Today is THE DAY! VT15 DEADLINE

Today is the DAY!

Today is the day!

Today is the day!

 

This is just a friendly reminder that the deadline for the final entries for VT15 is TODAY at Midnight Eastern Time.

The entry form CLOSES at that time.  The contest entry form will not work after midnight!

 

PLEASE READ THE CONTEST INSTRUCTIONS, RULES, AND REGULATIONS.  The only confirmation email you will get is the automated response from the contest tracker entry form.  The email address for YOU is the one you use for your Venus account.

Click here –> Contest instructions, rules, and regulations <– Click here

 

 

Here are the steps to enter the final pictures:

Use your Venus login to use the submission form.

Then use the VT15 entry form for the contest ending 11/23/2015.

You will not be fully entered if you don’t put a picture in each mandatory field.

 

If you have any problems with the phone app try the web browser.

You will receive an automated email from the tracker tool after the pictures have uploaded.  This means YOU ARE IN the contest.

See the results of our previous contests.

PS if you have any trouble with submitting pictures or data you can email me:  roberta.saum@gmail.com

If you are having TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES contact the Venus Support Team.

 

So the contest is over, what do you do now?

So now that the contest is over what do you do?

Remember no matter what this is a lifestyle.  It does not end with a 12 week contest.

You can always take a break from the calorie deficit and eat at maintenance for awhile.  If you have been pushing really hard it’s going to be important to not let things go too much.

Keep the skills you have learned.

You can always SAVE THE DAY.

And when you get a little off track with things this is normal.  We all have the ebbs and flows of life.  We all have to get back in the game at some point.

Remember that the process always works.  Our mind can take of down various path’s of fear and paranoia, but the process is really the same.  It’s just the simple day to day steps.

Sometimes it’s just the reality of Yes it’s THIS AGAIN!

Even though I have maintained low body fat for almost five years, I’ve had the little cycles of fear and paranoia with the slight fluctuations.  Eventually we learn those are not such a big deal.  Sometimes your weight might creep up a little higher, but you eventually learn to not let the cycles get to big.  It really is the same process again.  We sometimes fear that there is something “wrong” with us, but no, it’s just getting back to the awareness of food intake again.  No big deal.  You just roll up your sleeves and do it.  Take a deep breath and be patient and allow the time for it to happen.

It never happens quickly.  It is a delayed process.  I always look at the fact that I’m where I am today with my body due to the last 90 days or more.  If I want to change, I project that out another 90 days.

So if you ever need to get back in the game, your motivation will happen when you STEP INTO IT and PICK ONE THING every day as your personal victory.

Have fun!

Never Settle!

Never Give Up!

Live Your Dream!

Coach Roberta

 

Monday November 23 is the deadline for VT15 final pictures!

Cross the FINISH for VT15!

Cross the FINISH for VT15!

 

This is just a friendly reminder that the deadline for the final entries for VT15 is Monday November 23rd at Midnight Eastern Time.

The entry form CLOSES at that time.  The contest entry form will not work after midnight!

 

PLEASE READ THE CONTEST INSTRUCTIONS, RULES, AND REGULATIONS.  The only confirmation email you will get is the automated response from the contest tracker entry form.  The email address for YOU is the one you use for your Venus account.

Click here –> Contest instructions, rules, and regulations <– Click here

 

 

Here are the steps to enter your final pictures:

Use your Venus login to use the submission form.

Then use the VT15 contest form for the contest ending 11/23/2015.

You will not be fully entered if you don’t put a picture in each mandatory field.

 

If you have any problems with the phone app try the web browser.

You will receive an automated email from the tracker tool after the pictures have uploaded.  This means YOU ARE IN the contest.

See the results of our previous contests.

The Venus 12 week contest is an En Route Train Stop in your life long Venus journey!

Have fun!

Never Settle!

Never Give Up!

Live Your Dream!

Coach Roberta

PS if you have any trouble with submitting pictures or data you can email me:  roberta.saum@gmail.com

If you are having TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES contact the Venus Support Team.

How do you BUILD your own MOTIVATION?

Gold Run Sunset Sept 23 2015 FRAMED

Motivation happens when you STEP into it and then feed it.

You can’t feed your own momentum with negative thoughts.

And you can’t feed it with positive thoughts without ACTION first.

The other persons success that you might admire does not give it enough fuel.

You must create your own momentum.

By taking steps.

By taking action.

And the focus on your own process and your own momentum with those positive thoughts.

You have to have the end goal in sight, but even it is not enough.

You have to EMBRACE the process.

You have to BUILD the constant reminders in your mind, the mnemonics, of why you make those hard little choices throughout each day.

Make those choices your daily victories.

Make each day a victory in your mind then.

Have a string of daily victories.

And ride each victory to the next.

Constantly tuning out the negative from yourself and others.

What action will you take today?
What step will you take today?

To build your own motivation.

BOOM!

Never give up
Never settle
Live your dream

-Coach Roberta

Denise Rocked VT14 and Her Goal Jeans!!


Denise had such great success with Venus that it was no surprise to see her place in the last contest.   She lost an amazing 33 pounds and 7.5 inches from her waist!!!


Screen Shot 2015-10-19 at 11.19.41 PM

Can you believe she did this in 12 weeks??

 

What Worked for Her

She attributes that success to three simple things:

1. Delaying her first meal of the day

2. Saving her favorite foods for her maintenance days

3. Taking part in the Venus community

She used the contest to drive her, made working out a priority and now it is part of her routine.  She has such a huge heart and made time to encourage others while going through her own changes.  Here she is in her goal jeans MUCH sooner than she planned.


 

Capture

Rocking the goal jeans!!

Listen in on our interview here:

As a Venus you learn to be the BEST YOU possible

Roberta the colors of fall FRAMED

The colors of fall!

I love all the seasons.

Some seasons of life are harder than others.

Just be yourself.

Whatever that is.

Sometimes it can be a disaster trying to copy someone else.

We all learn by trial and error.

We all have out own unique qualities.

None are necessarily better than the other.

Just different and unique.

And for each of us our time will come.

If we work hard and patiently wait our turn.

No need to tear others down when they succeed whilst you wait.

But others will misunderstand you as you progress and try things. And sometimes they are mean about it.

So just motor on anyway and you certainly don’t have to be a doormat for the mean people.

Just move on and bide your time.

Nice and polite and professional without being a doormat.

‘Cuz for each of us our time will come.

And in this world of so much fakary and back stabbing.

People crave realness and honesty.

So just be you.

The nice real version of YOU.

BOOM!

PS It’s been over a year since my Super Hero Photo shoot, and almost 4 years since the photo shoots for VT3 and VT4.  During that time I also have done magazine photo shoots at age 54 and a fitness competition at age 53. Some people will tell you you can’t maintain this year round.  That is not true. YOU can do it too!  If you need help, that’s what we are all here for.  Don’t let your fears and doubts stop you.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Go forth and know that you can SAVE THE DAY and every day is a glorious day to make good choices.

Never Settle.

Never Give Up.

Live Your Dream.

-Coach Roberta

Therese found she REALLY COULD LOSE WEIGHT in her 50’s!

Therese-BnA-

Therese finally found she could lose the weight. She had lost hope.  She really and truly believed it could not be done.

She found Venus and decided it would be her last ditch effort.

Sound familiar?

So many of us in mid life and even younger have felt hopeless.

But don’t believe that!

Yes, it requires some effort, but in the end we find it’s kind of simple in a way.  But we have to learn the process.

And we have to give ourselves a bit of time to learn.

But it doesn’t take long.

Soon we find our groove with it.

And we are a constant work in progress.

Because it truly is a lifestyle.

 

The shorts I am in I bought in the beginning of the summer. They fit perfectly, size 10. They are my smallest shorts as I don’t want to waste money on clothes I am going to be too small for to wear in the near future. Now, they are too big. The swim suits I am in I have had for 20 years and have not put them on for the last 15 years.

The shorts in the middle picture I bought in the beginning of the summer.
Now, they are too big. I now have swim suits that I have had for 20 years and have not put them on for the last 15 years!

 

 

Here’s what Therese wrote in her own words:

The Venus Factor Program has been life changing. It has not only changed my weight but my body shape and mental attitude. I am nearly 54 years old and thought I was stuck as a fat, tired, old person until I did the research that brought me to the Venus Factor Program.

I started this research in Jan. 2014 when I weighed 204 pounds. As I was spending the time to make the best choice possible I continued to work on my weight loss with the vast knowledge I had gained over the many years of using every diet I came across from fad, Weight Watchers, injections, specialty foods etc. only to become an expert on loosing and gaining weight.

Even having a degree in Family and Consumer Education with an emphasis in nutrition wasn’t enough. This time I needed to make it my last time so in June of 2014 I started with Venus Factor weighing 193 pounds.

I had only lost 10 pounds during the 6 months prior. This contest has only been a process in my journey.

Yes, and what a journey it has been! I have changed habits that I thought were impossible to change.

I no longer eat in the evening–a childhood habit that I have had all my life. I now exercise every week at least three times per week. I have not done this since high school–36 years ago–WOW.

I also believed I could not loose weight during the school year as being a school counselor is too stressful and has many evening obligations.

I have proved that wrong.

The pictures I have included really show my journey.

The shorts I am in I bought in the beginning of the summer. They fit perfectly, size 10. They are my smallest shorts as I don’t want to waste money on clothes I am going to be too small for to wear in the near future.

Now, they are too big. The swim suits I am in I have had for 20 years and have not put them on for the last 15 years.

The pictures showing my before Venus pictures and were I was during the journey before this contest show where I have come from and the direction I am going.

This contest is not the end but just one more step in my journey.

Today, I challenged my husband to who can get abs first–me or him. It is going to be me!!!

Since I have been doing the Venus Factor my husband has lost 30 pounds and two of my four children who are home for the summer have both lost weight.

The journey I am on has no finish line.

I will continue the weight loss with maintenance process until I reach my Venus Factor figure and then I will continue to strengthen my body and maintain the weight loss.

 

Here is Therese giving her very own video testimonial:

 

And I had the opportunity to interview Therese over skype: Игровые автоматы бесплатно и без дополнительной загрузки. Игровые автоматы абсолютно бесплатно и без регистрации, запустить их можно онлайн без регистрации, запустить их можно онлайн казино Вулкан на интерес каждому предоставлены на интерес каждому предоставлены на интерес каждому предоставлены на интерес каждому предоставлены на интерес каждому предоставлены на выбор виды бесплатных . игры онлайн бесплатно автоматы Выбираем сначала платформу автоматов, потом — сам аппарат. Вы можете попробовать игровые автоматы бесплатно абсолютно бесплатно абсолютно каждый посетитель нашего игрового зала, без регистрации и без регистрации, запустить их можно онлайн может себе это позволить, подобраны залы с наивысшими показателями всех важных параметров достойного азартного клуба. Игровые автоматы абсолютно каждый .

Three Venus ladies TAKE IT TO THE STREET!

FRAME-Pam Helen Roberta

One of our latest contest winners, Helen, travelled from Africa to visit us in California.

Helen lives in Africa but is here visiting family.  Pam lives in California near me, so we all got together at Pam’s house for a workout, good food, and some Venus chatting around the table.

We made a little video of the visit and wanted to share our struggles and victories with others.

 

We all had to change our habits

Each of us lost a lot of weight, Venus confirmed what we had been learning and took us to that upper bar we all searched for to be our own best.

Even though we are different heights and body types, we all struggle.

We all have stress.

We all wear different hats.

We all swim against the tide of too much food.

We all have to remind ourselves we need the awareness of food intake in order to stay healthy in modern society.

At first it feels sort of like too much work, but then you get in a groove.

Many habits feel like too much at first.

So give yourself TIME.

Riding a bike for the first time when we were young felt like it was too hard.

We fell and scraped our knees and got bruises.

But we got back up and pushed through.

Over time we got our balance and now we can just hop on and do it.  Even when it’s been years since we’ve been on a bike.  The muscle memory comes right back.

Well it’s the same thing with eating habits.

We all have to learn new ways to deal with stress.  It does not have to be about food.

 

Pam-Helen-Roberta-Workout-Collage

Oh we had such a blast working out together!

What if you don’t like to workout?

Working out is a great way to relieve stress.  Even those who never enjoyed workouts all their lives eventually find a way to see the value.

Changing your health with a workout, especially resistance training, is very empowering.  You end up moving with agility and a bounce in your step in all aspects of your life.

The combination of learning to ditch the excess unhealthy fat and building a powerhouse body for all you do in your life is an amazing way to build success in all areas of your life.

It changes your life in ways you would never have dreamed of.

The workouts themselves produce endorphin’s in your body and make you FEEL GOOD.

Luckily Pam’s neighbors didn’t mind us playing our music and flipping tires and running screaming with fire hoses;  They got a good chuckle out of it.

What about the food?

We all swim against the tide of too much food.  We just lost our awareness that it is too much intake that makes us store unhealthy fat.

Most of us can eat more than we need.  We are designed to eat when food is available.

Well, it’s always available.

So we simply have to learn to say no sometimes.

 

FRAME-pumpkin custard with PB2 frosting

Sometimes having new recipes helps.  It helps to have lower calorie foods with high protein for balancing out the high calorie higher fat/carb days.

It is all about balance.

Pam made Helen and I the protein custard recipe I came up with last year.  She added a peanut butter frosting.  Everything is better with frosting!

FRAME-Pam's Spinach Dip

Pam also made a spinach dip.  She sauteed raw spinach with coconut oil and added goat cheese and blended artichoke hearts.

We ate the dip with gluten free crackers because both Pam and Helen have Celiac disease.

I counted out 16 chips because even gluten free carbs can add up really fast.

We all learn that too much HEALTHY food is still too much food and can make you store extra fat.

Most of us will want MORE food.

We have to remind ourselves that we can have more next time!

We put together a fun homegrown video showing our workout and chatting about our struggles at the table.

We hope you enjoy it.

We realize not all everyone has time to watch a 12 minute video of us goofing off, so we also created an audio podcast of us sharing our struggles and giggling around the table.

Have a beautiful Friday and a great weekend!

It is full of opportunity to for healthy choices and changing habits!

 

Never Settle

Never Give Up

Live Your Dream

-Coach Roberta

You can SAVE the DAY at any moment.

TwinTowersNewYorkFRAME

Ever get that “Rebellious” mindset with food?

Those days where you feel it’s just not fair!

It seems like for the moment you just don’t care. You are going to have whatever it is.  And you are going to have as much as you want!  Darn it.  You DESERVE it!

Dieting is just getting old!

But then you feel horrible afterwards.

And it does kinda set you back a bit from your weight loss goals.

We all have that happen.

You can feel doomed by the choices.  So why try anymore the rest of the day?  You might as well go ALL IN and just keep on that path the rest of the day and start anew tomorrow.

But that is not true!

You can decide to SAVE the DAY at any point.

Yes, you really can.

You are NOT DOOMED by it.

Every day does not have to be the same.

There are some days where I have had that happen too.  And I’ve learned that if I want I can actually SAVE the DAY.

Whatever I ate, even though it wasn’t part of “the plan”, left me feeling full.   I got to have whatever it was that I might have been depriving myself of.

So why not just prolong the time until next meal?  Most likely I can go all the way to bedtime not needing anything.

I can be kind to myself and drink lots of water and herbal tea, and maybe some broth.

I can decide not to beat myself up about it.

I can decide that it’s okay to be human.

But I don’t have to wait until tomorrow to fix it.

I can do it right now, this very minute.

Sometimes you do great the rest of the day with the liquids, and then you really need to have something right before bedtime and that’s okay too.

Hunger has these ebbs and flows.  It’s pretty complicated and has a lot to do with your stress, PH, intestinal flora, hormones, health, diet, and it’s all interconnected inside your body.

Just let it roll and do your best.

We just had September 11th come and go. That’s a big deal in the United States of America.  So many of us wish we could have saved the day.  But we can’t.  We can only remember.

But YOU have the chance to save the day in your own life.

It’s your choice.

Whenever you want.

Remember that going into this weekend.

That you CAN save the day!

You are never doomed by your choices.

Never Settle

Never Give Up

Live Your Dream.

-Coach Roberta

Pam learned you can’t outrun too much food!

 

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Like so many of us Pam used to be a long distance runner.  There is nothing wrong with distance running, but it may not be the best strategy for fat loss like most of us thought.

The excess endurance workouts make us fatigued, drive some of our needed hormones down, thus makes us extra hungry and then we overcompensate with extra food.  This hinders fat loss.

Pam has always loved working out, but when she switched her focus to resistance training and diet she found success.

 

Pam LAF gym

Pam has always loved working out! The right workouts and diet helped her succeed at what she loves most.

 

Pam was one of our Venus Transformation contest winners.  Here is her story in her own words:

Here I am a personal trainer who is supposed to be helping my clients get fit and I was not fit and a bit fat! I complained to my husband a lot about how horrible I felt. I just really didn’t know what to do and was feeling very low. I was at a high weight for me 159.8 and pulling my hair out.

Then I remembered Venus.

I had purchased ESE a while back and read it and it all made sense but it just wasn’t the right time in my life to implement it. I had listened to Venus podcasts before and thought the whole concept was nuts! I mean, I am a fitness professional- eating below 1000 calories and skipping meals is horrible for your metabolism!

Yes, I fell into so many of the fitness fallacies, it’s not even funny. I got every fitness magazine, email from too many health experts, books by the loads of people in the health field- I thought I knew it all. Well, obviously I didn’t.

So, I bought Venus in August and jumped in with both feet. The time was right for me and I needed to make a change. I kept the first month under wraps. I didn’t want to tell my husband and then have it not work. I remember finally telling him and being amazed at the results and happy to have finally found out what works for me.I feel like I have an advantage over a lot of the other girls in Venus. I have a lot of exercise experience, was familiar with all of the exercises, thrived on the weight workouts and have a bench and weights in my backyard so it was super easy to fit into my day.

Reading the blogs from newbies who haven’t really exercised or aren’t able to do more than a couple workouts a week made me feel like I was so far ahead of the game! And not only do I love working out, I really love the Venus workouts. I love how it’s hard work but not so crazy hard it leaves you wiped for the rest of the day. I was working for a women’s boot-camp style gym for the prior 3 years where we did a lot of box jumps, burpees, jump lunges etc and it was super fun but really exhausting.

 

Beautiful-Pam-LAF-gym

 

I never felt like that after a Venus workout. In fact my body felt so great that I lifted almost every day of the last 2 months. And felt better and stronger every single day. 1-2 times a week I even got in double days. My body has always thrived on movement and the Venus workouts really have made a huge difference in my world.

There are so many things I have learned along the way these last 12 weeks.  I was a holier than thou, super judgmental, food snob who needed to relax, stop reading everything regarding health and fitness and just make it happen. Venus put me on the right path. The one I’ve wanted now for so, so long. I finally feel like I’ve got the magic ticket to life long health and fitness. There were a few stumble forwards along the way just like I had heard on so many of the podcasts. But that is life- it’s never just all smooth sailing.

 

FRAME Pam-Sherman-pretty-after-picture

 

On a final note, I cannot really believe how this year has turned out for me. The beginning was so horrible. Death, illness, depression, injury- I was just a huge mess. To have turned almost all aspects around and be in the best shape of my life at 47 is thrilling! Not only did I go through with it, I rocked it and had a hell of a time along the way.

Thank you for this amazing program.
The community is amazing.
The program is phenomenal.
It is life changing.

Pam

 

 

Pam is on the left and still enjoys the Venus Lifestyle.

Pam is on the left and still enjoys the Venus Lifestyle.

 

Pam still loves working out even more than ever now.  She enjoys summer vacations and time with her family.  We all have seasons of the year and seasons of our life.  We fluctuate a little as our bodies have these ebbs and flows and seasons.  But that is life.  Because of Venus we know what to do if we want to “work a little off”.   Sometimes we might get a little “off peak” after summer vacations, but it’s no big deal.  We slowly and patiently bring it back, and we KNOW it’s never the end of the world when we take the time to enjoy life a little.

 

Shampy Sherman-Boughner (the dog), and me with Pam couple of days ago when we recorded today's podcast.

Me and “Shampy Sherman” and Pam a couple days ago when we recorded today’s podcast.

 

You can find Pam active in our online community as an Ambassador, you can read her blog in there, and you can see her in a video interview.

 

Here’s the audio podcast where you can hear Pam tell her story:

One week until the START of VT15; What will YOU do?

So you think you want to enter a transformation contest?

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

 

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