Community

Heather Franco was born in San Francisco and raised in Arcata, in the land of the giant redwoods, she’s the Daughter of a Dancer and Martial Artist.  She has studied Ballet, Gymnastics, Martial Arts, Middle Eastern and African-Latin dance styles.  She moved to San Francisco to study Dance and Fashion and received a degree from F.I.D.M.  While in school she started taking classes in Afro-Brazilian dance and danced with The Afro Brazilian company Marareggae for 10 years. She fell in love with Brazilian Culture and has traveled back and forth to Brazil for Carnivals and dance workshops.Heather found Russian Kettlebells 3 years ago and hasn’t worked out the same since. Heather specializes in dance, core, strength and HIT training.  She’s a CPT through ACE, and she has multiple certifications including:  RKC Russian Kettlebell, Tabata Bootcamp,  TRX, BOSU, Stott Pilates and Zumba.  She is also a group fitness instructor and freelance designer when she’s not training.Her fitness philosophy:  A workout should give you more than it takes out of you.
Inspiration: “ As you think, so shall you become.” -Bruce Lee

I’ve been in the business now for almost 13 years starting off as an aerobics instructor then becoming a personal trainer. I somewhat fell into this “job” only to find out in a short couple of months I wanted this to be my career! As time progressed I did an internship of 300 hours inVirginia Beach, VA. I began to understand/study people more. I realized the “high” I got from helping others achieve their goals. I began to work with clients with eating disorders and really wanted to learn more about nutrition. It was at this point I got certified in sports nutrition.Several years ago while living in Columbus, Ohio I had started a boot camp.  I saw the impact that I had in my clients lives. With each passing boot camp as my clients were learning about themselves, I was learning about myself! I incorporated mind, body and meditation work into our trainings and it was the most amazing experience for all of us. I realized with this “power” I could truly change my life and help others to change theirs.I have always had a passion for fashion and now my dreams have come true.  I started my own business 2 1/2 years ago in addition to my personal training career… Nicole Blair Wear (an image consulting firm) which compliments a healthy body!  I specialize in helping clients express WHO they are thru their clothes. While most people don’t give it much thought as to what they wear, I help showcase their transformations. As a wardrobe and fashion stylist I encourage my clients to celebrate their new, healthy life which we also create within Body Firm… while focusing on all the positives. This is just another way to help my clients and share with them the possibilities of becoming A New You from the inside to the outside.My motto in life is to “EMBRACE CHANGE”. Keeping an open mind and an open heart you never know what you will find.

Aaron Odell, CMT, ACSM

Aaron is doing what he loves! He values people and their wellbeing. He loves athletics and movement. He is very passionate about cycling and fascinated by the human body. So it makes sense that he is a certified personal trainer, a certified massage therapist, and a certified bike fitter.

Aaron graduated from National Holistic Institutes 720 hour Certified Massage Therapist program in 2007. He is a personal trainer holding certifications from ACSM as well as Z-Health Performance Solutions.  Aaron is an Professional level cyclist with 16 years of racing under his belt.  He also regularly competes in off road triathlons and running events. This love of competition and training has led to a deep understanding of  both the benefits and required maintenance it takes to stay healthy and strong. He believes a combination of good training and massage is a powerful tool to augment ones performance and well being.

Mary Chicca, B.S. Exercise Science, CPT, A.C.S.M., Blackbelt

Hello! My name is Mary Chicca and I am a certified personal trainer and certified massage therapist. I have been training clients here at Body Firm since 1996.Why so long you ask? That’s easy, its the people who I work with, the owner (Tammy), and especially the clients!Its been my pleasure to train here at Body Firm using some creative techniques I’ve developed over time. My certifications and education in health and fitness, nursing, and massage have taught me that its not just exercise science that’s important but its also how I deliver that training and massage. Essentially, the quality is in the customer care we all give our clients here at Body Firm.

I enjoy a variety of endurance  sports and training such as running, cycling, duathlons, martial arts, boxing, tai chi and military/obstacle course conditioning. I am a military veteran who enjoys alternative commuting (i.e. riding my scooter). Landscaping, travel and spending time with my family are my other favorite things to do. Oh, and then there’s the disco dancing on Saturdays….

Check out my pics on this website and Spa-House Massage Therapy at www.spa-house.com for more info about massage here at Body FirmWellness Center.

Michelle Brown, Personal Trainer

An athlete since the age of four years old, Michelle has embraced fitness in the form of softball, dance, gymnastics, cheerleading, cross country, track & field and tennis.

Michelle came to appreciate the importance of being in good physical condition when she began competing in gymnastics during her early teens. Real transformation came when she integrated nutrition into her regime and adapted a clean diet and healthy lifestyle. She loves sharing her passion for fitness and guiding her clients toward meeting their own specific goals.

Michelle is a National level competitor in Body Building Figure competitions and has won locally and is shooting to get her IFBB Pro Card. Certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine in both Personal Training and Fitness Nutrition, Michelle is well equipped to train clients of all levels, from beginners to athletes. She specializes in Transformation. Prior to personal training, her career was in the medical industry, assisting in an orthopedic, physical therapy and chiropractic offices. Michelle’s professional goal is to provide all her clients with the tools they need to live healthy and happy lives. While she takes her work seriously, she creates fun workouts her clients enjoy.

Dr. Steven Capobianco, Certified Sports Chiropractic Physician

Dr. Steven Capobianco is a certified sportschiropractic physician and exercise rehabilitation specialist who has developed a functionally oriented treatment system to address the injury and performance needs of the elite to the weekend warrior athlete.

Injury is typically not caused by a single event, but rather by chronic abnormal movement patterns. Steve has spent the past 5 years developing a performance care system that he has named the Symmetry Profile. The program emphasizes an integrated functional approach in treating common sport injuries. The profile allows the practitioner to:

Identify dysfunctional biomechanics,
Address the faulty movement patterns via a combination of treatment modalities (A.R.T., Graston, Proprioceptive Taping, Joint Manipulation)
Retrain a new and improved motor pattern through functional (movement based) rehabilitation exercises.

Prior to establishing Symmetry Sports Injury and Performance Care, Steve spent 4 years as the Director of Spinal Care and Rehab at TEAM Clinic Sports Therapy in Santa Clara. In addition to be anointed the official Team Chiropractor for San Jose State University in 2003, he has treated many professional and amateur triathletes (Kain Performance), soccer players (San Jose Earthquakes), Rugby players (San Jose SeaHawks), and more.

Dr. Fowler is a recent graduate from Palmer College of Chiropractic. Cody spent his last quarter interning at Symmetry Sports Therapy under the direct guidance of Dr. Capobianco. While majoring in Exercise Science at Central Washington University he endured a traumatic snowboarding injury, fracturing and severely spraining much of his upper thoracic spine. The Emergency Room prognosis was partial paralysis for up to six months- he walked out of his chiropractor’s office later that night. He began his journey toward chiropractic shortly after. Cody has been a personal trainer since 2006 and uses corrective and performance exercise training as an integral part of  his treatment plan. Using functional movement analysis combined with orthopedic and neurologic exams, he determines the best course of action for each patient before taking an alternative, but aggressive approach to increasing function, decreasing pain and much more. Cody has treated a range of patients from young children in Fiji to amateur and professional athletes at the Sea Otter Classic. He uses rehabilitation exercises, chiropractic adjustments and a myriad of soft tissue techniques to give patients the most effective treatment possible.

Scott Adams has been a professional trainer since completing his bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology in 1996. Scott started his career in corporate fitness management at 3Com and went on to run the wellness program at Intel Corporation in Santa Clara, CA. Scott joined Body Firm in 2004. Scott holds advanced certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (CSCS) and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (CES). He is also certified in TRX suspension training, Indo Board balance training, and yoga.Scott is the creator of a best-selling sports training video series. His ski- and surf-specific videos target the areas athletes need most: balance, core stability, and total body fitness. Learn more at www.surfstronger.com andwww.skistronger.com.Scott is a lifelong surfer and you’ll often find him in the waves near Santa Cruz. Scott, his wife, and their two children live in Saratoga.

Tammy Parkinson, Nutritionist, CPT, A.C.S.M., N.A.S.M., Owner