Oftentimes we receive compliments from friends or people we recently met, and just let them slide off us without really absorbing their energy. That is to say, really taking compliments to heart and warming yourself with the admiration. Especially guys. We can easily prefer criticisms to compliments because of our male conditioning. But it’s OK for anyone to basque in the moment of the compliment. Like what happened to me this morning. I saw a friend in the gym I haven’t seen in a while who complimented me on my film, Boulevard Zen, and my 100 days of blogs when she went on about how she loved the film’s characters, and my “totally believable” girlfriend, and my “powerful blogs”, until she finally said, “And you know what Rich Tola, you got heart.” Now that made my day. And why shouldn’t it, right? So take note and absorb that positive energy. Take compliments to Heart! And enjoy firming your Core & Abs as we countdown with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #99 – Core Power II. – R
Mind games never work
I was working out next to this very large twenty-something year old guy in the gym the other day when he says to his friend, “I told myself I’m going to lose 15 pounds, so when I don’t make it and only lose 10, it’ll be a success. Because I only need to lose 10.” So what’s wrong with this statement? Besides the fact that he’s just casually throwing around words and talking about what he’s going to do, he’s playing mind games with himself and not facing up to the truth. Because when it comes working out and/or significant weight loss, it’s critical to be honest with yourself. Never judge yourself or the outcome, but be honest. Mind games never work. Because your subconscious knows the truth and will always sabotage your games. Rightly so, since any successful program begins with honesty, commitment and self-discipline. So forget the mind games and let the real games begin with a daily fitness program. With today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #100, why not BRIDGE your way backwards to the next 100 days! Enjoy – R
100 Workouts in 100 Days
When you read this you might think, what’s so special about exercising 5 minutes a day, everyday, for 100 straight days? I mean, you walk around and climb stairs everyday at work and home, and even work-up a sweat doing the household chores like scrubbing the bath tub. But are you really embracing a daily fitness program? One that’s effective, simple and attainable, and most importantly, one that becomes an integral part of your subconscious. Because moving the body around isn’t the same as exercising the body. With exercise there’s a purpose and a goal. And if you exercise daily, you will see results. You’ll not only benefit from having more strength and flexibility, increased bone mass, better posture, better circulation, and better breathing, but also from the mental clarity and strength you’ll get from succeeding everyday at something quite challenging. All it takes is the belief and the courage to try. So believe and achieve with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #100-Bridge Pose II. It’s also the finale of this fat burning series, with details coming soon about my Burn Fat America Tour. Thanks for tuning in! – R
Fail over and over again
Michael Jordan, one of basketball’s greatest players, once said, “I’ve missed over 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.” No doubt. Because if you never try you’ll never succeed. And by trying you learn, experience and mature into a do-er and not a talk-er. One who’s not afraid to take the next shot, whatever the outcome of the previous one. So if you’ve tried before, to exercise a little bit each day, and just it didn’t stick, well then, be like Mike, and try again today with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #99 – Core Power II. Enjoy – R
Arsenal of Exercises
For the past 98 days, I’ve been coming up with different fat burning workouts that are uniquely challenging, simple and short. No special equipment or anything else required. Just yourself, a device with internet access, and a space about the size of your bathroom. Clothes optional. So check out the cool arsenal of exercises you now have at your disposal with the past 98 workouts. And enjoy blasting your thighs from the Ground to the Penthouse with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #98 – Elevator Squats. – R
Longer days for better bodies
In exactly three weeks (June 21st), the summer solstice will occur when the days are longest and the nights are shortest. I’m not sure about you, but I certainly prefer the daytime when it comes to working out or doing anything fitness related. With longer days and the hot summer weather, it’s a great time to go for that after dinner walk or scenic bike ride. And why not consider adding a few 5 Minute Fat Burning Workouts to the mix to round out your evening. Either before or after, these bite-size workouts will provide you with a quick and effective warm-up or cool-down to complement your stroll. So let that extra sunlight help you achieve that better body, and enjoy sculpting your entire body with today’s 97th consecutive fat burning workout – Side Plank. – R
Remembering my Uncle Mickey
Every Memorial Day I remember my Uncle Mickey, aka, Dr. Cook. Uncle Mickey served as a cook in the Army in WWII, thus the nickname, and he was exactly 55 years older than me as we shared the same birthday. In my 20’s I got to know Uncle Mickey and respected his view of himself and the world. Because he respected everyone and everything. He was this charming bachelor who would tell folks he never married because he had to take care of his mother, he had a daily fitness routine he’d do in the spare room, and he wore a suit & tie every single day. That’s right, every single day until he entered the nursing home when he was 90. He was the ultimate citizen who respected what it meant to be an American. Someone to admire for truly loving life. And what I remember most about Uncle Mickey was our walks at the nursing home when his mind and body would barely cooperate. He always kept his dignity and his positive attitude, and never felt sorry for himself. So for everyone remembering loved ones today, enjoy! And enjoy sculpting your thighs again with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #96 – Killer Squats II. – R
Happy Memorial Day Everyone!
Make it a Religion
I met a thirty-something year old gal in the gym this morning who’s there religiously, Monday-Friday, but never on the weekends. When I asked why, she said “because she likes to sleep a lot to get ready for Monday”. Interesting, I thought, then she asked me why I workout everyday, even on the weekends. Because working out everyday is a religion to me, I responded, and I believe that rest is more pertinent to strength training than it is to a comprehensive daily fitness program. One that includes weight training, yoga, cardio, abdominals, and stretching, all combined with a moving meditative mindset. As described by Dictionary.com, the noun religion is also defined as “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects”. Thus, my fervent belief in a daily fitness program makes it a religion for me, albeit, in an unconventional way. No worries if you believe otherwise. Just consider the results you’re getting from whatever fitness program you believe in, and if they’re not too satisfying, then perhaps consider embracing my religion. And enjoy another 5 Minutes of Fat Burning with today’s 92nd consecutive workout – Killer Thighs. My best – R
Who can forget “the Nineties”?
Now who can forget the end of Modernity and the start of the current Postmodern Age? And what do you remember most? Is it the World Wide Web and the Internet Boom, MP3s and mobile phones, Amazon and eBay, AOL and Yahoo, the iMac and Windows 95, Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, Apartheid and Nelson Mandela, Great Britain handing Hong Kong over to China, Hurricane Andrew and the Northridge earthquake, Boris Yeltsin and the old Soviet Union, the surging Dow Jones and proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem, the Dodge Ram and the Saturn, Dolly the cloned sheep and the Hubble Space Telescope, Generation Y and the Spice Girls, Tattoos and body piercings, Princess Diana and Mother Theresa, OJ Simpson and Colombine High School, assisted suicide and Jack Kervorkian, the Gulf War and Rwandan Genocide, the blockbusters Dances with Wolves, Titanic, Pulp Fiction, The Silence of the Lambs, Forrest Gump, Pretty Woman, Ghost, and Home Alone, the lovable Friends and ER – and don’t forget George Clooney, Beverly Hills 90210, Beavis and Butthead and The Simpsons, the passing of Freddie Mercury, Kurt Cobain, Selena, Tupac Shakur, and The Notorious B.I.G., punk rock and the rave movement, Resident Evil and Laura Croft, Nirvana and Britney Spears, the Major League Baseball strike, Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong and Hulk Hogan, Jennifer Aniston’s haircut and the resurgence of the Wonder Bra, and of course, Y2K. It was also a decade of fitness fun with Taebo, Boot Camps and the Soloflex. And no worries if you can’t remember the 1990’s and lost all your Soloflex bands, because there’s no equipment necessary with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workouts. So enjoy strengthening your upper body with today 90th consecutive daily workout – Shoulders & Arms. RIP 1990’s – R
Remembering “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”
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