Pro Fitness Network

Carina Weston, a fitness authority who began her career in Pasadena, has been creating fitness programs for more then 20 years.

Born in Uppsala, Sweden, Carina has been active in sports her entire life. As a young girl, she competed in a number of sports including competitive cross-country skiing, soccer, ice-skating and running. She still continues to enjoy strength training, rollerblading and hiking.

Introduced to aerobics in Pasadena more then 20 years ago, she started her fitness career as an aerobics instructor and returned to Sweden to start her own business. At that time aerobics was unknown in Sweden. An innovator even then, Carina's business took off, and she was asked to set up a number of aerobics centers around the country. As a result of this success, she committed her career to fitness training and received her first level of certification before returning permanently to the United states in 1991.

Shortly after her arrival, Carina was nearly paralyzed in an accident that broke her neck in five places. Her commitment to health and fitness helped her overcome this devastating injury and inspired her to help others achieve their own training goals.

Today Carina and her twin daughters lives in Altadena where she is an active member of the community.

Carina has owned and operated fitness centers for more then 14 years, including Pro Fitness Network in Pasadena since 1991. She is certified as a fitness instructor with the International Sport and Science Association (ISSA).

The owner of JLM FITNESS, has over 22 years experience in fitness training, weight management and fitness management. She is a certified personal trainer through NASM and Apex Fitness, and was a national presenter and instructor for the Apex Fitness certification programs, as well. In addition to her ongoing consulting work, Julia has appeared on ABC 7 News, as a fitness and weight loss expert for their “Healthy Living” segments. For more information on the services JLM FITNESS provides, visit www.jlmfitness.com

Working with Pro Fitness Network for over a decade, Joseph’s qualifications stands out among the best in the city. He has over 20 years experience as a Fitness provider, motivator, and educator, and is the creator of the Fitness Phase training theories and techniques, as well as the concepts of “Phase “training. Phase training encompasses the elements of BALANCE, FLEXABILITY, CARDIOVASCULAR, STRENGTH, and ENDURANCE, to provide you with a successful and well-balanced fitness session. Joseph has worked extensively in both the business and performance side of fitness, in nationally known Nautilus of California and Gold’s Gym. Joseph, along with his wife Alina and their four sons’, are the owners of Fitness Phase Personal Training Service which combines their passion for fitness with drive, to provide world class training for their clients. We are certain that Joseph, along with the Pro-Fitness Network, can successfully help you reach your fitness goals to provide you with a healthier and more active life.

Has been training for 8 years. She graduated from Cal State San Bernardino with a a B.S. in Kinesiology. She is certified with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Her clients have ranged from athletes such as Kentucky Derby winning jockey Mike Smith, Hollywood stars such as Jerry O'Connell, to balance and mobility classes with senior citizens. She and her husband enjoy playing tennis, mountain biking, and snowboarding. She hopes to share her enthusiasm for a active and healthy lifestyle with her clients.

Robert has been a personal trainer for over ten years. He was certified by A.C.E. The American Council On Exercise in 1996 and then certified by N.A.S.M. The National Academy Of Sports Medicine in 1999. He had worked in health club environments for years, developing his skills for a wide variety of populations before starting Sound Body Fitness. In addition to his experience as a trainer, he has also worked as a head trainer for three major health clubs. In this capacity, he taught other trainers how to help their clients achieve their goals as quickly and as safely as possible.

Robert’s ability to motivate clients to achieve higher levels of performance, while making exercise fun and effective, is one of the reasons that he has had so much success helping them achieve their goals, and that has helped them continue to lead healthier and therefore, happier lifestyles.

Robert has been a vegan/vegetarian for 16 years and though most of his clients are not, his personal commitment to healthy nutrition has inspired omnivores and vegans/vegetarians alike eat healthier, look better and improve their self-esteem. www.soundbodyfitness.org

Sarah Callahan has been an A.C.E certified personal trainer for seven years.

With extensive knowledge and training in anatomy, kinesiology, exercise physiology and program design, helping people achieve their health and fitness goals is her main objective. Whether your goal is to lose weight, gain strength, improve cardiovascular health or all of the above, Sarah specializes in designing a program specific to your needs. Being in the industry for many years and working at some of the top health clubs in the country, Sarah is experienced in training youth, the elderly and everything in between. She loves working with special populations including pre- and post-natal, post-rehabilitation, and she can help reverse the effects of certain health conditions such as diabetes, osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, arthritis and urethral syndrome. By continuing her education through classes, seminars and conferences, Sarah is on the cutting edge of the industry and enjoys incorporating all she has learned into each session.

Vickie Barzdaite Lane

Vickie was born in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Since the age of seven she beenballroom dancing. In 1992 she founded her own group "Galaktika" with which she worked as a dancer and choreographer for 10 years.

In 2001 she left Lithuania for the USA to compete at the finals of the "Showbiz National Talent Competition." Having taken second place, she settled in Los Angeles to perfect her dance skills and study to pursue a career as a Personal Trainer. In 2005 she finished her dance calendar project she also got certified as a Personal Trainer with American Fitness Training of Athletics (AFTA) and as a Dance and Fitness Instructor with Private Trainers Association (PTA).

Now she works as a professional Personal Trainer in Pasadena, CA.

Jeri Gillis

“I have the personality of a cheerleader. I root for my clients. I find their inner sense of determination and focus on self motivation.” Jeri is certified by the respected National Academy of Sports Medicine. But her fitness pedigree is quintessential California. Jeri’s father is one of the legendary athletes who performed amazing, acrobatic feats of strength at Santa Monica Muscle Beach during the fifties. “The beach was my first gym. I still love all things sand, surf and sweat---working out, swimming and volleyball.” Jeri first tested her athletic talents as an aerobics instructor. Two decades later, she’s a high-energy personal trainer. And like her famously fit father, Jeri is a motivating mentor. “Fitness becomes a way of life. It’s impossible not to love feeling healthy. I’ve never had a client say ‘I feel worse.’ They feel strong, accomplished and happy.”

Martin Mapoma

Martin brings an energizing, global perspective to Pro Fitness Network. He is certified

by the prestigious International Sports and Science Association. Born in Zambia, Africa, Martin has been a well rounded scholar/athlete since childhood. After completing his schooling, he moved to Chicago to focus his athletic training on distance running. He worked with Fleet Feet for two years, specializing in the science of stride analysis and preparing clients for the mental and physical challenges of triathlons and marathons. Martin’s mind-body sports philosophy further evolved as a competitive kick boxer and earning a 3^rd degree brown belt in the eastern art of Shaolin Do. He moved to southern California to fully embrace the fitness lifestyle as a personal trainer and entrepreneur.

Carlos Flores

Carlos has been certified by the International Sports and Science Association (ISSA) as a Personal Fitness Trainer since November of 2007. Prior to that, he was a Grand Canyon Arizona Firefighter/EMT, CPR instructor and an avid outdoor activities participant. These interests in a healthy life style, led to his career change as a Personal Fitness Trainer and the development of his specialized training program called OAT, Outdoor Adventure Training. The program combines anaerobic training using resistant and free weights with outdoor activities like hiking and biking as part of the aerobics portion of the training program. His training philosophy is “a personal commitment to delivering exceptional quality training with fun, compassion and care for everyone who wishes a FIT LIFE.”

Pilates Instructors

Maria A. Jiménez

From sculptor to Pilates instructor: for Maria, it's all about form and movement.

In 1993, while studying art in New York, Pilates captured Maria's imagination.It was the first challenging exercise routine that she also found artistic .She fell in love with Pilates' fluid moves and graceful style of training and pursued it with a passion.

Maria returned to Los Angeles in 2000 and received her Pilates certification from the Center Studio in Burbank. Maria worked at LeStudio in Pasadena for five years prior to bringing her talents to Pro Fitness Network.

She continues to expand the scope of her practice by participating in cutting edge workshops. Most recently, she received additional certification from the Center for Women's Fitness to teach Pre and Postnatal Pilates. Maria is a creative, positive instructor and draws on broad experience to inspire her clients.

Rory Olivarez

Rory grew up in South Pasadena. She studied ballet for six years and for four of those years she danced and traveled as a member of the Pasadena Dance Theatre. After high school, and college, Rory went on to obtain a degree in law and subsequently practiced law for the next 10 years. After a serious back injury, Rory began the practice of Pilates as physical therapy and became a believer after she recovered completely from her injury. Rory is certified to teach Pilates through the Body Arts and Science Institute. She currently teaches both individual and semi private sessions.

Jennifer Wenzlaff

Jennifer has always had an active lifestyle since she started dance at the age of 3. She went on to compete in gymnastics and after high school, began studying theatre and earned a BFA in Theatre from CalArts. She studied T'ai Chi for 4 years and also began to practice yoga. Soon-after graduating college, she was a founding member of the Collective, a theatre company in Los Angeles that focused mainly on very physical theatre, most of which had no dialogue. During the rehearsal process of a particularly physical show, she started to explore Pilates as a means of gaining more strength and flexibility and to learn to protect herself from injury. After the first session, she was hooked. Pilates is a perfect blend of the physical and the mental, always focusing on the mind/body connection. Her teaching style concentrates on marrying the breath with the movement and creating muscular energy with every exercise. She earned her certification through Center Studio.

Frances is the developer of Fitness Massage and owner of the Kneaded Experience LA, a professional chair massage company, in operation since 1995. http://www.kneadedexperience-la.com. She also is the Director of Education and a State Certified Massage Therapy Instructor at the Hands-on-Healing Institute in Tujunga. http://www.gotohhi.org. She has been actively participating in the health and bodywork profession for over 20 years. Her first massage experience was a Rolfing session at the age of 17 and she was hooked. She finally fulfilled a life-long dream when she graduated from the Massage School of Santa Monica in 1993, and now specializes in Myofascial release, trigger point therapy and chair massage. Frances works out regularly with Carina, the owner of Pro Fitness Network (“Carina ROCKS!”), supervises our Massage Therapy Department, and offers Myofascial Release here on Monday evenings.

Vanessa Ferandell-Villarino, LMT

Ivonne has recently joined the dynamic team of Massage Therapists at Pro Fitness Network. She is another Hands on Healing graduate and specializes in Fitness Massage, Chair Massage, Swedish and Myofascial Therapy. She currently provides chair massage to several locations in the Glendale/Pasadena/Burbank area, including KMVN 93.9, CIGNA Health Care, DMI Worldwide, Glendale Whole Foods, Pasadena Wild Oats and Huntington Hospital. She graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a Bachelor's in Science and Geography focus. In her free time, she enjoys the doing Bikram yoga and playing in the outdoors at the local hiking spots. She is both fascinated by the nature and wildlife she finds on the trails, and is also captivated by the intricate workings of the inner body.

Nora was moved to go into massage during a midlife time of transition. “It was a calling!”, she

says and she has never looked back. After much experience in the spa industry, she is continuing her practice which includes Swedish, Deep Tissue, Chair Massage and Myofascial Release. Whatever your reason for receiving massage, Nora feels the greater benefits come out of a collaborative exchange between therapist and client. “There is no distinction between us in body, spirit, mind – we create a mutual experience for healing together!” Nora is also a graduate of the Hands on Healing Institute and recently starting teaching some of their chair massage classes.

Certified in Reflexology Ildiko was born in Budapest, Hungary. As a mother and artist, she has been using reflexology techniques to heal herself and her family for the past decade. Nutrition, herbal medicine and holistic health have predominated her adult life. She received her certification from the American Academy of Reflexology, at Yo San University a school of TCM in West LA, then began practicing an integrated method of foot hand and ear reflexology. Working with babies, children, older people, people with disabilities, also those with serious illness, Ildiko has trained to work with various conditions, including oncology, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and fibromyalsia.

She also practices Ayurvedic, a brisk and stimulating experience from an ancient Indian form of preventative health care. Metamorphosis, a gentle form of touch which works with the reflexes of the spine through the feet, hands and head, believing the spine carries the cellular memory of our time in the womb.

Is a Licensed Acupuncturist. She specializes in Women Health and Stress Management and uses acupuncture and lifestyle counseling along with herbs and supplements to treat her patients. She received her Masters Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture from Yo San University in 2000 has been one of Pasadena's most sought after practitioners since.

As an acupuncturist Brenda enjoys working with women’s hormonal imbalances such as PMS, menopausal syndrome, infertility and menstrual irregularities. Stress Management symptoms include headaches, digestive issues, neck, back and shoulder pain, insomnia, anxiety and depression.

Brenda also comes to Pro Fitness Network with over 20 years of health and beauty experience. As a licensed esthetician and massage therapist, she has owned and operated skin care salons and day spas. She has recently developed two highly effective anti-aging treatments - The Natural Face Lift (as seen in many fashion and style magazines as the new alternative to invasive procedures) and the Body Contouring Treatment, targeting cellulite. The cellulite treatment is offered exclusively at Pro Fitness Network since Brenda is the innovator and creator.