SIMPLY… F.A.S.T.E.R. ON THE INDOOR ROWING MACHINE, ROWING ON THE WATER, AND THE CONCEPT 2 SKI ERG.
adj. fast·er, fast·est
1. Acting, moving, or capable of acting or moving quickly; swift.
QUESTION: What’s better than getting coached by an Olympian?
ANSWER: Try being coached and having your rowing stroke analyzed by a real Olympic Rowing Coach, John Nunn (1976 U.S. Olympic Men’s Rowing/Sculling Coach).
A primary key to longevity in sports is staying as active as possible throughout your life. If kids start sports at a young age, they become accustomed to regular practices and competition.
On November 25th 2012 I will be participating in my 3rd Full Distance Ironman in Cozumel, Mexico. After a brief rest from completing two international Ironman competitions in 2008 Nice, France and 2009 Florianopolis, Brazil I wanted something to train for again in order to keep driving myself into competition.
Even fitness buffs can have an off day. Here’s how to stay motivated, no matter what life throws at you.
There are many things that come up during the day that can distract you from your workout. You’re too tired, too hungry, too stressed, or just don’t have the time. Maybe you’re bored with your workout or progressing too slowly. Your favorite class is too overflowing with people or your favorite fitness machine is down for repairs. Your injured or sick in one way or another.
If you would have asked me 10 years ago that he was going to operate and own a fitness center in Long Beach I would have said ‘that’s crazy.. no way.’ I was always motivated through sports in one way or another and I loved the variety in which I could participate in most any sport. At one time in high school I was playing club soccer, Ice hockey, and rowing all in the same year. I had always dreamed about being paid to work out and compensated in one form or another. I graduated from UC Berkeley with a Communications major and minor in business hoping that I would write in a magazine or newspaper for a sports page. Funny how things turn out 🙂 When I moved home from the U.S. National Rowing Team In 2005 I was ‘burned out’ of the same fitness routine I had been doing for the last 15 plus years in rowing. I started teaching indoor cycling classes in order to change my routine and get myself back to a fitness regiment in order to be honest with my workouts. I had always trained on my own but I found that when training with a group there was an amazing feeling of high energy and consistency while exercising. Not only does it keep you honest with your workout but the sense of the group workout adds an effective high energy fat burning workout you won’t find anywhere else!
Ever since I could remember, I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps as an Olympian. My father, John Nunn, won a bronze medal in rowing at the 1968 Olympic Games held in Mexico City. He was also the Head Coach for the Men’s Olympic Rowing Team for the United States in the 1976 Olympic Games held in Montreal.
Since Wikipedia is not giving my father much love in the description of highlighting his rowing career among many other accomplishments he has achieved throughout his life I would like to take this opportunity to write a bit more on his behalf and add to his lifetime achievements.
This camp was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to meet the best of the best in the sport of rowing, especially in the singles event. The singles event is known in the world of rowing to be the toughest of all rowing events and respected by other sports as being one of the hardest things to master. To be the best in the world in the single is like being Superman in my eyes. There are 8 Parts to this Blog simply because each one of these athletes has had such a tremendous impact on the world of rowing and beyond. I want to share my experience with each of these great rowers. Part 3
Much has been talked about in the sports and science community about the adverse affects of prolonged and strenuous exercise as it relates to the production of free radicals in an athlete’s body. What are these byproducts of aerobic exercise and why are they damaging to the human body? More importantly, what role do antioxidants play in neutralizing these damaging molecules and what can we as athletes do to facilitate this protective process?
* WITHOUT GOOD PROPER NUTRITION YOU MIGHT END UP LIKE THIS DURING YOUR WORKOUT :/
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…
SIMPLY… F.A.S.T.E.R. ON THE INDOOR ROWING MACHINE, ROWING ON THE WATER, AND THE CONCEPT 2 SKI ERG.
