Pasadena Magazine is the bi-monthly magazine of Pasadena and its surrounding areas – the diverse, historically rich and culturally vibrant region that includes Glendale, the Eastside of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley all the way to Claremont.
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of her life. Though many days are hectic and filled with appointments, she takes a few minutes every morning to center herself, down a shot of acai berry juice, and start her day with intention. Some mornings find her on a bike ride with friends in the hills, other days she's joining a high intensity training class or yoga session. Though not every day includes a workout, it does include a training mindset. In the last year she's trained for and competed in the hard-core Spartan races, earning a Trifecta Medal for competing three races in one calendar year. Unlike the more familiar marathon or triathlon, the Spartan races usually employ shorter running distances with a combination of unpredictable obstacles such as spear throws, under-wire crawls, and rope climbs. Training for these kinds of events takes more than a couple yoga classes or runs around the Rose Bowl. A casual conversation at work sparked her interest in the Spartan races and led her to team up with Ephraim Farol, a real estate professional who is developing a personal training business. As with all his clients, Ephraim started his training with Kamille by paying attention to her food choices. They worked together to revamp her eating habits and test her body's response to common allergens like dairy and gluten. Today, a breakfast might include an avocado, two hard boiled eggs (without the yolks), and an apple. She now knows more about healthy fats and how her body feels when she's consumed foods that don't agree with it. But she's not a fanatic, her love of food includes enjoying herself with a drink, a slice of pizza, or another indulgence when she really wants it. Kamille's pleased with her progress and yet never stops working toward the next challenge. "Most people start with fitness for extrinsic reasons," like wanting to fit into a certain size or be a certain shape, says Ephraim. But eventually "fitness becomes intrinsic, something you do because of the way it feels to you, not the way it looks to others," he explains. As the human body ages, its needs and abilities shift but Ephraim believes fitness is always about functionality. It's more about body composition and goals, not age. He recommends anyone who wants to start on the path to fitness find a trainer they trust and like. Then begin to really pay attention to how their body feels before, during, and after workouts and meals. Fitness isn't just about body beauty says Ephraim, it's "really about health, testing your limits and being both spiritual and mental." SKIN "People want to know what I'm doing and tell me I have a glow." Registered nurse Cathy Miller came to serious skin care through her career. A competitive body builder and personal trainer for years, physical health has always been a part of her life. In 2010, she went back to school to study nursing and began her professional nursing career in 2014 for Pasadena plastic surgeon Dr. Gordon Sasaki. While her specialty, periopera- tive nursing, puts her in the operating room for invasive cosmetic surgeries such as face lifts, tummy tucks and breast augmentation, she noticed her work colleagues on the skin care side of the house were constantly trying new products and non-invasive procedures. Since one of the perks of her job included skin care consultations and regular facials, Cathy started learning more about building great looking skin. "I thought I just had bad skin," she says. But after consulting with the skin care experts at work, she learned that many of her dermalogical issues were simply allergic reactions to overly-harsh drugstore products. "I bought the products that I thought made sense and then bought more products to deal with the irritation and breakouts," she explains. It was in working with Sasaki skin care expert Kathy Oyler that she began to understand what her skin needed to really look beautiful in her forties. "Speeding up cell turnover is appropriate for every age," Kathy explains. She walked Cathy through several weeks of Retin-A treatments that sloughed off dull skin to reveal a healthy glow and revised her skin care "Most people start with fitness for extrinsic reasons," like wanting to fit into a certain size or be a certain shape, says Ephraim. But eventually "fitness becomes intrinsic, something you do because of the way it feels to you, not the way it looks to others," he explains. 62 FEBRUARY 2016 feature3_Feb16.indd 62 1/20/16 2:40 PM