How Keturah Overcame Fibromyalgia and Hypothyroidism to Lose over 100 Pounds

Keturah Before and After Side

Keturah has been using Venus systems for over 5 years!  Her transformation stretches out further than a 12 week period though, she has lost over ONE HUNDRED pounds!

 

Keturah Through Weight Loss to Maintenance

 

Keturah through the weight loss over the years

(Left) Keturah at her heaviest before finding Venus in 2011

(Middle) Keturah in the middle of her transformation at about 190 lbs in November of 2011

(Right) in the middle of her transformation at about 180 lbs in February of 2012

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

 

Maintenance: Choosing life.
 
Maintenance is something you don’t hear much about. The fitness world is full of shiny before and after photos with big shiny smiles to match. What no one seems to talk about is the daily practice of life. 
 
There are some things that set apart maintenance from deficit. Let’s focus on what comprises this brave new world. 

Mindset.
I recently reread some of my old blog posts. It was such a wise voice, and it was speaking to me now. (The value of listening to ourselves is great!) First, let me level with you: I am no different than anyone else. Fear creeps in. Old thought patterns start repeating. Fear of rebound weight gain. Fear of not being able to do it. Fear of looking too thin. Fear of people being negative. Fear of not maintaining it for life. Fear of disordered eating. Fear of putting my value in my looks, and not in who I AM INSIDE.

I think the last argument “Fear of putting my value in my looks, and not in who I AM INSIDE” is especially real. It’s a fear that many women deal with in our current culture. I’ve come to realize that while weight, size, shape, and body shape are not my source of identity, being overweight and unhappy with my body can be a road block to feeling good about myself. My insecurity about my body, the shame and guilt I have felt in being overweight: it was real. Learning that I could change that was empowering. But also learning that my body doesn’t define me is a mindset that has taken longer to sink in and takes daily practice.
Value where you are at NOW. Comparison is the thief of joy. We all know that popular quote. Sometimes the comparison isn’t with other people, it’s with ourselves. We can lose a lot of joy comparing ourselves to the past or even to perhaps unrealistic goals and standards. Maybe right now it tough and you don’t particularly feel joy. That’s okay. I am learning to ask myself questions. Why am I feeling this way? I keep asking why. Doing this helps me get to the root of lingering insecurities or issues. I also find out that what scares me is usually not as huge as I’ve made it in my head.

 
We think this journey of self introspection disappears when we enter maintenance mode. It doesn’t. If anything, it began a new season of asking questions, dealing with some old triggers, and learning to trust ourselves in new ways during new seasons and situations. Which is why we also need to work on habits. 
Habits.

Fear can hold us hostage and make us freak out! But the truth is, it’s about choices, not fears. I choose to be healthy. I choose to eat supportive foods that will help my Hashimoto’s autoimmune disease and fibromyalgia. I choose to lift weights so I’m strong, lean, slender, and pain-free. I choose to walk to have head space, time to think, reflect, and enjoy the outdoors. I choose to stretch to be flexible, limber, and feel good. I choose to be at peace with my body and take steps that will enable me to continue being Venus for life.

Maintenance is not automatic. It is about daily choices, habits and goals. This isn’t glamorous. Habits are choices we make and continue making everyday. I can choose to say “no” to fear and listen to the truth. I can choose not to let my circumstances and past, worries about the future, and other things define me, but to take a step forward and embrace the present, choose joy, and keep stepping forward up the mountain.


I liken maintenance to keeping the house neat, or perhaps tending the garden after the plants have started growing. If you let the little things go–laundry and dishes pile up, floors need swept, garbage overflowing, weeds growing wild–pretty soon the place is a disaster needing a complete cleaning and overhaul. Some daily tidying and daily weeding would have kept those things from happening. Some days we let things go. It’s about attending to the dishes before the pile gets too big. Or put it this way: it’s paying of the credit card bill at the end of the month instead of letting it stack up for a couple of years until it becomes a mountain of debt!
 
The habits you begin and consistently choose and practice will be habits that keep you going, even if they change in form. My daily habits are movement (for me that’s resistance training, flexibility, and walking); including protein and either fruit or vegetables at most meals; good rest; hobbies I love (makeup, knitting, and reading are just a few!) and relaxing with my husband on the weekends. I am learning to balance my meals and intake. If we go out on a brewery tour I will enjoy a burger and beer. The next meal or day, I have my coffee  but enjoy water, fruit, salad, and some light protein for the rest of the meals. There is no punishment, no reproach. No starvation, no forcing of food. I just listen to myself. 
 
Seasons.
Maintenance is the season I have really learned to enjoy living life and how to be flexible. Shortly after reaching my Venus metrics a couple years ago, I was still in “get competition lean” mode. It took a couple months for me to realize I wasn’t really getting anywhere with all my hard work and was frustrated. Mostly, it was mental. I decided to do something crazy. I stopped trying so dang hard to reach smaller metrics, body goals, and all the other stuff I deemed necessary to joy. Instead, I let go. I began listening to my body, doing what felt both right and good, and relaxing about the rest. It was, and still is, the very best thing for me. I learned another lesson in trusting myself. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting competition lean. But it’s a season, and for many it isn’t a season that can be stretched out for indefinite periods of time. Sometimes we have to count the cost. The cost at the time wasn’t best for me. 
 
There is also adaptive components to maintenance. I am learning to change up my routine or my workout when I feel unmotivated about workouts. There are also life changes that require workouts changes. My husband and I recently relocated 2300 miles, from mountain life to ocean life. While I had spent the last couple years lifting heavy weights at the gym, I was suddenly faced with a new challenge. There was no gym and our new home didn’t have space for heavy weights. At first, I was frustrated. What was I going to do now? I quickly realized my new life change meant a change in my training. This wasn’t an easy change at first. The first few weeks of no gym I had a lot of anxiety! Heavy weightlifting had become a security blanket and it was time to put it away for a while. Without access to the barbell rack, I’ve had a chance to work on some old gymnastic training, flexibility, and explore other workouts–areas I neglected for years, and that I really missed doing. 
 
Final thoughts. 
Honestly, maintenance is about learning to live from out truest, healthiest selves. The main focus of fat loss phase is so you can make changes in your body and, most importantly and what gets left out by a lot of people, live life with new lifelong habits, and keeping Venus tools for when you do let the house go and need to whip it back into shape. You learn to listen to yourself, learn what works best for you, what is sustainable, what is joyful. You learn balance. 
 
Maintenance is choosing to be Venus for LIFE.

 

Keturah Before and After Front

Ketty’s Metrics Using Venus

(Note Keturah had lost about 100 lbs before even finding Venus in 2011 on her own! WOW!)

Weight Height Waist Shoulders Hips
June 2011 217 lb 71 in ~35.5 in ~46 in ~50 in
April 2016 175 lb 71 in 27.5 in 43 in 42 in
Deltas -42 lb 0 in -8 in -3 in -8 in

 

 

 

Keturah Happily Ever After Maintaining

Keturah Happily Ever After Maintaining at her Wedding in Summer 2015

 

Watch Keturah’s interview with Liss below:

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

Today is the start of VT17 of the Venus Transformation Contests

Wow, time is sure flying by.  It doesn’t seem that long ago that I entered VT3 back in the day.  And the days just keep rolling by.  So the time to do this is NOW.

There is always life in the way, so the more we do this the more the healthy lifestyle becomes just a part of who we are.

Here’s the duration of the contest:  VT17:   Start May 2 – End August 1

The link to join is RIGHT HERE.

 

What is the Venus Transformation Contest and who can join?

Any Venus customer with a login to the downloads area can join.  If you don’t place in a contest you can enter as many times as you want.  There is no fee.

But there are amazing prizes.  The best prize of all is the empowerment and health in your own life.  The ability to enjoy life more, gain confidence, and improve every aspect of your life.  Many have improved marriages and improved confidence in their jobs, hobbies, and activities in their communities and families.

There are the other prizes too:

The Transformation Contest place has prizes for placements:

  • First place: $500
  • Second place: $350
  • Third place: $250
  • Fourth place through tenth place: $200

Or each winner can choose the Immersion Membership instead of the cash prize.

Watch the short video to learn more about how it works and when to enter your pictures during the window of time:

 

To find out about previous contests go HERE, and please read the RULES and REGULATIONS.

I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year bring to all the amazing Venus ladies.

Never Settle!

Never Give Up.

Live Your Dream.

-Coach Roberta

PS Anyone who wants coaching is welcome to sign up for Premium One-On-One-Coaching and pick the coach of their choice.

 

What was Brenda’s “Moment of Clarity”?

Brenda-BnA-VENUS-two

Brenda made a transformation in her life.  Through the Venus program she learned how easy it is to use various health issues as an excuse.  No matter what the adversity, it still always comes down to the amount of food we consume.

It’s kind of like we don’t want to face the elephant in the room.

It’s hard.

It’s not fun.

It does not seem fair.

 

I have been over weight pretty much my entire life. I have previously dropped 87lbs, and maintained for about five years. However, over the last two years it has slowly crept up 10 pounds a year, even with an active attempt by me trying to lose weight.

I had been keeping up my exercise routine, six days a week, mainly cardio, with some weights, as well as my diet routine, just as before. Although my diet was not consistent, when I was having difficulty loosing I started taking the advice of others, like “you’re not eating enough”, which by their standards I probably was not, but eating less…eating more nothing was working.

I was also diagnosed 2 ½ years ago with a chronic medical condition which requires a daily medicine. I blamed the gain and inability to lose weight on the meds as it was the only thing that had really changed in my life.

I purchased the Venus program about a year before and Loved the workouts; however, I kind of skimmed the nutrition portion. At some point 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!

I may have not lost a large amount of weight in the 12 weeks, and will keep going to drop the remaining pounds, but I consider this a win in a big way. I not only didn’t gain, but I lost which is something I was unable to do for two years.

If you work the whole program it will work for you!

– Brenda

 

Brenda loves the outdoors and being healthier now!

Brenda loves the outdoors and being healthier now!

 

And here is more of Brenda’s story:

I have been on this journey for a very long time. I have always been overweight, but it peaked in April 2010. After seeing the pictures from our family cruise I put a stop to it and lost 90lbs by January 2011. I did this through hard work using another program and cardio, lots of cardio.

I have maintained the weight within 20lbs for the last five years. However, four years ago I was going through a divorce; lost my dad and my hero. Four months later I was diagnosed with MS. I immediately started treatment,which consisted of daily shots. Initially, I was angry because I had just got my life back health wise, and now the threat of losing my mobility was real.

How can that be fair?

My attitude adjusted very quickly and I said “No, I got my health back so I would have the strength to fight this disease.” As luck would have it though I started slowly gaining weight consistently over the last two years about 10lbs each Dr. visit. I blamed the new medicine, although that side effect was not listed, what else could it possibly be?

I was panicking with the weight creeping. I was trying everything adding weights, eating less, eating more, upping the cardio you name I was trying it. Here steps in the ladies in the Venus forum, and the podcasts.

I didn’t write or ask questions just went through the forum regarding medications. I learned very quickly a lot of these ladies were on medications, and they would not let that be used as an excuse. Roberta described her battles with medications, she and the others preached it’s the calories period.

I found this to be a no nonsense group, but the most supportive group I have seen. I have been in other groups, and they can get petty or have poor me parties. These ladies are not perfect, but the difference is they taken ownership and get back to business. It is an inspiring group to say the least, and one I am happily a participant in now.

I had bought the program about a year ago and started the workouts, which I loved, but still not losing the weight. The forum was claiming the diet was the key so I started the competition with the 12 week nutrition program, just to see if anything really happens in 12 weeks.

It worked, I could feel it, but still didn’t believe it showed. I submitted my final pictures, and was pleased to see the difference 12 weeks makes. It is still not rapid for me, but the scale is lower than it has been in a year so that is a big win in my book!!

The workouts have completely changed my shape which makes me smile. I was not happy with my shape even with the prior weight loss, and honestly I was floundering with my weight lifting programs.

Truthfully I’m not working out half as much as I was with all the cardio. Venus works, it is a nutrition and workout program that just makes sense. I feel the other programs are starter programs, Venus is for when you mature and take responsibility to live your best life, by the controlling stumble forward.

Thanks for the wonderful program John and Brad,and thanks to all those wonderful ladies in the forum.

-Brenda

 

I love Brenda's smile and her Moment of Clarity!

I love Brenda’s smile and her Moment of Clarity!

 

You can find Brenda in our online forum.  Listen to what she has to say in the Podcast Interview below, or download it to listen to later:

Maintenance with Venus Veteran Carly

Carly Venus Before and After

Carly has been using Venus systems for over 3 years.  She did a phenomenal job with her initial transformation and her continued results display the hard work she puts in. Her transformation stretches out further than a 12 week period though, she has lost FORTY pounds using Venus!

Carly Venus Before and After Side

Carly before starting Venus in 2013 and after VT14, unbelievable!

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

Before children, I never worked out. I never counted calories. I didn’t have to work hard to keep my figure. I was young then too and now I’m older. All my factors have changed so I need to change my habits in order to keep the figure I desire. I am thirty two years old. I have two children. My son is six years old and my daughter is three years old. I found Venus in June 2013, two months after I had my daughter. I had a lot of weight to lose. I was ready to hit the gym to lose my baby weight.  Liss Graham was teaching Venus at my local gym so I decided to join her class. By April 2014, I hit my weight loss goal. I had dropped FORTY-FIVE pounds! I was in my measurement goals with the nutrition calculator. But once I hit that goal, I already had another goal in mind. TONING!! I kept using Venus from April 2014 to May 2015 but I felt like I was just in the motion and not really learning or thinking about how to better myself. I felt like I was in limbo. For me, it has been hard to build muscle. I didn’t know what I was doing. I felt stronger every time I lifted and I was getting sore but I couldn’t grow. I wasn’t pushing myself to the level I could have gone. Even though, I was very successful with weight loss, I felt like I didn’t know how to maintain my weight and I didn’t know how to tone the muscles. For me it was like, “Well, I lost all this weight but now what?” I felt uneducated on how to maintain my weight and build muscle at the same time. To reach this goal and to get motivated again, I decided to join a contest. I felt like I truly started TONING when VT14 started. When I joined the VT14 my mission was to tone up every muscle from head to toe. I added more days of lifting. I went to the gym six days of the week instead of the recommended three. I watched my intake more. I researched more by listening to podcasts and reading fitness articles. I started following fitness guru’s on Instagram and facebook. I dedicated more time to reading and understanding the VENUS program. Sometimes I even worked out twice a day. I took advice from other Venus expertise. Liss Graham came for visits at my gym and I learned from her every time. She’s an AMAZING coach by the way! I took professional pictures every 6 weeks to help push me along. I had some vacations during the contest and I didn’t want it to derail me. I used myfitnesspal and held myself accountable for every meal. I was dedicated to making progress. Twelve weeks later, I felt like I had the body of my dreams. I know what to do now to keep my transformation. I can see my growth with photos. I know how to keep toning my body without being lost in the process. Venus has educated me on how to be healthy and fit for life. Venus has helped me reach my weight loss goal and my toning goal. Venus has given me the body that I craved. Before children, I weighted one hundred and seventeen pounds. I weigh less now and have way more muscle. I look way better after kids then I ever did before kids. I have been very successful with Venus and have hit many goals. I didn’t know anything about fitness before Venus. I think everyone should watch the how to videos and learn how to eat right and learn what a simple carb is versus a complex carb. I literally didn’t know anything! The biggest change for me is making trips to the grocery store. I know not to just look at the pretty labels on the boxes that are misleading to shoppers. I know how to read ingredients and what to look for in them. I read the nutrition label, which I used to ignore. Venus has changed my life and for the better. I eat clean now. I have the confidence and education it takes to make Venus a lifestyle and not a fad. I’ve done it for three years and I plan on doing it for the rest of my life. It is too good of a program to ever stop doing.

Carly Venus Before and After Back

Carly’s Metrics

Weight Height Waist Shoulders Hips
June 2013 150 lb 63 in 33.5 in 41.5 in 42.5 in
February 2016 113 lb 63 in 26.8 in 36.0 in 36 in
Deltas -37 lb 0 in -6.7 in -5.5 in -6.5 in

 

Carly and Venus Friends

Carly (right) with Venus veteran and friend Julie (left)

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

 

Carly Venus Class June 2015

Carly, Coach Liss, and Venus friends at the Moore County YMCA

Carly Venus Class July 2015

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

Laura Found Venus to be a Healthy Lifestyle NOT a Get-Fit-Quick Scheme

Laura before and after Venus - Front Clothes

Laura placed in our recent VT15 Venus Transformation Contest.

She did a phenomenal job and her results display the hard work she put in.

Laura before and after Venus - Side

Laura lost 7 inches from her waist and 7 inches from her hips in only 12 weeks! WOW!

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

“My experience with the Venus Factor system”

I have to say that I was a teeny bit skeptical about the Venus System when I first went through all the elements. Yes it made sense from a scientific point of view, but there are so many other get fit schemes in the market that I wanted to make sure I was putting my beloved body through a safe and trustworthy system. I then researched and discovered that John Barban is a fitness genius and has plenty of credibility. His explanations are valid, so I make the commitment and signed up! The primary focus I took was on the eating system using the morning fasts about 4 days per week, which made reaching the deficit goal much easier! I was not hungry apart from some days on a couple difficult weeks. Juicing from time to time helped me to get in extra vegetables and healthy nutrients. The forums are also great to read, they were instrumental to me at the beginning to wrap my head around how to really implement this into my life on a daily basis. The fantastic tips I learned from Roberta, Lissa (ah-mazing recipes thanks) as well as the other coaches and regulars on the posts and podcasts gave invaluable, uplifting recommendations. I have weights and other personal fitness gear so I could do modified workouts if I was working from home, on my back deck or would make the trip to a gym. I also bike to work a few times a week though as warned, that can be a little too much and make me more hungry and tired, so I avoided excessive cardio. Since I work in the field of health and physical education I wanted to be walking my talk more since I had got out of past routines over the last year with extra stress and responsibility adding pounds on. The Venus Factor system was the vehicle I needed to get there! The first few weeks of my subscription I lost 4 pounds but there was no contest to start until late August, then I lost the rest of the pounds and inches here in Contest 15! 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! This is the end of one contest but the beginning of a new framework that is now over the weeks ingrained into me, on how to live a healthier lifestyle. I’m going to keep going until I reach my goals. Thanks Venus Factor!

Laura before and after Venus - Back

Laura’s Metrics

Weight Height Waist Shoulders Hips
Before 151 lb 67.5 in 36 in 45.3 in 42 in
After 141 lb 67.5 in 28.8 in 42.3 in 35 in
Deltas -10 lb 0 in -7.3 in -3 in -7 in

 

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

What is Venus Coaching and who is it for?

Venus Index Coaches

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

Letter to a Friend – Expectations Have Consequences

We_Can_Do_It!

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

A Gift to My Best Self

Gift to My Best Self

We are inundated this time of year with so much. In the US, the holiday frenzy has been upon us since Halloween, at the end of October. Since then, we’ve struggled to rein in the onslaught of comfort & joy that is ushered in with good eats and drink. Nearly 12 months are gone, and in a week we will welcome 2016. A new year is just around the corner.

Often as a year closes, we realize everything we didn’t get done, didn’t accomplish, wanted to do differently. I have tended in the past, at the end of a year, to wistfully look back at missed opportunities. And every time I have done that, it’s not made me feel any better about those things. In fact, there’s a penchant to scold myself. Basically, I‘d give myself a good mental thrashing.

This year is a little different. Since coming to Venus around the middle of September, I’ve been doing a whole lot of thinking. Yes, I’ve also followed the Venus protocol. I’ve logged onto My Fitness Pal and logged calories every day since I joined. I’ve done the Venus workouts. I’ve increased my barbell weights. I’ve weighed and measured my body weekly. I’ve done the work to watch my body change and shift physically. And, as I said, I’ve also taken the time to think.

A Gift to Myself

Changing the way I eat and exercise has been a gift to myself the likes of which I never expected to find. I’m still in process of losing weight and building muscle, and frankly, I always will be “in process.” But Venus gave me a unique way to look at not only food and exercise, but also myself.

I remember in my first week of Venusing, taking my BEFORE photos was such a terribly painful experience. We read about this all the time, how much people (especially women) cannot stand taking these pictures. And many do not take them. It is just too hard.

In the unforgiving lens of the camera we are faced with seeing, in full detail, everything we have ignored and thus hate about our bodies. We see the cellulite, the stretched skin, the way our fat spills over the waist of our pants and out from under the elastic of our bras. We see the puffiness in our faces. We can’t ignore the way our belly buttons aren’t round. Our double chins mock us. The dimples of fat and the soft muscles beneath shame and anger us.

Taking those photos put me in a foul temper for about 2 days. The day I took them, I was close to crying and then just felt stupid for getting so emotional. I got angry and started attacking my house and chasing dust bunnies along the floorboards with the vacuum cleaner. The next day I felt such an overwhelming sense of mortification. I reasoned with myself. “Anea, you’ve already joined Venus. You’re reading the manual. You got the calorie counting app. You figured out you can eat 1000 calories and not pass out. You’re already doing it. Stop.

My Story Is No Different

I read a lot that first week on the Venus forums and blogs. I read again and again how women had wished they had taken BEFORE photos and then afterward wished they’d taken consistent progress photos. Because of that, I’ve made myself take weekly photos. When I reach my goal, I know I will appreciate listening to the voices of those who’ve gone before me.

In the meantime, the photos serve as a guide for what I have done. They help me see the changes I’ve made. They remind me I have everything I need inside of me to do this. I don’t take those pictures because I like looking at myself much more than I did on that first day in September. I take them because it’s important to document my success. And also because I’m learning to be a little more empathetic to who I was, who I am, and who I am becoming.

I look back on those pictures of me, especially those first terribly painful ones, and they tell a story of who I was when I came to Venus. My story is no different than yours. I was miserable with how I looked. I hated how I felt, physically and emotionally. I wanted to change. I found Venus and so I did.

Legacy Work for Our Best Self

Changing our own lives, that is legacy work. It’s what gives you your story. It’s what makes others look at you and say, “Wow! You did that?” And you look at them and nod your head and you say, “Yes. Yes I sure did do that.” When we create a legacy for ourselves, it is important. In the scheme of things it may seem small and insignificant to “just lose weight.” But the impact we have on ourselves, if we take on the entirety of that journey, it affects those around us too.

I’ve read and heard, again and again, how the physical changes women have made to their bodies have freed them from so many mental, physical and emotional chains from which they couldn’t break free before finding Venus. They’ve gained confidence. They understand consistency. They know what they are capable of accomplishing. And when we do that, we give our loved ones our best selves. Because that’s who we uncover in the process of taking control of our physical bodies – our best self.

As I look back on this year, I’m so blessed with this gift I’ve given myself. I’m thankful John Barban did his own legacy work and created a program with which so many women have found a way to uncover their best selves. I hope you’ll join me in using this last week of 2015 to reflect on everything you’ve gained as you’ve embarked on this journey to lose weight.

Merry Christmas, ladies of Venus, and here’s to a 2016 filled with more (and less!) of our best selves.

 

~ Anea

 

Venus Body Sculpting Tips from Coach Roberta

FRAME-Sculpting mindset tips

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

It does not take a special BREED to SUCCEED.

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

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