How to Go from Good to Great at age 60; Interview with Lorraine

Today we are honored to listen to Lorraine Gearhart who placed tenth in the Eighth Venus Index Transformation Contest.

 

Lorraine likes the Venus Systems for the health benefits.

Lorraine likes the Venus Systems for the health benefits.

 

It may not seem like a lot, but at almost 60 years old ,  juggling a business and elderly parents Lorraine managed to build muscle as well as lose fat in 12 weeks.

It may not seem like a lot, but at almost 60 years old and juggling a business and elderly parents Lorraine managed to build muscle as well as lose fat in 12 weeks.

 

Never have I EVER experienced the sheer amount of positive comments and reinforcement I've seen in  the last month! People spontaneously talk to me about fitness, try to guess my age – delightful!

Never have I EVER experienced the sheer amount of positive comments and reinforcement I’ve seen in the last month!
People spontaneously talk to me about fitness, try to guess my age – delightful!

 

Read what Lorraine wrote about her experience with the Venus Factor:

How great can it be to become a Venus? More importantly, how can you get there without having to do  the impossible?

In my case, the Venus transformation promises seemed literally too good to be true. I’ve got siblings  who are crippled with osteoporosis, overweight, who’ve literally thrown in the towel on ever getting  themselves in any kind of shape ever again. I want to inspire them, I could see the incentives before  me.

I’ve got a loving husband who celebrates any achievement I make, and I sure didn’t want to arrive at  age 60 with a hunched back and no bone density. Of course, it’s rarely that easy. Getting nutrition  and training down to a science, well sure, but you need to balance that against being self-employed  and having a hundred obligations outside of simply improving and shaping a physique.

A real balancing act, complete with having parents into and out of the hospital ICU, a million other  obligations, and a need to stay motivated and focused at all times. That said, we’re celebrating a  real success, since in a mere 12 weeks I’ve managed to shed excess fat, shape up to more ideal  proportions, and add a good bit of lean mass.

Can I strut down the runway with girls half my age? Maybe. It’s only been 12 weeks after all. More  importantly, have I gained in health, have I achieved proper proportion, do people notice it and  complement me on it every day. OH, YEAH, BABY!!!

Never have I EVER experienced the sheer amount of positive comments and reinforcement I’ve seen in  the last month! People spontaneously talk to me about fitness, try to guess my age – delightful! Not  to mention, my Adonis really likes the changes I’ve made!

 

We're celebrating a  real success, since in a mere 12 weeks I've managed to shed excess fat, shape up to more ideal  proportions, and add a good bit of lean mass.

We’re celebrating a real success, since in a mere 12 weeks I’ve managed to shed excess fat, shape up to more ideal proportions, and add a good bit of lean mass.

 

Listen to Lorraine’s interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

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A Venus at 40 has a body a teenager would die for; Meet Jenny

Jenny Weaks is one of our Venus winners.  She just turned 40 recently and feels better about herself now then any other time in her life.  Not only that, she has a body a teenager would die for!

Jenny Weaks is one of our Venus winners. She just turned 40 recently and feels better about herself now then any other time in her life. Not only that, she has a body a teenager would die for!

 

Jenny Weaks is one of our previous contest winners.  She is learning to maintain now using the Venus Systems and community.  Like many of us she worked hard for many years and found that running and working out hard are not enough to give you the shape you need.  You can’t outrun or outwork too many calories.

She recently celebrated her 40th Birthday.  Happy Birthday Jenny! She has a special story to tell about how she feels as a Venus at age 40.

 

I’ll admit it.  I’m hard to shop for.  I like what I like and usually if I REALLY like it, I’m probably not going to wait around on a special occasion.  Luckily my husband enjoys the challenge and this being a BIG year, he didn’t disappoint.

You’re probably thinking a fancy watch or a romantic trip, but it was something so much more than that.  On the morning of my 40th birthday he sent me down a walk on memory lane.  He had conspired with my mom and been scouring my library of personal photos.

There were pictures from my second birthday.  There were pictures from vacations, births, holidays, awful matching outfits, HUGE hair and posed family portraits.  It really was a sweet gift and my mom gave him photos that I hadn’t ever seen.

 

My husband...

My husband… On the morning of my 40th birthday he sent me down a walk on memory lane.  He had conspired with my mom and been scouring my library of personal photos.

 

Having struggled with my weight my entire life, it is sometimes difficult to see myself in pictures.  The adorable years were there, but a lot of them were from the last fifteen years.  Those are the pictures that I stared at the longest.  I was never obese, but I was also never skinny or lean.

 

 There were girls heavier than me in school, but it seemed the majority of the girls just didn’t even have to think about their weight.

There were girls heavier than me in school, but it seemed the majority of the girls just didn’t even have to think about their weight.

 

Look at me on that diving board.  I was in fourth grade and already pretty fluffy.  There were girls heavier than me in school, but it seemed the majority of the girls just didn’t even have to think about their weight.

Don’t get me wrong.   I have been able to see the positives in my body along the way.  I was a successful athlete in high school and was offered an opportunity to play at the college level.  I chose to take an academic scholarship and work, but  I always worked out and I was always strong.

 

Jenny in 2008 at the Chicago marathon.

Jenny in 2008 at the Chicago marathon.

 

I also  knew deep down that my body could be better.  Look at my race picture from the Chicago marathon in 2008.  I had been running for almost 10 years at that point and my youngest child was 4. I was diagnosed hypothyroid a few years before that and I had hoped it would be the magic pill for me.

I counted calories and worked out, but I could never get below 150.  I did get down to 145 a few times, but that was it.  All those years of beating my head against the wall of 150 and it turns out it was so simple.

Even with all the logs and calorie counting, I was eating too much.  I had read book after book and magazine articles galore.

I thought I had to eat 1,300 – 1,500 calories a day spaced out evenly to keep my metabolism “stoked”.   Essentially I had become a master at maintenance.

I was willing to try anything.  I had tried almost everything, but  in November of 2012 I bought the reverse taper diet.  I was blown away and by December I was already past the wall of 150.

I thought I had to eat 1,300 – 1,500 calories a day spaced out evenly to keep my metabolism “stoked”.   Essentially I had become a master at maintenance.

I thought I had to eat 1,300 – 1,500 calories a day spaced out evenly to keep my metabolism “stoked”. Essentially I had become a master at maintenance.

 

I had joined

Not only will I never see 150 again, but I will never see 140 again.

 

I signed up for Venus in December and  by the end of VT7 I was at 123 pounds.  I have been in striking distance of  that since.  There have been parties, holidays, and vacations and I enjoyed every one of them.

Not only will I never see 150 again, but I will never see 140 again.   I drove off to work that morning and I had all of these things swirling in my head.  There had been all this anticipation leading up to the actual day I turned 40.  I wanted to have this huge blowout party and mark the occasion with a piece of jewelry that I bought for myself, but neither of those happened.

No doubt I will get that special piece of jewelry for myself at some point this year, but in the car that day, sitting in traffic, it hit me.  I was the best version of myself.

That at 40, I had a better body than I did in high school or when I turned 21.

Even better than that, I have this knowledge to carry with me forever and that gives me the control to be whatever weight I want to be at and to shape my body however I choose.

It’s not always easy, but it really is that simple.

Jenny Weaks

I have this knowledge to carry with me forever and that gives me the control to be whatever weight I want to be at and to shape my body however I choose.

I have this knowledge to carry with me forever and that gives me the control to be whatever weight I want to be at and to shape my body however I choose.

There Is Always A Workaround to Achieve Fitness; Says Daphne, Mother of Ten

Today we are honored to listen to Daphne Dyson who placed ninth in the 8th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Daphne overcame a myriad of health issues and years of pregnancy to achieve her goals.  She said there is always a workaround; there is always something you can do.

Daphne overcame a myriad of health issues and years of pregnancy to achieve her goals. She said there is always a workaround; there is always something you can do.

 

Eight pounds and four inches in twelve weeks is darn good progress for a female with all the adversity Daphne faced and hurdled.  This is more the reality that most women face with weight loss.

Eight pounds and four inches in twelve weeks is darn good progress for a female with all the adversity Daphne faced and hurdled.
This is more the reality that most women face with weight loss.

 

I love Venus for the straightforward, scientifically-supported simplicity; do hard work in the gym this way, cut calories as is best for your body and lifestyle, and results will come.

“I love Venus for the straightforward, scientifically-supported simplicity; do hard work in the gym this way, cut calories as is best for your body and lifestyle, and results will come.”

 

Read what Daphne wrote about her experience with the Venus Factor:

The Venus lifestyle: diet to lose fat, workout to gain beauty and strength. Simple, uncluttered, fits into my life, I don’t have to fit my life in around my diet.

I no longer quietly dread that future moment when I give up trying to lose weight anymore, because I cannot keep up with the recommended 3 mini-meals + 3 snacks. With a large family I just do not  have that much time to plan out all those meals and snacks; when I tried to do so, inevitably I ended up overeating. Now, if I want to eat well with my family, I can. Then I quietly reduce my calories at other times, to keep within my weekly calorie budget. This is so different from the conventional way of looking at dieting as a daily thing!

With Venus Factor, there is an end to dieting, and soon I will be able to afford to eat more calories with pleasure and freedom. I am on this journey toward weight loss and strength and it is doable, and I now know deep down that maintaining will be doable too, once I reach my goals.

Aspiring to achieve my personal golden proportions gives me a concrete, measurable goal to work toward; the scale is no longer the only way to see if I am going to be more or less attractive while working so hard in the gym! Do I expect to achieve those numbers perfectly, especially the waist measurement? Well, no, I have had 10 kids after all!

I love Venus for the straightforward, scientifically-supported simplicity; do hard work in the gym this way, cut calories as is best for your body and lifestyle, and results will come.

Finding ESE and Venus Index have been life-changing for me.  Entering a transformation contest is something I’ve only thought about for a long time, that I did not have my diet under control was THE factor that held me back, and having the Golden Ration metrics gave me a wonderful look/goal to strive for.

I give you all my heart-felt gratitude for putting all your experience and  science-based information into a program that is straight-forward, and doable for the rest of my  life!  I hope Venus/Adonis continue to prosper, so that others can change their own lives, as my  family and I have!

Warmly,

Daphne Dyson

Daphne with her family when she was pregnant with number nine.

Daphne with her family when she was pregnant with number nine.  After this pregnancy Daphne reached her peak weight gain at 153 pounds which was devastating to an athlete like her.  It took approximately one year for her to get down to 138 pounds.  Daphne said Eat Stop Eat and the tools provided by the Venus system are helping sustain her progress.

 

Listen to Daphne’s interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

Just Say No to Elastic Waist Pants; Interview with Lori Aquino

Today we are honored to listen to Lori Aquino who placed fifth in the 8th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

 

Lori contemplated buying elastic waist pants and said "No Way!  This has got to stop now"

Lori contemplated buying elastic waist pants and said “No Way! This has got to stop now”

 

Lori's 12 week contest metrics.

Lori’s 12 week contest metrics.

 

The Venus concept of working out for shape and a weight range instead of a specific weight appealed to Lori.

The Venus concept of working out for shape and a weight range instead of a specific weight appealed to Lori.

 

Read what Lori wrote about her experience with the Venus Factor:

What do you say about a program that every day, several times a day, has forced others to take notice of you? And boy, have people noticed. Wow! How do I handle all their ‘noticing’?

I have a co-worker who, no matter what results I get, will completely do another program to prove that weight loss can happen on her terms. She has often attempted to sabotage me with food.

And another who was in shape and one time and knows what she needs to do…complains about it but will never do it.

These two sat one on each side of me during this whole contest. That was a challenge in itself! I called them the snack queens. They eat out of boredom and it was hard to remind myself that I was shooting for a bigger goal; ME and MY health.

However, I did have two other co-workers who noticed and joined the program. (I check in on them often and they love it too!) As well as several members who told me how wonderful I looked and that I should be proud. If only they could do it? Of course, I told them that they could and all about Venus.

The ‘noticing’ has ranged from praise to concern to others attempting to sabotage me. Wow!

However, my favorite notice has been from my teenage daughters. My middle daughter saw my legs one day and was like, “Mom, you are wearing shorts and you have better looking legs than I do!”  God bless her!

 

Lori said " I had to remind myself that I was shooting for a bigger goal. ME and MY health."

” I had to remind myself that I was shooting for a bigger goal;  ME and MY health.”

 

Listen to Lori’s interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

Understanding Research Claims with Dr. Julie Conquer

Here’s the next episode of the UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 3.

What about supplement claims? If you are reading an article that sounds too good to be true - it probably is too good to be true.

What about supplement claims?
If you are reading an article that sounds too good to be true
– it probably is too good to be true.

Today’s Topic:  Understanding research claims for supplements

Today John speaks with Dr. Julie Conquer

Dr. Conquer’s Educational background:

University of Toronto
PhD, Molecular Pathology
1990 – 1994

University of Guelph
MSc, Nutritional Sciences
1988 – 1990

University of Waterloo
BSc, Biology
1983 – 1987

Dr. Conquer has 10 years of experience on clinical trials on dietary supplements.  Now she is working on putting the research together.

What you will learn in the podcast:

  • What is the structure of research claims?
  • What is really supporting the research claims?
  • What is a review compared to a systematic review?
  • What is a clinical trial?
  • What are clinical good practice trials?
  • What is double blind?
  • What are the standards for double blind?
  • What is pre-trial disclosure?
  • What are the recent improvements in quality in clinical trials?
  • What is the Jadad scale?
  • What is randomization?
  • What is required for randomization?
  • What about weight loss studies?
  • How do the behaviors of people in the study effect the outcome?
  • What about people who drop out of a study?
  • Is safety an end point in studies?
  • What is the difference between the media stories vs. the actual studies?
  • Why is the gap between media stories and the actual studies so great?
  • Why we should never just look at just the latest study?
  • Should you rely on mainstream media for the truth about clinical trials?
  • Why you should look at only at the results section in the study.
  • Are there some places where people can find the truth about supplement studies?
  • What is peer review?

If you are reading an article that sounds too good to be true – it probably is too good to be true.

The National Standards Supplement Database is available for immersion customers as a service we provide to help fill the gap.  It is updated regularly. It is available in your Venus Cockpit.

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

Not a Venus Index IMMERSION client? Click here to find out more…

 

Ask Nicola; Closet Eating

You are not alone in this.  Find a friend or someone you can trust.

You are not alone in this. Find a friend or someone you can trust and get it out in the open so you can face it.

What can you do about closet eating?

Overeating usually happen in two major situations:

1) When you are influenced socially.

2) When you are alone.

Today we will focus when you are alone.  You are facing yourself.  This is a moment with an opportunity to learn or face why you might overeat.  What can you do about this?

This is a vulnerable time.  It’s a common theme to hide and eat.  People do this because they don’t want to be seen or face the shame of being overweight.  It increases a vicious circle.  Shame is usually driving the emotion.  It is a very painful place.  You can be stuck in this unhappy and shameful place.

The goal would be to eat in a similar way whether you are eating alone or in a social setting.

What is the first step in getting away from shame in secretive eating?

Admit it.  Get out of denial about it.

Then you can face it.

You are not alone in this.  Find a friend or someone you can trust.  Write a journal.

Nicola and John talk about what to do about closet eating.

Dr. Nicola Bird

Nicola’s Online Program

Listen to John’s interview with Dr. Nicola Bird here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

Targets, Goals, and Missions

Here’s the next episode of the UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 3.

 

When you are reaching your goal you may have a role model.  Once you get to your goal you become your own role model.  It's your new target proximity.

When you are reaching your goal you may have a role model. Once you get to your goal you become your own role model. It helps you learn your new range or proximity to the target.

Today’s Topic:  Targets, Goals, and Missions

Maintenance is hard.  At some point you arrive at a point of diminishing returns.

You have arrived at your goal.  You reach a point where you look in the mirror and say “That’s my body and that’s me, and that’s pretty good.”

Before you got to your goal you may have had a picture of someone else, a role model or a fitness model.

But once you have arrived there, you have photographic evidence.  You have pictures.  Without that you don’t really know.  It gives you your reference.

You can’t have goals, targets, and missions for maintenance without having gotten “there” first.

You don’t you want to compare yourself to others, but it’s okay to have a model to help get you to your goal.

Once you get to your goal, your new model is you.  It is your proximity to the target.  You have a range you like to stay in.

There will be times when you are not as tight, muscular, or sharp, and you can reel yourself in.  You are just getting back to YOU.

Your measurements help; it is your target.  It helps keeps you on track.

You got the body you want, then to keep it you want to do the least amount of work to keep within range.

Once you decide on your target, goals, and missions you need to set up your “inner circle” support group.  You need to include people who are going to help you stay on track and exclude those who hinder you.

Set a goal date to help keep your team or inner circle on your side.  It can be an special event, a vacation, another photo shoot, whatever you want to keep you motivated.

 

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

Not a Venus Index IMMERSION client? Click here to find out more…

 

 

VT8 12-Week Transformation Winners Announced

The VT8 results are in and the transformations and final pictures are simply amazing!

One thing I love about the focus for women in the Venus program is “The focus is proportions and shape (rather than weight loss at all costs or building muscle like a guy)” – John Barban.

Congratulations to everyone who entered and finished!  This took hard work on the part of everyone and it shows.

Here are the winners:

First Place – Julie J

Julie lost 33 more pounds after entering the Venus contest.

Julie lost 33 more pounds after entering the Venus contest.

Even in mid life and with many health obstacles Julie found a way to succeed. She said the Venus program was a real eye opener for her.

Even in mid life and with many health obstacles Julie found a way to succeed. She said the Venus program was a real eye opener for her.

Second Place – Carlie A

Carlie lost a couple of inches in her waist and gained muscle in her shoulders; This got her to her VI ideal. This is not an easy task.

Carlie lost inches in her waist and gained muscle in her shoulders;
This got her to her exact VI ideal metrics.

Changing your body composition like Carlie did is not an easy task.

Changing your body composition like Carlie did is not an easy task.

 Third Place – Lourdes C

Candy lost inches and gained muscle, again this is no easy task.

Lourdes lost inches and gained muscle.
Again, recomp is no easy task, especially at age 47.

Candy said "The variety in the workouts and the level of intensity was incredible. For the first time, I started noticing changes in my body that I liked very much."

The variety in the workouts and the level of intensity was incredible. For the first time, I started noticing changes in my body that I liked very much.”

Fourth Place – Kerry Z.

Kerry lost 9 pounds in 12 weeks and got down to her exact VI ideal metrics.

Kerry lost 9 pounds in 12 weeks and got down to her exact VI ideal metrics.

Kerry didn't let her traveling job be an excuse to not achieve her fitness goals. With Anything Goes Diet and Eat Stop Eat she make it work for her life.

Kerry didn’t let her traveling job be an excuse to not achieve her fitness goals. With Anything Goes Diet and Eat Stop Eat she makes it work for her life. No excuses!

Fifth Place – Lori A.

"My middle daughter saw my legs one day and was like, 'Mom, you are wearing shorts and you have better looking legs than I do!' "

“My middle daughter saw my legs one day and was like, ‘Mom, you are wearing shorts and you have better looking legs than I do!’ “

Lori lost 2 inches from her waist and 8 pounds in 12 weeks. Not bad for a hard working mom.

Lori lost 2 inches from her waist and 8 pounds. Pretty good results for a hard working mom in just 12 weeks.

Sixth Place – Jessica Y

Jessica lost 2 inches off her waist.

Jessica lost 5 pounds and 2 inches off her waist.

Jessica gained the muscle she wanted. She spent most of her life as a size 8-12 and now shes down to 0-4.

Jessica spent most of her life as a size 8-12 and now shes down to 0-4 and she’s gained the muscle she wanted.

Seventh Place – Aima K

Aima weighed 100 pounds before and after, but she cleanly lost fat and gained muscle - this is what we call "recomp" and it requires hard work and patience.

Aima weighed 100 pounds before and after, but she clearly lost fat and gained muscle – this is what we call “recomp” and it requires hard work and patience.

Aima didn't get much support because everyone said she was "skinny" already, but she knew what she wanted and she worked hard to get it.

Aima didn’t get much support because everyone said she was already “skinny”, but she knew what she wanted and she worked hard to get it.

Eighth Place – Lea A

Lea lost four pounds and got closer to her VI Ideal metrics.

Lea lost four pounds and got closer to her VI Ideal metrics.

Previously she at 6 meals a day and worked out hard with a personal trainer but it was the Venus program that finally got Lea results.

Previously she at 6 meals a day and worked out hard with a personal trainer but it was the Venus program that finally got Lea the results she wanted.

Ninth Place – Daphne D

At age 43 and a stay at home mom for a very large family Daphne still managed to lose 8 pounds and cut 2 inches from her waist.

At age 43 and a stay at home mom with 10 kids Daphne still managed to lose 8 pounds and cut 2 inches from her waist.

Daphne worked very hard in spite of all her life stress and you can see the muscle tone she gained here in just 12 weeks.

Daphne worked very hard in spite of all her life stress and you can see the muscle tone she gained here in just 12 weeks.

Tenth Place – Lorraine G

"Never have I EVER experienced the sheer amount of positive comments and reinforcement I've seen in the last month! People spontaneously talk to me about fitness."

“Never have I EVER experienced the sheer amount of positive comments and reinforcement I’ve seen in the last month! People spontaneously talk to me about fitness.”

Even at age 60 and a huge amount of life stress Lorraine managed to gain muscle, lose 7 pounds, and 2 inches off her waist in just 12 weeks.

Even at age 60 and a huge amount of life stress Lorraine managed to gain muscle, lose 7 pounds, and 2 inches off her waist in just 12 weeks.

 

Each one of these women worked very hard to achieve their success in just 12 weeks.  Many are in mid life and experience much of the stress we all face at that time; jobs, kids, elderly parents, hormone issues and yet they still found a way to make huge progress on their fitness goals.  One thing we emphasize in the Venus program is that we are making changes for life and that the contest is merely a 12 week snapshot, a moment in time, or an en route train stop on our life long journey for health and happiness (not fat loss at all costs).

If you are in the online community please congratulate each of these women for their accomplishments or feel free to comment below, and please feel free to hit the LIKE button!

-Ro

VT9 will start September 1st and end November 24th

 

Ask Nicola; Emotional Eating vs Emotional OVER-Eating

 

The thing to remember is that the stress and the need to want to eat a treat that makes you feel good; it is a moment.   Let yourself have the moment.  Factor it in because you are human.

The thing to remember is that the stress and the need to want to eat a treat that makes you feel good; it is a moment. Let yourself have the moment. Factor it in because you are human.

Emotional Eating vs Emotional OVER-Eating

Everyone emotionally eats.  Sometimes it happens like clockwork.  It might be from certain events that cause stress.

The thing to remember is that the stress and the need to want to eat a treat that makes you feel good; it is a moment.   Let yourself have the moment.

You do not have to keep eating to the point of overeating.  Slow down.  Take a moment to enjoy the food.

Have the chocolate.  Pay attention.  Give yourself the permission to have that chocolate and then just have it.  You can always have more again next time.

Do not deny it.  It needs to be factored in.  Plan on it.  Know it is going to happen. Remind yourself that you can have it again.

Be mindful of the emotion at the time.  You have not do beat yourself up about it.  You can contain it.  You can learn to manage the moments.

Every human being has these cravings and urges.  It doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you.  It does not mean you have to give up your goals.  Factor in that you are human. Give yourself some flexibility.

Dr. Nicola Bird

Nicola’s Online Program

Listen to John’s interview with Dr. Nicola Bird here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

Weight Training: “Were You Born For This”?

 

Was I born for this?  Not necessarily.

Was I born for this? Not necessarily.

While at the gym today I noticed a caption on the TV screen for what looked like a golf tournament advertisement that said “They were born for this”.  I was listening to music on my MP3 player and not actually watching TV so I don’t completely know what the advertisement was about.  I don’t watch TV at home so I still don’t really know what it was about.  It looked like it was about pro golf players.  I did an internet search and the hits confirmed it was about this years PGA tour.  That is all I know, I didn’t search any further.

Was I born for this?

It got me to thinking about what I spend a lot of time doing lately and the question for myself “Was I born for this?”

Sometimes it feels like yes everything in my life seems to have added up to this point. It feels like what I am doing is my purpose and that it makes an impact on others.

Yet when I think about my family, genetics, relatives, or even my identical twin, none of them have done what I have done regarding fitness (and yet I am also nothing special myself).

It reminds me of a book I read once called “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell.  The first two chapters of this book resonate with me on my experience.  The first chapter was about opportunity and coaching; I definitely missed the boat on that one for the first part of my life.  The second chapter “The 10,000-hour rule” explains why I seem to be good at knowing how to design my own diet and just do the productive workouts every day.  I’ve been doing both consistently for over 30 years.  I Just didn’t have good coaches or good tools until a few years ago.

With the Venus Factor I finally got the tools I needed to succeed

I now have John Barban, Brad Pilon, the Venus program, and Eat Stop Eat which all gave me the coaching and tools I needed to finally succeed in my fitness goals.

And then the skills I have developed during my 25 year career at Hewlett Packard seem to have set me up for doing various jobs recently for the Venus Factor.  I could not have planned it but it seems everything fell into place.  It reminds me of the Seneca quote that goes something like “Luck is when preparation and opportunity meet”.  Sometimes you don’t know what you are preparing for but your passion leads you somewhere.  Especially if you work hard at what you love and simply make the best of the situation at hand, even if it is not yet the work you are most passionate about.

“Were you born for this?” does not really apply to weight training.

Back to the gym:  It made me realize that the question “Were you born for this?” does not really apply to weight training.  We were all born for it and we can all use it to fit our own lifestyle.

It is especially necessary for women because lifting weights just 3 times a week on a consistent basis will ward off osteoporosis.  When I was 51 I got a DXA scan that showed my bone density was that of an athletic 30 year old woman.  That is a direct result of weight lifting.

Women can do the minimum (3 days a week) or take it to higher level conditioning and workout nearly every day.  That is the beauty of the Venus Factor program.  It is not a one size fits all program.

It is a program that women at all levels can participate in; as a beginner, as an advanced athlete, as someone who enjoys working out in the privacy of their own home, as someone who likes a public gym, as a stay at home mom, as a traveling executive, or from any walk of life.

Consistency is the key to being an Every Day Venus

John told this story that I think applies:

The other day I was sitting in a local coffee shop and a guy walked in that recognized. It took me a few moments to remember how I knew him.

Then it hit me, he was a subject in one of the exercise experiments I did when I was in graduate school.

Back when I was doing research in exercise and nutrition I was running an exercise study where I had to make people do a pretty intense workout for 90 minutes at about 70% VO2 max.

That might sound a little technical so let me explain what it means.

VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body and muscles can consume and use during exercise. Most people can only sustain their true max for a few moments until they have to back off or stop completely.

The best athletes in the world can stay there a bit longer, but it’s still very short lived. The point is nobody actually workouts out at VO2 max; this is just a way to measure how conditioned you are. It also has a genetic component. In other words some people just have a higher VO2 max even if they don’t work at it.

So in our study we set the intensity level of the workout to 70% VO2max. 70% VO2 is also known as ‘anaerobic threshold’ which is the intensity of cardio (running, cycling etc.) that feels like it’s almost becoming a sprint but not quite a job. In short, it’s right at the edge of what you can handle for long duration.

It’s hard!

Back to the coffee shop:  The guy who walked in had the highest VO2 max of any of our subjects and was in the best condition of anybody we studied.

He was about 6’4 225lbs, big, lean, muscular, and well-conditioned. He kind of reminded me of the Winklevoss twins from the movie ‘the social network’.

…that was then.

Now he looks like he is about 70lbs overweight, and I’ll bet he doesn’t have the endurance or muscular conditioning he did when he was younger.

If you asked me to bet on who I would guess would be in shape 15 years after that study, this is the guy I would have bet on. He had it all.

The point of this story is to explain to you that even the most genetically gifted people still have to work out regularly and pay some attention to their diet in order to maintain a great looking physique and top conditioning.

Nobody is going to lift the weights for you. Consistency from day to day, month to month and year to year is the key to being an Every Day Venus for life.

 

No one except my husband saw the potential in me early on

For me it was kind of the opposite of John’s story at the coffee shop.  People looked at me in the past and didn’t see any potential.  My husband Randy said he saw something special in me a long time ago.  He called me his “diamond in the rough”.  It’s nice to have someone who believes in you.

No one saw potential in me except my husband Randy who believed in me.

No one saw potential in me except my husband Randy who believed in me.

The slow weight creep started for me in my mid 30’s and continued into my late 40’s where at 5’1″ I peaked out at over 171 pounds.  I did not achieve my fitness goal until I was 50.  The Venus program took me beyond even my wildest dreams with fitness and changed my life completely.  I spent the first half of my life working hard but I was barely average.  My genetics did not look like anything special.

Two years after achieving my Venus goals I am still enjoying the Venus lifestyle

I am enjoying the Venus lifestyle.  In the Caribbean two years ago, last summer in Las Vegas (green bikini), and last week in the locker room.

I am still enjoying the Venus lifestyle two years after achieving my Venus goals. In the Caribbean two years ago, last summer in Las Vegas (green bikini), and last week in the locker room.

 

So here I am two years after achieving my Venus fitness goals and still living the dream.  You do not have to “be born for this” and as John has coached us “you are not at the mercy of your genetic shape if you don’t want to be”:

 

In fact you could even say that most people are not genetically perfectly proportioned and that we all have some sort of genetic imbalance or asymetry to our predetermined muscle size that we need to work on.

The good news is that you are not at the mercy of your genetic shape if you don’t want to be.  You can always train yourself toward better overall proportions.

The concept of building a proportioned physique should be your goal if you’re working out to improve the look and shape of your body.

Working with your genetic strengths and weaknesses in mind will help you direct your effort towards the most efficient use of your time in the gym and get you to that proportioned physique in the shortest period of time.

For a look at what we consider the ideally proportioned physique have a look at some of the contest winners from the recent Adonis Index and Venus Index contests.

And you can do it too!

Speaking of contests:  Next Sunday August 11th is the last day of our current contest (VT8).  VT9 will start September 1st and end November 24th (just in time to enjoy the holiday season).

So remember, anyone can do it who decides and then puts the work in.  You don’t have to be “Born for this” like the PGA tour golf pro’s.  I look forward to meeting some new Venus girls in the contest interviews.

-Ro

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