Dr. Roy Vartabedian is President of Vartabedian & Associates/ Designs for Wellness, a Health and Nutrition publishing and consulting firm. He is also a Doctor of Public Health, with a specialty in Chronic Disease Prevention from Loma Linda University, and holds Master of Public Health degrees in Health Education and Nutrition also from LLU. He has worked in the field of health promotion and disease prevention for over 22 years, working with patients, managing programs, consulting, and speaking throughout the U.S. and Canada. His landmark publication Nutripoints has been used in a total of 13 countries in 10 languages worldwide. He has appeared on numerous TV and radio programs. Today Show, Live With Regis, and Everyday With Joan Lunden. Articles on his Nutripoints Program have appeared in many publications including Ladies’ Home Journal, New Woman, the New York Times, and the Dallas Morning News. Previously, Dr. Vartabedian worked as Executive Director of Wellness Programs at the worldrenowned Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas. There he worked with Dr. Kenneth Cooper to develop the residential lifestyle improvement program on the 30acre Cooper Aerobics Center facility in Dallas, directing the program for 6 years. Before working with Dr. Cooper, he taught Preventive Care at the Family Practice Residency in Florida Hospital, Orlando, Florida for 4 years. There he trained 36 Family Practice doctors how to incorporate Patient Education and Preventive Medicine into their practices, and developed the awardwinning Preventive Care Learning Center, a facility patients used to learn more about how to improve their health and understand their disease when visiting their doctor.
Foods that help you heal from injuries. By Liz Applegate Ph.D. Image by Ann E. Cutting From the December 2011 issue of Runner’s World
Most athletes get injured at least once in their running careers. Whether it’s a sore tendon or sudden muscle pull, your body goes through a series of responses to start healing itself. Research shows that what you eat while recovering can actually help you get back on your feet sooner rather than later. Here’s how to adjust your diet.
I remember when I was in the 4th grade in the 80’s when Ronald Regan wanted to make french fries and tomato sauce (and/or ketchup) part of the vegetable food group. I was actually very happy about that at the time but I knew at age 9 that ketchup and french fries were not in the vegetable food group. Playing sports as a child I knew that I had to be agile and quick and when I ate fast food or other unhealthy foods I could feel myself getting slower and my energy levels were plummeting. I made a pact to myself when I was younger that I would try to avoid and ultimately quit drinking soda and eating fast food. It was an awareness I had about my own eating habits and one that my father would instill in me that being overweight and eating unhealthy would not help my overall performance in sports. A few days ago I read a little article on the 10th page of the Press Telegram in Long Beach discussing the story of unhealthy lunches still being served in schools across the country everyday. In my opinion there are a few main reasons I see why we can’t put healthier food out on the table for children. One very easy and effective way to get great nutrition in a child’s body everyday is by taking Juice Plus.
The holidays are here and we hope that your fitness goals are being met. With a variety of classes such as Indoor Rowing, Bootcamp, Spinning, and Zumba we strive to do the best job possible. I hope that everyone stays motivated throughout the holiday season. All of us here at Roworx wish you a very special holiday season. We are ready to move forward throughout the new year and have you accomplish all of your fitness goals.
I have come across some interesting articles lately about the importance of screening individuals for diabetes, cholesterol, and people with heart conditions in the L.A. Times as well as the Press Telegram here in Long Beach. It is a sign of the times that we are in a crisis of inhibiting bad eating habits and lack of participating in some sort of physical activity everyday. Growing up I was labeled in the ‘Generation X’ category, a generation that was known to be individualistic, technologically adept, flexible, and last but not least value a balance between work and life. ‘Generation Y’ was the next wave of kids to grow up throughout the 90’s and now I would personally dub this current generation of kids as ‘Generation O’ (O stands for Overweight). I’m noticing more kids with less energy and motivation more than ever before. I have to believe that lack of exercise activities and poor nutrition play a massive role in the way kids are moving around today. Combine that with the mentality that everyone wants things ‘now’ and patience is NOT a virtue is a scary thing. The fact that we all look to medication and the ‘secret pill’ to fix all of our problems is a huge mistake! Daily good exercise and nutrition are just another way of life. Just like sleeping and breathing… If you stop you will die. Simple as that! We all need to take a step back, gain some more balance in our lives between good nutrition and exercise, and look at our priorities and notice what is truly important in our lives. Patience and understanding with being healthy is a HUGE part of this and it takes time like everything does in order to become healthy and strong. A few years ago I heard someone say ‘Get in line.. And stay in line!’ Meaning that if you start a good whole-food nutrition or workout routine that you must be patient with your results. ‘Don’t get out of line’ or in other words quit your diet or workout routine just simply because you don’t have time or because your not having fun with it. Most likely you will end up spending more time in pain or in the hospital bed later in life. Individuals who work out and have a better diet are often generally happier and in better moods at a more consistent level. Daily exercise can releases endorphins which in turn create a better platform for a healthy happy lifestyle 🙂 I read the following story below this morning and found it disturbing that they would note that children should be taking lipitor or other drugs in order to lower cholesterol instead of really emphasizing the fact that parents and children need to drastically change their lifestyle into more productive healthier choices. Kids need influential ‘idols,’ whether it’s the parents or a professional sports figure to get motivated! One way to do this is to encourage children to participate in outside activities other than school and encounter more interactions in order to gain certain life experiences so that kids can grow and find their own identities. My identity is rowing and sport! I have an extreme passion for the sport and always encourage others to find out what they really want to do in life. I have had many experiences throughout my life to pick and choose what made me happy and what I could excel at… Whatever it is you want in life go for it and don’t let anyone hold you back 🙂
‘What YOU think is possible…IS possible!’ -John Nunn (Olympic Bronze Medalist 1968, Rowing)
Read on and learn learn more about where our next generation of children are heading…
As I look back in my athletic career it’s funny sometimes to see what my life would be like without the sport of rowing. It was not hard getting involved in sports when your father is an Olympic medalist. My father, John Nunn, was an Olympic Bronze Medalist in Rowing in 1968 and an Olympic Rowing Coach in 1976. He always told me that I had to be involved in something whether it was work or sports outside of school in order to stay active, more well-rounded, and ‘out of trouble.’ Both of my grandfathers were pro football football players, however my father always leaned towards non-impact sports because he valued the thought of mobility at an older age. However, I did grow up playing Ice Hockey, Soccer, Baseball, Tennis, and skiing during every christmas which all involve some sort of impact on the joints. My rowing career started relatively late compared with most other elite rowers. As a junior in high school at the age of 16 I came home one day from winter break out of Mary Star H.S. in San Pedro and told my father that I was not having fun playing soccer or baseball and wanted to quit. My father was sitting in the kitchen when I told him this and was fine with the decision however he said “You have to either find a job or something else that I wanted to do for a sport or activity.” I asked him about the junior rowing program in Long Beach and he literally jumped out of the chair he was sitting in and said he would make the necessary call to the coaches to get me started and the rest is history. It was the most excited I had ever seen my father get about something that I was interested in. The Concept 2 rowing machine was a huge catalyst for my rowing career and showed college coaches that I was in good shape and had great muscle endurance and mental concentration for a non-experienced rower. Within 16 months I was recruited to participate in the Junior National Rowing Team Selection Camp in 1997. I got cut within 2 weeks of the camp but came home to get in some good training and went on my way to go undefeated throughout my 1st year on UC Berkeley’s 1st Undefeated National Championship Season in 100 years in 1998. I rowed alongside teammates and future Olympians Jake Wetzel, Nito Simonsen, and Luke Walton. Then I repeated another Undefeated Season in 1999 only to lose in the finals and come 2nd to Cambridge University at the Henley Royal Regatta in Henley, England. Rowing has gotten me into and through college at Berkeley, to England, Austria, Japan, Canada, Australia, Germany, and all over the U.S.- all kinds of opportunities! I feel like I owe the sport of rowing something back and that is why I am soon opening (December 2012) up a fitness package training deal with Roworx for all levels of athletic ability. It will be called the ‘Roworx Effect Program’ and will feature all the classes that Roworx has to offer plus more… A detailed nutrition transformation with whole food based diet plans (This plant-based food diet is included with this program) and unlimited personal coaching through emails and phone conversations via Jack Nunn! If you are a high-school student this also applies to you as well however with the benefits of my father and I reaching out to college coaches for you and establishing contact with those coaches for better chances of college recruitment. Since I have rowed with many current college coaches and have been personally coached by 5 of the 12 best U.S. college coaches in the history of rowing in North America according to Rowing News Magazine I would be able to have an extreme edge while being able to communicate with most of the coaches from around the country. I guarantee If I don’t know them my father will! 🙂
Build strength and endurance with the NEW ski ergometer and training tool from Concept2.
Builds strength in upper body, core and legs
Provides a quality aerobic workout
Encourages proper and effective Nordic skiing technique
An ergometer (or “erg”) is a device that measures work. That’s what sets the Concept2 SkiErg apart from other training devices: it allows you to accurately assess your output, monitor your progress, and compare your scores with others using the Concept2 Performance Monitor. It’s the same monitor that has been helping rowers train for many years:
Immediate, accurate and repeatable performance data
Workout options: choose a preset workout, ski against a previous result or play a game
Memory and LogCard for workout data storage
USB Interface to transfer data to PC or Mac
Heart Rate Monitoring (PolarTM, SuuntoTM, and Garmin® options available)
Throughout most of my life I have been introduced and have taken many different kinds of vitamins and supplements. My father would always take them and I followed his every move and then some. In college my rowing coach in 1999 introduced our team to creatine and told us it was the latest and greatest natural supplement that will help us all get stronger and faster. We all had a huge can of creatine and it worked just like our coach said. I gained about 25lbs and thought most of it was muscle only to discover later that it was water weight and that creatine was actually causing dehydration in my muscles and giving me multiple cramps throughout my body while exercising. Besides the creatine intake I also took many different kinds of protein powder supplements and multi-vitamins. In contrast to what most people say the human body can only absorb so much protein intake per meal. Personally I felt tired and sick more when taking vitamins and supplements then when I did not take them. About 3 years ago I was introduced to Juice Plus and it has changed the way I look at fitness and nutrition working together. I use to think I could just work out more and more and than eat whatever I wanted to in massive amounts. In reality the more you work out, the more your body induces oxidative stress to the rest of the body just like exhaust from a car burning fuel. If you put ‘bad gas’ or ‘bad food,’ in this case into your body than you will be doing more damage inside your body. This repetitive action can lead to many different harmful diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and much more.
FACT: Did you know that beginning Aug.1st 2011 the NCAA has cracked down on vitamins and supplements. Read more here
As we prepare for the upcoming holiday season many people have been asking me how to accelerate the fat-burning workouts that Roworx has to offer. We all have our favorite instructors but make sure you try to attend different types of classes as listed below and try other instructors to ‘mix-up’ your workout routine. The body needs a constant challenge in order to be an efficient fat-burning machine. Check out the information below in order to get the best possible workout at Roworx. Last but not least …Have Fun!!!! Enjoy the movement up and down the slide and the sensation of a great full-body workout that burns twice the calories as cycling/running/walking while feeling no impact on the joints!
Look For Our New And Improved Roworx Website Coming Soon Featuring Individual Pages For Description Of Classes And Much More!
Row N’ Core™
This fun workout will involve personalized technique on the rowing machine as well as core strengthening workouts during the program! Enjoy side to side movments and other abdominal exercises while on the machine. Light weights are often used in these classes to get lean and toned faster! Get ready to turn up the heat and get that fat-burning core workout moving!
BPM Row™
BPM stands for “beats per minute” rowing! This fun workout will involve rowing to the beats per minute of the music! Everything goes in this class so come prepared to sweat and burn major calories! We will spend more time focusing on technique which makes it the perfect class for the first-time rower, or the experienced rower who wants to work specifically on improving their form. The latest, hottest, body moving dance songs will be mixed in to this workout in order to motivate you and keep the fun going in class.
Row N’ Burn™
Similar to BPM row, this advanced class includes testing yourself for time and/or distance. This class will meet your strengthening goals and will be a great class for weekend warriors and everyday people who want to be fit and strong. Through the use of Olympic rowing workouts and circuit training, Row N’ Burn participants of all levels will see significant changes in their lean-muscle tone and improvement of all physical aspects of their daily lives. Click here to check out the last blog written about the description of this class! After This Friday Morning Class, Roworx Will Be Offering FRAPEE FRIDAY Treating You All To FREE Juice Plus Shakes. These Shakes Are Offered To Everyone In Class In Order To Replenish The Body With Energy-Boosting-Plant-Based Protein And More! You Can Order Any Juice Plus Product Right Here In Order To Easily Get All Those Reccomended Servings Of Fruits And Vegetables Every Single Day!
Row N’ Coach™
Everyday is national learn to row day when you take this class once a week every Friday night at 5:30PM at the warehouse/studio at 1347 Loma Ave in Long beach. Ian Simpson will share his passion for rowing and he wants to see you having a happy and successful rowing experience at Roworx. Ian has a unique one on one type of rowing class, which can get your rowing stroke almost, perfected in just one workout. With over 10 years of successfully coaching, mentoring, and guiding rowing classes the value of his experience here at Roworx is amazing! This class is recommend for all levels of rowers who want to practice and have a better rowing stroke.
Ab Workouts and the Core ARC
Our ab workouts will never be the same… After just one core altering workout you will be eagerly anticipating the future of your midsection. Although challenging, this workout will leave you confident about the progress of your ab toning! Reminder: If you feel like the arc is uncomfortable on your back make sure to bring a towel to offer more support so you don’t have to skip your workout!
Zumba™
The Zumba® program fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a one-of-a-kind fitness program that will blow you away. Our goal is simple: We want you to want to work out, to love working out, to get hooked. Zumba Fanatics achieve long-term benefits while experiencing an absolute blast in one exciting hour of calorie-burning, body-energizing, awe-inspiring movements meant to engage and captivate for life! The routines feature interval training sessions where fast and slow rhythms and resistance training are combined to tone and sculpt your body while burning fat. Add some Latin flavor and international zest into the mix and you’ve got a Zumba class!
Spinning
Spinning classes are done on the Spinner cycling bikes (http://www.spinning.com/) with various light and music settings to create an energized atmosphere. Instructors will guide you through workout phases. Warm-up, steady uptempo cadences, sprints, climbs, cool-downs, etc. You control resistance on your bike to make the pedaling as easy or difficult as you choose. Constant adjustment is normal. All you’ll need is workout clothes, a towel (to wipe your face) and a water bottle. Spinning bikes have toe clips so you can wear tennis shoes. But many pedals also work with Shimano-style SPD cleats. Have Fun and enjoy Spinning away!
Boot Camp
Building your rowing strength and endurance…not to mention burn major calories and tighten all those areas you worry about! This workout will featuring many different workouts and stations rotating from one exercise to another, better known as circuit training. Come try a class, you won’t regret it and neither will your body! Boot Camp will be included with your membership.
All levels are welcome in every specialty class. Come try something new!
We have come a long way with new information regarding hydration and how important it is in maintaining a healthier lifestyle especially during physical activity. We are all trying to find that ‘magic pill’ or remedy that slows or eliminates the aging process.
Dr. Roy Vartabedian is President of Vartabedian & Associates/ Designs for Wellness, a Health and Nutrition publishing and consulting firm. He is also a Doctor of Public Health, with a specialty in Chronic Disease Prevention from Loma Linda University, and holds Master of Public Health degrees in Health Education and Nutrition also from LLU. He has worked in the field of health promotion and disease prevention for over 22 years, working with patients, managing programs, consulting, and speaking throughout the U.S. and Canada. His landmark publication Nutripoints has been used in a total of 13 countries in 10 languages worldwide. He has appeared on numerous TV and radio programs. Today Show, Live With Regis, and Everyday With Joan Lunden. Articles on his Nutripoints Program have appeared in many publications including Ladies’ Home Journal, New Woman, the New York Times, and the Dallas Morning News. Previously, Dr. Vartabedian worked as Executive Director of Wellness Programs at the worldrenowned Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas. There he worked with Dr. Kenneth Cooper to develop the residential lifestyle improvement program on the 30acre Cooper Aerobics Center facility in Dallas, directing the program for 6 years. Before working with Dr. Cooper, he taught Preventive Care at the Family Practice Residency in Florida Hospital, Orlando, Florida for 4 years. There he trained 36 Family Practice doctors how to incorporate Patient Education and Preventive Medicine into their practices, and developed the awardwinning Preventive Care Learning Center, a facility patients used to learn more about how to improve their health and understand their disease when visiting their doctor.
