By Victoria Torok, CPT, Owner of Elite Mobile Fitness

It is not the protein that’s important – it is the amino acid content of the protein. Let me say that again. It is not the protein that’s important – it’s the amino acid content of the protein.  The key to PROTEIN UTILIZATION is the product having LIVE AMINO ACIDS AND ENZYMES.

Everything your body does require enzymes. Without the right amount, you will deteriorate piece by piece.

§         Scientists confirm that replacing your lost enzymes is the key good health and a long life.

§         Your organs require enzymes to function properly. Enzymes are truly your fountain of life – enzymes stimulate antibodies to fight abnormal cell activity.

§         The only way to stop the downward spiral is to replace the enzymes through supplementation.

§         Blood amino acid levels play a tremendous role in maintaining health in the human body.

§         The storage cells in the body either store fat or protein

Why soy protein versus animal protein?

By Victoria Torok, CPT, Owner of Elite Mobile Fitness

Spring is here and that means one thing - it’s time for spring cleaning. The word alone conjures up the image of a garage too filled with junk to walk through, let alone park a car, and closets filled to capacity.

When things get this out of hand it’s easy to just give up. Why put your shoes on the rack when you’d have to climb over a stack of newspapers to reach it? It’s easier to throw them down by the door. Why hang your coat up when the closet is a disaster area? It’s easier to drop it over the back of a chair.

What does this have to do with fitness and weight loss? It’s actually a striking analogy for where many of my clients are before they find me. They’ve given up. Why eat a salad when you’re thirty pounds overweight? It’s easier to enjoy a heaping plate of pasta. Why go to the gym after work when it will just make you sore? It’s easier to relax on the couch. Living life with unwanted excess weight is like allowing your garage to stay clogged with junk. It’s a discouraging place to be. The good news is that you aren’t stuck.  In the same way that you take a weekend to roll up your sleeves and get that garage cleaned out, it’s time to take a month or two (or more depending on where you are in relation to your goals) and drop down to your ideal weight. I know I’m making it sound easy and when you approach it this way it is easy. Beware: There are two ways to approach weight loss, one will leave you discouraged and frustrated while the other will get you fit. Which approach do you use?

By Deb Melton, The Dora Project

Did you know that how you feel, whether you are having a bad day or a bad week, can have a big impact on your heart? I’m utterly fascinated by the new findings about how your emotions affect your heart’s ability to function.

In his book, What Happy People Know, Dan Baker, Ph.D. talks about how doctors have known for some time how negative thoughts can hurt the body and cause all sorts of problems, including heart disease. And recently research has shown that “positive emotions, such as joy and love, have the unique ability to repair the damaging cardiovascular effects of negative thoughts.”

He goes on to say that research has shown that negative emotions combined with a frustrating task produce cardiovascular distress symptoms such as higher blood pressure, vascular constriction and increased heart rate. None of which are good for you. In other words, stress, even everyday stress, affects your heart and its ability to function properly.

But how do you know how much those seemingly small everyday stressors have affected you over the years?

Victoria Torok, CPT, Owner of Elite Mobile Fitness

Foods That Speed Up Your Metabolism

When you wake up in the morning your body is in starvation mode because you’ve been fasting, but when you eat breakfast you boost your metabolism so that you start burning calories earlier, thereby burning more total calories through the day. What you eat and how often has a large impact on your metabolic rate. Here are some dietary, no wait, lifestyle habits to boost your metabolism.

Exercise Tips to Speed Up Your Metabolism

Victoria Torok, CPT, Owner of Elite Mobile Fitness

Most people would like to be in better shape. A better shape, that is, than round. There are a lot of factors that play into how a person looks or how fit they are. One factor is exercise. Another one is diet. You’ve heard all of this before, and while it’s true that you need to have an overall fitness plan and nutritional goals, there are things that you can do now to make those goals a little bit easier to attain. Certainly nothing will replace a sound diet and exercise routine. There is no magic formula that you can take that will suddenly turn you into a super model, but I hope you can benefit from the tips and tricks that I’m about to share.

Phil Campbell, M.S., M.A.
Author, Ready, Set, Go! Synergy Fitness

If you've been in the gym during the past few years, you've probably heard these strength training strategies tossed around; light weight / high reps and heavy weight / low reps. One of the newest strength training strategy on the block is Slow Reps, which refers to a slow moving weight lifting tempo. Think about doing a standard barbell curl in super-slow motion, and that's what Slow Reps look like.

I've been in the gym for 40 years and I've seen fitness movements come and go. I've even seen some great training inventions, and I've seen some old fitness gimmicks reinvented under different names, as if they were new revolutionary discoveries by marketers hoping to cash in. New training techniques can be very positive too, particularly if they evolve from an established and proven system of training.

Victoria Torok, CPT, Owner of Elite Mobile Fitness

The number one reason why people don't exercise is that they don't have time. At least that's what they tell themselves. I know we are all busy. Between getting to and from work, balancing responsibilities and having time for yourself, there's little left over for workouts.