So you think you want to enter a transformation contest?

There’s a lot to think about before entering a contest

Read the RULES AND REGULATIONS.

Will it be motivating for you?

Or will it be too much pressure?

If you WIN, what do you think of all of your pictures, both before and after?

How will you feel having others see your pictures?

Do you want to share your story to help others?

How should you make your pictures?

Make them good quality.

Make sure there is good lighting.

Make sure they are not fuzzy.

If the pictures are blurry or fuzzy because the lighting is not right, we won’t be able to see your change or transformation, therefore we won’t be able to use them.

Get another opinion, even on the before pictures.

Treat them like a resume.  You are presenting yourself to others.  Take pride in both the before and after pictures.

Make sure you wear clothing that shows your change in shape.  If the clothing is loose and baggy and does not show your hard work, we won’t be able to use them.  If we can’t use your pictures to show your change, you won’t place.

Make sure your whole body is in the pictures.

Once you complete the required pictures, feel free to be creative and submit extra pictures (these can be cropped, and doing athletic or yoga poses).  Take fun pictures in a dress or nice outfit in addition to the “required contest pictures”; These are actually the most fun pictures to use and have.

Try putting your camera or cell phone on a timer and in a holder or propped up on a table (to prevent fuzzy pictures).

Others taking the pictures may not have a steady hand and that will make the pictures fuzzy.  Have them hold the camera on a table or something to hold it steady.

Make sure there is enough light, if not the pictures will be fuzzy.

Make sure there isn’t light directly shining into the camera lens.

Some things that you might worry about

Don’t worry about the contest timing.  Start making the changes in your life now.  It takes a long time to learn new healthy habits.

Don’t worry about already being too close to your goal at the start of a contest.  Anyone who works hard at the process for 12 weeks will show an amazing change.  The biggest changes occur during your last 15 pounds.  That’s when the muscle toning starts to make a dramatic show.  That’s where the real sculpting happens, especially if you hit those gym workouts.

Since our contests are not “weight loss at all costs” or necessarily the biggest loser contests, some may win based on the increase in muscle tone and just a few pounds of fat loss.

Some people think they did not change enough so are afraid to complete the contest and submit their pictures, but they may not realize that they actually could have placed.

Many women will lose 9-15 pounds during the 12 weeks, some more (but that is not all we look at).

Most who place in our contests are surprised that they placed.  If you followed the process and really practiced the nutrition and workouts; YOU WILL HAVE AMAZING RESULTS and sometimes you don’t realize that yet.  If you listen to many of the podcasts with the previous contest winners you will learn that it takes awhile for your mind to catch up to the changes you made.

We do need the two piece or bikini picture for judging purposes but we would rather use the yoga clothing pictures for the contest announcement and stories.  If your fully clothed pictures hide your shape and don’t show that you made a transformation (even though you actually did make a transformation) we can’t use them.  We can’t use pictures that do not show the changes.

What is Venus about?

Venus is about changing your life.

It’s about creating new habits for life.

It’s about becoming happy with your body.

It’s about learning that your body is the power house for all that you do in life.

It’s not about the 12 week contest.

We want you to WIN FOR LIFE.

So if you do a contest, do it for YOU, do it for your LIFE.

One of the most important things of all:  It does not matter what anyone else is doing!  It does not matter what the rate of change for anyone else is.  Do not compare your changes with those of other women.  Unless you see them 24 x 7 you don’t really know what they are really doing anyway, or if what they say is accurate (sometimes THEY don’t even know).  All that matters is YOU changing your own life.  That is really all that matters.  Focus on that and you will WIN.

Here’s THE ENTRY FORM where you can enter on or after August 31st.  You can take the pictures any time during the 12 weeks (August 31 to November 23).  Obviously the bigger the window you give yourself the most opportunity you have to make a change.

The contest form will not be open until August 31st, so it will not work until then.

The contest form will close at midnight Eastern time on November 23rd, 2015).

Mainly, HAVE FUN!

-Coach Roberta