside to go for your walk or even make it to your favorite exercise class? Stay inside and improvise..and why not walk the mall! Enjoy – R
Hope you enjoy my new web series that’s all about Health & Fitness, Dating & Relationships, and everything else From Wall Street to Main Street. Stay Zen – R
Where in the world is Bushwick, you might ask? A far cry from Hollywood and the “Boulevard of Broken Dreams’, right? Well, not exactly.
Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of Brooklyn, bounded by Williamsburg to the west, East New York to the east, Bed-Stuy to the south, and Ridgewood, Queens to the north. With a population of about 150,000, “most residents are Latinos from the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico and from the Dominican Republic, but more recent years have seen an increase in native-born Americans as well as other Latino groups, particularly immigrants from Mexico”. And with a subway stop right outside my front door (the elevated M line), I can reach downtown Manhattan in about 20 minutes.
So why choose Bushwick for the next leg of my journey? Specifically to put me close to Wall Street where I can sell my sexy memoir, Simply Between Millions: From Wall Street to Hollywood, and most importantly, where I can affordably re-connect with my acting roots and audition for that role of a lifetime – or any suitable roles in film, TV and even Broadway for that matter. Yes, Broadway, because just like my book says, “it’s a calling” and “the proof is in the pudding”, so let the talented survive and the confident thrive.
And for anyone looking to expand their horizons and be inspired to try – that is, to pursue your true passion that may lead you to greatness – then read my memoir and decide. Because you really can achieve anything in life if you believe in yourself and just set your sights and try!
Simply Between Millions: From Wall Street to Hollywood is available in paperback ($15.99) and in ebook on Kindle ($9.99). A portion of sales help women and children survivors of domestic violence.
Thanks again to all those who bought my book, Simply Between Millions: From Wall Street to Hollywood. Post your comments below or on Facebook – love to hear them! And if you find yourself in San Francisco, you can buy a copy at Books Inc. in Opera Plaza, located at 601 Van Ness, and Browser Books in Pacific Heights, located at 2195 Fillmore St. With In-Store events coming in May!
You can also download the e-book on Kindle.com for $9.99
Here’s what readers are calling it thus far: enjoyable, inspiring, a great coast-to-coast read on a direct flight, fantastic, a real page-turner, and, wow, a well-written book with so many women. Well, what can I say, but there’s a really good chapter in there explaining the “cute-boy syndrome” and my retirement from “playing” aptly called, The Player Gets Played. And tons more stories that’ll humor you for a good 4 hours, or longer, if you get caught up on my multi-generational timeline of pictures – all 48 of them – from the early 1960’s to 2011.
So maybe you don’t want your 13-year old reading this, but if YOU do, you’ll learn something new about all sorts of places and things. Not to mention the plethora of businesses you’ll experience, including Wall Street and making movies. For sure you’ll be inspired to get up and try something new, or at least acknowledge that you could do something new, if you just believed in yourself and tried. Like a daily fitness program. Of course that’s in there too, in one of my favorite chapters, Self-Correct.
A portion of all sales is donated to my charity. Thanks for reading! Enjoy – R
Hi Everyone,
I’m happy to announce my memoir, Simply Between Millions: From Wall Street to Hollywood, is available for purchase at www.Amazon.com. There’s 386 pages worth – featuring 69 short chapters of wild and inspiring true stories.
10% of all sales donated to The Boulevard Zen Foundation, where we teach yoga to women and children living in domestic violence shelters.
Enjoy – R
Exactly 5 years ago today I purchased a one-way ticket and boarded a plane to Hollywood. Of course, I had a “Five Year Plan”, which you’ll read all about in Chapter 3 of my soon-to-be-released memoir, Simply Between Millions: From Wall Street to Hollywood. But when does anything go according to plan, right? Nevertheless, it’s been an amazing 5 years and I’m really looking forward to the next leg of my journey! Because, no matter if you’re “on-track” to meet your pre-determined plan, life always throws you a curve ball. And just like a batter expecting the fastball but gets the curve – relax, stay focused, keep you eye on the ball, and go with the pitch. And always remember, wherever you go, go with all your heart.
Here’s my Top Ten highlights of the past 5 years:
1) Produced, directed and starred in my first feature film, Boulevard Zen
2) Created and produced a video encyclopedia of 100 yoga poses, Yoga Survival Guide
3) Created and produced a yoga/fitness video for 7 days a week, 15 Minute Fat Burning Workouts
4) Created and produced 100 consecutive days of free yoga/fitness videos, 5 Minute Fat Burning Workouts: 100 Workouts in 100 Days
5) Founded a charity teaching yoga to women and children living in domestic violence shelters, The Boulevard Zen Foundation
6) Launched the Fat Burn America Tour: 100 Cities in 100 Days (albeit, I didn’t procure the necessary funding)
7) Quit drinking and my “player” ways (OK, that’s 2 but they go together)
8) Lived in paradise (Hawaii) for 3 months
9) Wrote my first book, Simply Between Millions: From Wall Street to Hollywood
10) Moved to the most lovable and unique city in the country: San Francisco
Oh, did I mention I worked out every day for the past 5 years. I guess that goes without saying, because anyone can commit to a daily fitness program, if you set your sights and try. So for those of you not currently trying to fight Father Time on a daily basis, here’s another 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout to get you started. Enjoy – R
There’s been a lot of talk these days about how “yoga can wreck your body”. Well, there’s no question that practicing yoga with an inexperienced or bad teacher can lead to injury; I’ve been hurt three times in the past six years from so-called master teachers and their inappropriate sequencing of poses. Unfortunately, just like Glenn Black says in the NY Times article, “To many schools of yoga are just about pushing people”. Add to that, too many yoga teachers have no background in physical fitness and/or body mechanics, and voila, yoga can hurt you.
Proof in point: Last summer I read a GQ article and posted my Letter to the Editor in my July 22nd blog (click HERE to read). In short, a NYC studio owner prescribed a 15 minute yoga workout with three twisting and forward bending poses that made me cringe. Because there are certainly yoga poses that should never be attempted without the proper (and complete) understanding of how to come into and out of each pose, as well as properly warming up the spine and preparing your body. And if you’re new to yoga, be extremely careful with any teacher that’s pushing too hard or moving too fast – especially an overzealous one that’s new to the profession.
And if you’re someone who truly wants the benefits of yoga but are reluctant to take a class (for a variety of reasons), then try my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workouts that are based on yoga principles and employ my very precise teaching style that’s designed to minimize injury to any body part, especially the neck and low back. Or better yet, if you really want to arm yourself with knowledge, then watch my Yoga Survival Guide with 30 fun lessons teaching you the proper and safe way to practice 100 yoga poses. Enjoy – R
You know this old adage about beauty being subjective to each one of us, right? Well, that may be true for the rest of the world, but in Hawaii, beauty is everywhere to everyone! Today is my 10th day on the island of Oahu, and just like they say, it’s quite a paradise. Of course it takes time getting settled in a new place that I never visited and didn’t know a single soul who even lived here. But I’ve since met some really nice people and found a very pleasant place to live in the quaint neighborhood of Kaimuki – and a baseball’s throw away from Hawaii’s most recognized landmark, Diamond Head.
To add to my good fortune, I’m overlooking the Pacific Ocean as I write this blog. Two days ago I climbed Diamond Head State Monument and snapped this picture from the top of the 300,000 year-old saucer shaped crater overlooking Waikiki Beach and downtown Honolulu – and just after a rainfall, thus the beautiful rainbow. I came here to be inspired by this spiritual land as I prepare to publish my memoirs and to pursue life as an actor-filmmaker and yoga professional. So if you’re in need of a little inspiration today as you weather whatever climate you’re in, take notice of the Hawaiian beauty and don’t forget to get your daily workout in with some Lounge Chair Abs!
Enjoy – R