weight loss

The Empowerment of the Venus Contest (meet Andrea). VT16 STARTS TODAY!

January 11, 2016 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

The Venus Contest VT16 starts TODAY!

What better way to start a contest than with a story of our beautiful Venus Andrea who DID NOT THINK SHE WOULD PLACE in the contest and did! She did place in the contest!

See that’s what happens. Your mind doesn’t always “get” your progress. That’s when a coach helps and Andrea gets to tell the story about how Venus coaching helped her.

Here’s Andrea’s story in her own words:

My experience with Venus has been amazing.

From the nutrition and fat loss information, to the workouts, to the fabulous community of supportive and genuine women, Venus has been the answer I’ve been looking for to finally achieving my fitness goals.

I don’t really feel as though the contest signifies the end of a “diet” for me – since tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that, I’ll still be eating the same way. It’s become such a habit for me to look at food and eating in this way, I can’t imagine doing anything differently just because the contest has ended.

I’ve really come to appreciate that when I say “yes” to something (dessert, snacks, sugar, empty calories), I’m also saying “no” to something else (feeling confident about how I look, easily pulling on a pair of pants). That makes it a lot easier to feel good about choosing not to indulge, rather than feeling deprived – it’s a conscious choice, not a sacrifice. And I’ve come to realize just how much the mental toll of poor eating choices was really weighing me down.

Whenever I was presented with an opportunity to eat something that I knew wouldn’t help my fitness and health goals, I’d feel helpless and unable to just say, “No, thanks.”

Total avoidance was my only strategy, and sometimes that just wasn’t possible. So I’d indulge, then feel guilty the minute I did, because I knew that choice was working against my goals. It was a vicious cycle that I had no idea how to break.

But Venus helped me to do just that.

I was completely amazed at how often that guilt was there in the back of my mind, which I only really realized when all of a sudden, it wasn’t anymore. By learning how to plan for bigger events and using tools to “save the day” for those times when temptation got the better of my well-laid plans, I discovered how to not feel guilty about what I’m eating. That is a huge shift for me, and a huge relief.

One of my biggest complaints with the fitness industry as a whole is the emphasis on exercise and working out as the key to losing weight. I’ve had a gym membership for my whole adult life, and not until I learned more about the importance of food choices did I start to see a change in my physique.

Not that exercise isn’t important, but Venus has really helped me to understand that it’s just not possible to out-train a bad diet. And now that I’ve lost some of the extra fat I was carrying, I’m excited to continue the Venus workouts and develop some of those muscles!

After trying more dieting approaches than I care to count, I’m excited that I’ve found a plan that works and that I can be successful at for the long term – while still living (and enjoying!) my life.

Andrea

CONTEST: VT16: Start January 11 – End April 11

It’s easy to join. Any Venus customer can join at any time.

You can enter both your before and after pictures any time between January 11th and April 11th, but you will want to TAKE your before pictures as soon as you can after the 11th (with the current newspaper).

Make sure to read and follow the instructions:

Venus Contest Rules and Regulations

Once you get your pictures and measurements simply go to the contest form and enter them.

Email me roberta.saum@gmail.com if you have any questions or need any help.

Have fun!

Never Settle

Never Give Up

Live Your Dream

-Coach Roberta

PS: If you want Venus one-on-one coaching you can get it here. Yes, you are allowed to pick which coach you want!

Andrea did a fabulous job!

To listen to her story about how she became EMPOWERED by Venus and Venus coaching.

Listen to the podcast now or download it for later:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Contest, Exercise, fat loss, Food, Health, transformation, Uncategorized, weight loss, Weight training Tagged With: diet for weight loss, john barban, The Venus Factor, transformation contest, venus index contest, Venus index Transformation

What is Venus Coaching and who is it for?

January 8, 2016 by Liss Graham Leave a Comment

Your Venus Index Coaching Team

I have answered a few questions lately regarding Venus coaching and how it differs from our Venus Immersion.

Immersion

Venus Immersion is comparable to a “do it yourself” home project. You know it will take you a bit longer than a contractor but it will save money and you will learn the basics along the way. The other benefit is that you have access to Venus training programming much longer than a 12 week period along with access to all the uncensored podcasts.

Coaching

Venus coaching is comparable to hiring a contractor for your home project. You want an expert so it gets done right the first time or maybe you have a special case. Other reasons may be that you have no background knowledge in fitness or your time is valuable so you want to cut to the chase. A coach will get your background and prescribe a nutrition and training regimen based on your needs.

All the coaches do things a little differently based on their personalities. You can request any one of the coaches and if we have space we will accommodate your request. We all touch base with clients weekly and take client biweekly progress reports. Based on that, a coach will modify programming for the client. Clients can email their coach at any time with questions or concerns. I like to talk to my clients face to face so we Skype if the client desires, some of the other coaches do as well.

If you think Immersion might be right for you, there is more information here – http://products.venusindex.com/#immersion

If you think coaching might be for you, there is more info here – http://clients.venusindex.com/premium-one-on-one-coaching

Either way you go, you are investing in your health and priorities which is a win.

X- Coach Liss

Filed Under: cardio, Diet, fat loss, Health, Sage Advice, transformation, weight loss Tagged With: coaching, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, fat loss, goal setting, supplements, Venus Index, Venus Index Workout, weight training, work arounds, working out for shape

Letter to a Friend – Expectations Have Consequences

January 1, 2016 by Anea Kamahele 1 Comment

My dear & lovely friend, HELLO!

I was thrilled to run into you at the store the other day. I’m sorry I didn’t have more time to visit with you…life can be so rushed with the holidays! So in this new year, I decided to sit down and write you a letter in a calm moment. I know you were surprised when you saw me. You said I looked great, asking me what I’ve been doing, and I told you that I’d started eating differently and working out more. It sounds simple. And actually, it is that simple. But it’s not necessarily been easy. However, you and I both know that rarely are the things that are worth having easy to attain.

Eating less? Is losing weight really that simple? Yes, it really is. I workout so my muscles can show through after I’ve kicked the fat to the curb. I do these things day in and day out. There’s no magic formula. And I don’t use exercise to offset eating too much. I exercise so my body is stronger and leaner and has definition.

Expectations have consequences

Really, though, of all the changes I’ve made the biggest one, it’s been in how I think. Along the way I realized something: Expectations have consequences. Have you ever noticed when someone has a certain expectation of you, you tend to live up to it?

I remember when I was a kid, my parents expected my sister and I to make dinner a few nights a week when they had to work late. Mom left all the ingredients in the fridge and the recipe that we would carefully read and follow. By the time our parents arrived home from work, we had dinner in the oven, ready to eat, with the table set. My sister was 10 and I was 6 years old. It was expected of us, so we did it.

It works the other way around, too. If someone has low expectations of you, you tend to live down to those. When it’s come to my body, I can say with a fair degree of certainty that I’ve carried pretty low expectations. I’ve expected I would always be overweight, and historically, I always have been. Expectations are pretty much a self-fulfilling prophecy.

When I found the Venus Index, I’d been looking for months for something, ANYTHING, to get me on the road to being healthier. When I read the materials, it was the simplicity of the program that constituted its brilliance. And it blew me away. The way in which the innovators of the program were able to take commonly pervasive health myths and categorically annihilate them also helped.

Whether you think you CAN or you CAN’T, you are RIGHT!

Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” When I dove into the program materials and then into the online community, I knew not only that I could reach my goals, but that I will. That’s a big claim. But I’m ok with that. Why? Because knowing I can makes me right.

You know probably better than anyone else the victories and failures I’ve lived. You know how much my history has made me who I am today. It’s the same for all of us, you know? I see it over and over with the incredible women I’ve met on Venus.

The histories of women, they are often histories that encompass loss. It is the condition of being human…losing children in a custody battle, losing loved ones to illness, losing a job…death, divorce, depression…bankruptcies, foreclosures, repossessions. These are women who were foster kids, adopted, abandoned. They are women who survived beatings. They are women who escaped with their lives. They are women who ran and never looked back.

But more importantly, they are women who came to Venus and learned how to be fighters. They fought for themselves. They gained a sense of worth. They learned how to trust their bodies. They learned they CAN.

The confident and passionate woman

I don’t mean to make it sound as though the women of Venus are all suffering! They aren’t. But you know me, I like understanding foundations. So in getting to know the bits and pieces of many of these women’s lives, it’s become apparent that we all carry something in our history that we could use to lower our expectation of success. We all have something that could hold us back if we let it.

But on Venus, I find the exact opposite! These are women, who in spite of current or past circumstances, they are vested in their own success. All of us have found on Venus we can do what we never thought we could before. Because of that, we are confident, and passionate about crusading a lifestyle that allows us to attain and maintain the healthy body we’ve always wanted.

So that’s the long answer to your question about what I’ve been doing. I do sincerely hope this letter finds you well! I miss our late nights, sipping tea and talking into the wee hours. Hugs to you, sweet lady! Here’s to 2016 and keeping our expectations and their consequences in the realm of “We can do it!”

~ Anea

Filed Under: change, motivation, weight loss Tagged With: Expectations, Fighter, Histories, Mindset, Venus Community, Venus Index

Donette Lost Over 100 lbs with Patience and Consistency

December 21, 2015 by Liss Graham Leave a Comment

Donette at one of her heaviest weights before Venus and after, unbelievable!

Donette placed in our recent VT15 Venus Transformation Contest.

She did a phenomenal job and her results display the hard work she put in. Her transformation stretches out further than this 12 week period though, she has lost over 100 lbs!

Donette before starting Venus in 2014 and after this 12 week contest, unbelievable!

Here is what Donette had to say in her own words:

No matter how many times you are told something, do we really hear it? How many times have I heard “the scale is just a number?” ” Don’t let the scale get you down” “the number on the scale does not define who you are” Yes I have those sayings up on my computers both at work and at home, on my mirror and my refrigerator. But I never really listened and opened up my mind till now. Let’s rewind 14 years ago when I moved here from Arizona a depressed 270lb single mother of an almost 3 year old. I had once had a membership to Bally’s before I married my first husband, but I was way too embarrassed to go back to that meat market setting, so I joined Curves for women. I did well with Curves, between their diet program and workout machines I dropped 70lbs. For several years I would bounce between 200-230. I couldn’t get below 200 then I would go back up. I tried Medifast, HCG, diet pills, 3 different Curves diet plans, everything would work for a little bit, but then I would put some back on. For my second wedding I was able to get down to 175, then after the wedding I was right back up. March of 2014 I was on Facebook and saw an ad that has changed my life. Do I normally look at ads? Nope, and I have no idea why I that day I chose to watch the full add for Venus Index but it was the best decision I ever made (along with the best $47.00 I have EVER spent!) March to November I did well, I followed the protocol, all my days weren’t perfect but life is a learning process. I wasn’t really interested in the weight lifting. I hated it when I had to in school, me Bally’s experience was horrible so there was no way I was joining a “real” gym. My son and I would do a workout or two per week and that was about it. I was able to drop down to the low 170’s and would go back up to 180. I introduced my sister to Venus in November, she was going to Gold’s and I decided to start going with her @ 5am. We would work the machines 2 days a week and were doing the main Venus program the other 3. dropped down another 10lbs into the 165-170’s. Starting in January this year Gold’s was doing a contest coinciding with Venus, I thought perfect I can do both at the same time! Did well the first 6 weeks then fell apart. I was higher at the end than when I started, and I didn’t even finish VT13. So VT14 came around, again I’m going to do this, made it 8 weeks and crashed and burned. At that point I felt my body was wanting to stay right where it was at and I was done. My only goal at that point was to just finish the contest, which I did. I started this contest balls to the wall staying at my 1000 calorie deficit with maintenance days, working out 2 times a day, then 4 weeks or so in Labor Day hit. I was running my Chihuahua in an AKC Agility trial and at the end of my run: I came down hard on my right leg, jamming my knee and messed up a ligament. Holy Crap! I don’t have time for this, I’m trying to get Fiona to AKC Nationals next year, I’m driving across country with 3 dogs that I have registered in the TDAA Nationals in October. I’m kicking butt and staying on track and all of the sudden it all comes to a screeching halt. Or so I though at first . Turns out this injury that kept me from doing and lower body work besides walking for 4 weeks ws the best thing that could have happened to me. Liss put me in touch with my mind. Yeah I know it sounds kinda weird, but she sent me homework to work on my mind, to change the way I think of myself and to improve my self-confidence. Instead of throwing in the towel, I put up the scale. Instead of giving up on me (like I have done so many times before), I gave to myself. I gave myself the freedom to quit worrying about the wrinkles, the stretch marks, hips, belly and bat wings. Instead I have found the good in them. I realized I need to love myself. Once I started to love myself, so many good things started to happen. Barriers and walls that I had built on my mind started coming down. My self-confidence is rising and I’ve been able to do some of the things I though I could never do. The best thing is that none of them had a thing to do with a scale or what “number” I’m at. Vacation was a blast; my girls ran great with me and even earned placements at the National event. I was able to make great choices travelling for 10 days and maintained the entire time. Even though I had fun with Liss’s band workouts she sent to me to use at the hotel, I realized I LOVE my weight lifting and missed it! After we came back from vacation, I hit another 20+ year goal of climbing the Manitou Incline. I was afraid to try, 1 mile up over 2,000 steps and I can not remember the elevation change. It took us 2 hours, but we did it and I can’t wait to do it again! I also bought my very first “little black dress”. Besides my wedding dress, my husband had never seen me in a dress before. My son rides a dirt bike and my husband and I have ATV’s that we like to ride when we get a chance. All of my ATV pants are what the call OTB or over the boot pants. I would have to buy those because I could not get my calves and pants both into my boots. The beginning of the year I bought a pair of regular pants, the calves fit, but I could not get them zipped. WOOHOO they finally fit, now I’m ready to ride! Yes I’ve had my stumbles along the way and will continue to have more in my journey. Now I have gained the knowledge and I have the tools to move on and get past those struggles to a greater place in my mind. I have the loving support of my husband and son, and a wonderful Venus family. What’s next? No longer are the thoughts of I can’t, because I know I can do anything I put my new healthier mind to. Balloon ride, Whitewater rafting, zipline again this summer, hiking a 14ner in my new boots I earned just this week, they are on my short list. Who knows you just might see me running one of my girls on TV someday 🙂

Donette at one of her heaviest weights before finding Venus and after, WOW!

“All of my ATV pants are what the call OTB or over the boot pants. I would have to buy those because I could not get my calves and pants both into my boots. The beginning of the year I bought a pair of regular pants, the calves fit, but I could not get them zipped. WOOHOO they finally fit, now I’m ready to ride!”

Donette’s Metrics

	Weight	Height	Waist	Shoulders	Hips
Before	165 lb	69 in	31 in	42 in	40 in
After	151 lb	69 in	28.5 in	42 in	38 in
Deltas	-14 lb	0 in	-2.5 in	0 in	-2 in

Donette before and after side 12 weeks

Donette before and after – she can run her dogs and hike any mountain!

Donette is a beautiful Venus! Nothing can stop her now!

Listen to Donette’s interview with Liss below, or download it for later:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Contest, fat loss, Interview, Podcast, transformation, weight loss Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, becoming a venus, Contest, contest interview, diet for weight loss, stress eating, The Venus Factor, Venus Index Contest Interview, Venus index Transformation, Venus Index Transformation Contest, weight loss

Venus Body Sculpting Tips from Coach Roberta

December 18, 2015 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

What are some mindset tips for sculpting your Venus body?

I could write a book on it, but today I’ll stick to this one aspect. These were my thoughts recently my all female FaceBook support group:

For many of you, you need to keep this VISION that there is an amazing YOU inside, waiting to be chiseled by your own hard work. You have your own unique fit and beautiful shape.

Focus on nutrition to chisel away the body fat.

Focus on resistance training for chiseling and building the beautiful Venus lean body mass.

Most of us don’t get to know what it is until we get there.

We can use others as an example, I know now I’m often an example. But we are never the other person. If we think we will be just like the example and we set our sites on that we’ll be disappointed.

Even me. When I saw the picture of myself in the mirror that I posted recently, the ab picture at the Sheriff’s department, it reminded me of my own battles with my own image.

I have a hernia right there in the middle and it bothers some people, it doesn’t hurt and the doctor says leave it. I never knew I had it because it doesn’t hurt and it never showed until the fat was chiseled away.

Also, I don’t really have a six pack abs like others. It’s my own unique definition. It is not from lack of work or lack of fat loss. It just is what it is.

So my point is; Keep that VISION of your own beauty beneath all the sculpting. Your own sculpture will be unique.

For me, I just need to be happy with what I have. I have had to work on a “happiness mentality” with my own body just like most females. And yes it’s a constant mental work I will have to continue for life as the seasons ebb and flow.

We have to put the same amount of “work” in on our own perceptions and happiness, just like gym time, just like nutrition planning.

It’s all part of the lifestyle package.

This is how we do it!!

BOOM!

Never give up
Never settle
Live your dream

Happy Friday!

-Coach Roberta

Filed Under: Bodyfat, Diet, Exercise, fat loss, Food, Shape, transformation, Uncategorized, weight loss, Weight training Tagged With: Bobbie Carper, body composition, bodyfat, diet for weight loss, The Venus Factor, Venus Index, Venus Index Workout, working out for shape

VT15 Contest Winners Announced – beautiful pictures!

December 14, 2015 by Roberta Saum 1 Comment

Before announcing the winners, this post contains several sections you won’t want to miss;

VT15 Contest Winners
Additional VT15 Transformations
Cover Model Winners
Next years contest schedule

1st Place – Danell

“I took all the advice I could get from those ladies and applied them to myself. There would be NO EXCUSES, only work.”

2nd Place – Sandra

” I now KNOW, at the very young age of 50, that I will NEVER be overweight again! I AM the BEST I have ever been and I can’t wait to see what else I can do!”

3rd Place – Anne

“I felt like I had conquered the biggest obstacle… which is myself. This program works and it’s liberating to know that I will always have something that works. I proved it. I never have to try a fad diet again.”

4th Place – Andrea

“After trying more dieting approaches than I care to count, I’m excited that I’ve found a plan that works and that I can be successful at for the long term – while still living (and enjoying!) my life.”

5th Place – Kittery

“Thank you Venus, thank you to the Brad’s, thank you Coach Roberta, thank you to all of my Venus Sisters, and last, but certainly not least, thank you to my amazing husband for helping me become the person that can finally look in a mirror and say, I am proud of the way I look!”

6th Place – Holly

“After 12 weeks I have learned that I can eat whatever I want, no more being obsessive, just being aware of what is going in is enough. I have taken a full minute off my running pace and my knees are much happier these days.”

7th Place – Robin

“With the community of like-minded women, I have found friendships and support that will last a lifetime. I am truly humbled by their support and genuine love they have for one another. They uplift the fallen and cheer you on!”

8th Place – Char

“It fills me with joy to share it. It works. It works for me, with my moment to moment struggles, and it can work for anyone. We don’t have to settle. We can achieve. We can become. It is good, but it also gets better!”

9th Place – Donette

“I know I can do anything I put my new healthier mind to. Balloon ride, Whitewater rafting, zipline again this summer, hiking a 14ner in my new boots I earned just this week, they are on my short list. Who knows you just might see me running one of my girls on TV someday :)”

10th Place – Laura

“So many people whom I have watched doing other programs, seemed to balloon when they quit their programs. I am very happy that I am getting shapely, as well as a losing weight. I think it is in developing a body shape with muscle that determines the great results.”

Additional Transformations

These were just too good to leave out. Each one of these ladies WON. They are still welcome to enter next years contests for the top 10 places.

The thing I’ve noticed when talking to these ladies that is really important for you to know; YOU DON’T REALIZE YOU HAVE TRANSFORMED when you are in the process. Several of the ladies in the top 10 thought they were FAILING at the process. They didn’t think they were good enough. But they WERE GOOD ENOUGH!

You see, it happens so slow. There is nothing glamorous about it happening. In fact you make mistakes and you don’t always keep on track with food. You miss some workouts here and there. BUT YOU STILL WIN.

We are all merely human. We are not machines. But sometimes you won’t know how you are doing unless you have someone who knows the process helping and watching. Many people who could have won one of these contests didn’t think they did good enough, so they didn’t finish. The fact of the matter is that most of us don’t really know what we’ve achieved. I didn’t know either. I had no idea.

So we want you to see all these brave women that finished, and won at the game of life. And the journey does continue for all of us.

Since the journey continues, we will be happy to share their stories NOW, interview them, and then there WILL BE MORE TO THE STORY later if they choose to win again in the top 10 for future contests.

The stories always continue for life. You never actually “get there”, you reach a goal and then you keep going, because this is a lifestyle, not just a 12 week contest.

Kimberly

“The Venus system has given me the tools I needed to finally lose the weight that long distance running could not achieve. The podcast are filled with valuable information along with encouraging interviews with past winners.”

Christine

“The only person that could change that was me. I needed a program that I could actually follow and still live my life with my family. Venus was my answer and I am so happy.”

Brenda

“I decided to check in with the forum and it became apparent the Veteran Venus’ would not let the meds be an excuse, and it appeared nutrition was the key. So I decided to put Venus to the test, this time trying the nutrition and weight lifting together. Low and behold the last year of weight gain was taken off in these 12 weeks, and my clothes fit again!”

Cindy

“I am super happy with my results my I”m not ready for maintenance yet. I can still improve! One of the main reasons that I first bought Venus is because I saw Roberta and her amazing body and transformation. She was my age and had muscle! That made me realize that I can still build muscle at my age. Boom!”

Heather

“I love, love, love John and Brad’s podcasts. I listened to them whenever I could. They blasted away every myth I grew up believing, every misconception that I had adopted just because a fitness professional said it and I was finally able to break away from all the bad information that I had stored in my head and replaced with the facts that John and Brad’s research had taught me.”

Tricia

“I think the thing that really helped me with this part was that the whole program came out of John’s love for his sister. This is not a program designed to beat women down and make them feel inadequate. This is a program designed to help you know how beautiful you are.”

Laura

“I am delighted to have improved my body to where I feel stronger and more energetic. I can even say focus is better. I have received several compliments and am motivated to keep going in order to shred, shape and tone even more!”

Tara

“The ever changing workouts keep me from getting bored and help me to feel my progress in strength. This is so MOTIVATING!! I’m proud of my accomplishments over the past 12 weeks and can’t wait to continue along this journey.”

Cover Models

Anyone can enter the cover model contest, as many times as they want. It’s a fun way to shadow the contest and get creative with photos. Everyone has their own style.

In order for the cover designers to use your pictures you will need to send me a link to the high resolution pictures.

Erin

Anne

Danell

Sandra

Christine

Kittery

Congratulations to all the winners! What beautiful pictures. What hard work. It all paid off.

And the journey continues.

We will be contacting all of these ladies to see if they want to share their story and possibly do an interview.

The 2016 Venus Transformation Contest Schedule:

VT16: Start January 11 – End April 11
VT17: Start May 2 – End August 1
VT18: Start August 22 – End November 21

Never Settle!

Never Give Up.

Live Your Dream

-Roberta

Filed Under: Contest, motivation, transformation, Uncategorized, weight loss Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, body composition, diet for weight loss, john barban, The Venus Factor, venus index contest, Venus index Transformation

A Venus finds FOOD for the SOUL

December 11, 2015 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Jerie’s “boys” frolicking in the beautiful California coastal range.

How does a Venus feed her soul?

Saturday was a hibernation day. I wanted to go nowhere, eat comfort food, and be with my boys. I did just that, cancelled my dinner date and the boys and I hiked some of the property hills. The fresh air, sunshine, and cardio exercise was exactly what I needed to recharge my spiritual batteries.

Food for the soul was what I really needed. How many times have I fed my body instead my soul?

This is a sobering question for me and one I’ve never asked myself. I eat healthy food that I prepare myself. I avoid excessive alcohol and caffeine. I workout because it helps ease my stiffness and aches.

All of these I do for my body, but what am I doing for my soul?

I spend hours researching topics to answer someone’s questions. I answer them at all hours. I stop what I’m doing to pick a friend up and drive them home because they need it. It’s amazing the things that I’ll do because I don’t want to disappoint others, but what am I doing for my soul?

One could argue that all of these things that I do are for me therefore it stands to reason that, ultimately, my soul benefits. This is an incomplete assessment. I am not feeding my soul with these tasks; I’m satisfying my ego. There is some spiritual benefit so I will continue to help others, but it’s time to focus on helping myself.

Starting today I will challenge myself to feed my soul. When I feel that urge to eat something that I don’t need I will ask myself, “am I trying to satisfy my spiritual hunger with food?” I will feed my soul before I feed my body. I know what real hunger feels like, that hollow, growling sensation in my stomach. The urge to snack is not physical hunger. It’s a symptom that is best treated with spiritual food. Meditation, soaking in the sunlight, breathing fresh air, walking, just being present in the moment and taking it all in. These acts feed my soul.

Now ask yourselves, my lovely Venus ladies, “how many times have I fed my body instead my soul?”

Jerie

PS You can find Venus Ambassador Jerie active and helping others in our exclusive online community.

Filed Under: Diet, fat loss, Food, Health, motivation, psychology, transformation, weight loss Tagged With: body composition, bodyfat, diet for weight loss, goal setting, The Venus Factor, weight loss

It does not take a special BREED to SUCCEED.

December 4, 2015 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

FRAME-Piggy-Bank-and-Fitness-Competition

What does a piggy bank have to do with this? Read on!

It does not take a special breed. Anyone can do it. The only thing great or special is persistence, consistency, and never giving up.

Anyone can do that if they decide to.

It’s pure day-to-day grit.

It’s believing in your self when no one else does.

Minimizing the negative people who act and speak in an uncaring manner.

It’s trusting the process and being patient.

It’s focus on the day-to-day victories and process.

It’s the picking one thing and making it a victory.

Not the results. Those come later.

Even when I did the fitness show last year it wasn’t anything special. I had not even PLANNED on doing one.

I was just doing my thing and Coach Miles hey you are ready, you should do this!

It’s just the lifestyle.

I didn’t push hard and crash. See that’s the trick, you don’t have to push until you crash. You learn to live it. Sure you can dose out the hard push a few weeks. Back off, then push again. In a sustainable manner.

All the insane crashing and rebounding does not have to happen. But it might for a few as they learn, that’s okay too.

It’s like when you save your pennies in a piggy bank as a kid. Day after day you drop the penny in. It’s hard to imagine you will get something for that someday.

But then suddenly you check one day and it’s full.

You spend it, and fill it again, or you save it and start filling up a new piggy bank.

Either way you keep going.

And so it goes for life.

You never actually really get “there”.

You achieve milestones, then you keep going.

You stop and smell the roses, or watch the beautiful deer, or hug your loved ones and enjoy some feasts and maybe a little fine wine if you are so inclined.

But then you motor on again.

Embracing the nitty-gritty of life.

Because THAT is where the MAGIC happens my friends.

I’m not a special breed. I’m just a lady who lives in the mountains, living in the day-to-day, embracing life and the nitty-gritty.

That means YOU can do it too!

BOOM!

Never give up
Never settle
Live your dream

Happy Friday!

-Coach Roberta

Filed Under: change, Diet, Exercise, fat loss, Food, Health, motivation, Uncategorized, weight loss, Weight training Tagged With: The Venus Factor, Venus Index, Venus index Transformation, Venus Index Workout, weight loss, weight training, working out for shape

Are You a Venus Endurance Athlete?

November 27, 2015 by Anea Kamahele Leave a Comment

Are you in this for the long haul?

Are You a Venus Endurance Athlete?

This past week has been one of remembering to be thankful. You must think about what it is for which you are grateful, and give thanks for it. That’s the interesting thing about giving thanks – it is very much an intentional act. It’s a lot like being a Venus. When we become a Venus, we have to go about it with a fair amount of intention. We choose to make changes.

I thought a bit about all these changes I’ve been making. Eating differently, exercising differently, thinking differently…it’s a lot of “differentlys” in a relatively short period of time. That can be something of a stressor, both physically and mentally.

I have had great success with Venus thus far – but my fat loss is the “long haul” sort. At the start of my Venus journey, my total weight loss goal put me at 105 pounds to lose. The 25.5 lbs I’ve lost with Venus so far is great! But I have 79.5 more pounds to go. It’s just a process, after all, but the REALITY is, it’s going to take me awhile.

It’s not going to happen in 12 weeks like it will for some ladies. Or 24 weeks or 36 or maybe even 48 or longer…I am having to mentally prepare myself for a journey that is going to require I have my head in the game for a bit before I’ve lost my optimal amount of fat. This isn’t a bad thing. Or a good thing, for that matter. It’s just what it is.

As usual, it got me thinking in comparisons. And I compare this journey to being an endurance athlete. Because like an endurance athlete, to DO this, we all have to be self-motivated, we have to be able to see the Big Picture, we need a team (family, friends, the Venus community), and we have to endure with a little panache.

Endurance athletes share other things in common with the ladies of Venus who are “In it to Win it!”

You focus on cumulative gains: Just like endurance athletes can’t complete a marathon in one day, neither can you lose all your fat in one fell swoop. You do it little by little, weights and measures. Week by week you follow the plan and you trust the process. As Coach Liss has said on Venus, JOT, or Just One Thing…you just do one thing at a time, day by day.

It’s you against yourself: You’re not doing this “against” anybody else. Your results are yours. And no one else’s. We are our worst enemy; once we figure that out, we face our own fears, our own constraints, our own worries. We face them and we conquer them, and that’s how we win. As Coach Roberta likes to say, celebrate each victory, every time!

You push your limits: It’s known that the reason endurance athletics is so hard is that it forces you to push yourself. Honestly, though, following an eating protocol and exercise program is the easy part. The hard part is the mindset it takes to make it to the end. Pushing your mental limits is where the real magic happens.

You help others: This isn’t totally necessary, I mean, you can succeed anyway without helping anyone along the way. But on Venus, we see again and again that those who reach out to others, over the long haul, just do better with their on weight loss and maintenance. You give tips or you share recipes. You encourage and support.

The more you sweat in training, the easier it is to race: I liken this to fat loss phase versus maintenance phase. If you put in the hard, grunty work to understand how to lose fat and build muscle during fat loss phase, when it is time to maintain, you will win that “race” because maintenance is for the rest of your life. Train yourself. And you’ll know how to race.

You will finish: And this is really it. You never quit. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, how often you stumble, how many times you have to buy new jeans, you will finish. This is yours and yours alone to finish. No one can do it for you.

So, are you a Venus Endurance Athlete?

– Anea

Filed Under: change, fat loss, Health, motivation, transformation, weight loss Tagged With: diet for weight loss, fat loss, goal setting, Long Haul, Mindset, motivation, The Venus Factor, transformation, Venus Endurance Athlete, working out for shape

Happy Thanksgiving and tips from Coach Roberta

November 26, 2015 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Happy Thanksgiving to my USA Venus girlfriends!

I’m busy working on the Venus contest, but I had to take a quick break to write some words of encouragement for those I’m helping.

These are all my own pictures in the collage.

‘Cuz I’m the real deal.

In the purple shirt last night during a break in our workout with my Venus friend Kerry.

And the scenes at my home.

I don’t have to prep for photo shoots or events because I live the lifestyle and have been proving it for over 5 years now.

I’m not going to hide or be ashamed of my lifestyle, because it works for me.

Tomorrow you will enjoy a post from Anea, who is one of our talented Venus Ambassadors in the Immersion Online Community. She has a long way to go in her Venus goals, but she is successful and well on her way. She KNOWS with the Venus lifestyle she will get there too. She knows it works for her too!

I’m quite excited about the way the Immersion community support is going. It’s amazing. It is all about women empowering other women. They have even created phone app texting accountability groups and blogging in there.

If you haven’t yet experienced the Venus Immersion community support, well, you just do not know what you are missing!

Tips for the Venus Lifestyle

Never ever reward or punish yourself for food.

This is a mentality shift we make to succeed in fitness.

You never earn food rewards.

You are never punished for eating.

There are no good foods and bad foods.

You might be allergic or have bad reactions for some foods.

We need food to survive.

We are meant to enjoy food.

We are meant to celebrate.

And yes, humans are designed to fast for periods of time when it’s appropriate. Humans have been doing this since the beginning, both for spiritual purposes and out of necessity when they were hunter gatherers.

It’s only modern society who has created these strange fitness myths and have at the same time had to battle an over abundance of food and lack of physical activity.

So ENJOY Thanksgiving!

And ENJOY a workout if you want to!

You are never DOOMED by one meal, one day, one week. Just decide to get back on track when you are done feasting.

AND, if you stay on that track as can happen to many of us, DECIDE TO SAVE THE DAY at any moment you choose.

This is how we do it!!

BOOM!

Never give up
Never settle
Live your dream

Enjoy the holidays in true Venus Style!

-Coach Roberta

Filed Under: Diet, Exercise, fat loss, Food, Health, Uncategorized, weight loss, Weight training Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, becoming a venus, Bobbie Carper, diet for weight loss, goal setting, The Venus Factor, Venus index Transformation

CONTEST: VT16: Start January 11 – End April 11

Immersion

Coaching

Expectations have consequences

Whether you think you CAN or you CAN’T, you are RIGHT!

The confident and passionate woman

Donette placed in our recent VT15 Venus Transformation Contest.

Donette’s Metrics

VT15 Contest Winners

Additional VT15 Transformations

Cover Model Winners

Next years contest schedule

1st Place – Danell

2nd Place – Sandra

3rd Place – Anne

4th Place – Andrea

5th Place – Kittery

6th Place – Holly

7th Place – Robin

8th Place – Char

9th Place – Donette

10th Place – Laura

Additional Transformations

Kimberly

Christine

Brenda

Cindy

Heather

Tricia

Laura

Tara

Cover Models

Erin

Anne

Danell

Sandra

Christine

Kittery

The 2016 Venus Transformation Contest Schedule:

VT16: Start January 11 – End April 11

VT17: Start May 2 – End August 1

VT18: Start August 22 – End November 21

How does a Venus feed her soul?

Are You a Venus Endurance Athlete?

Tips for the Venus Lifestyle

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