Venus Index show

Venus Index

Summary: Have you been wondering what your BEST YOU would look like? Have you gotten lost in the mountains of diet and fitness information, only to keep stagnating and never getting the sleek, sexy body you know will turn heads? If so, this Venus Index Podcast is for you.

Join Now to Subscribe to this Podcast
  • Visit Website
  • RSS
  • Artist: John Barban, Brad Howard, Brad Pilon
  • Copyright: 2010 Adonis Lifestyle LLC

Podcasts:

 How To Become A Beautiful Beach Mom | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 22:07

Today John talks to Lisa Stout who placed tenth in the 6th Venus Index Transformation Contest. Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest: A stay at home mom can make it work Lisa was looking for a jump rope workout routine and found one on Rusty Moore's Fitness Black Book website.  Rusty had good things to say about the Venus Index Workout so Lisa decided to try it. She wanted a workout she could do at home while raising her three young children.  Lisa liked the three day Venus Index routine and the fact that all she had to do was follow the well laid out plan by John Barban. For diet Lisa just followed the calorie estimates listed in the Venus Index program and did a little fasting.  She found she could skip breakfast and didn't have to eat if she was not hungry. Even though it was scary for her, Lisa joined the transformation contest to challenge herself. Lisa found the Venus Index Community helpful because of the fact that it's all women and that age was not a factor.  She noticed there were plenty of women over 40 years old and busy moms who were successful at their fitness goals and didn't go to crazy extremes to get there.   You don't have to be a fitness model to feel confident in a bikini The contest results were announced on Lisa's 40th birthday and she was thrilled to have placed in the contest. Lisa is especially happy because she loves to play at the beach with her kids.  She likes feeling confident in a bathing suit and being able to move and stay active with her children. Even though her weight and measurements stayed the same, Lisa changed her shape significantly by following the 12 week Venus Index Workout and managing her calorie budget. Lisa is inspired to try new physical activities and stay fit because of her accomplishments. Links from the interview: Original Venus Index Workout - Workout program for women that's responsible for the most amazing transformations online Venus Index Community - Friendliest and most supportive women's only fitness community on the Internet Advice from Lisa: Join a transformation contest Follow the workout plan as designed You don't have to be a fitness model to feel confident in a bikini Calories matter; figure out how many calories you need Find time to exercise Use the Venus Index Community for support To achieve your fitness goals you have to want it bad enough Learn to make food celebrations a special occasion because calories do count As a stay at home mom you have to have the mindset to stay in the game   Read what Lisa wrote about her experience with Venus Index: I finished all twelve weeks of the workout this time. Hooray for me.  The last two weeks were the most difficult and  ... Continue reading here Listen to Lisa's interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

 Learn To Love The Gym By The Power Of Habit | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 46:26

Today John talks to Jessie Trubiano who placed Fourth in the 6th Venus Index Transformation Contest. Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest: It takes awhile for the mind to catch up with the body Jessie tells John she still remembers herself as over weight with long curly hair.  She has a hard time recognizing herself in the mirror with short hair and being fit now. It takes a while for the mind to catch up with the body. She likes what she sees in the mirror now and was thrilled when she first started seeing her own ab definition. Jessie said she would not have joined the contest if it were not for the Venus Index Community Forum. She said it was the best thing she ever did for herself. The contest got her motivated to do the Venus Index Workout even though she hated the gym and with it she got amazing results. All that matters is calories Like many of us Jessie tried several different eating styles and did not get that all that matters is calories. She found that most of the diets she looked at seemed to cater towards people's desire to eat as much as they want;  all the fruit they want or all the fat and protein they want, and the list goes on. She spent a lot of time finding many ways that did not work.  On some diets she was hindered by restrained eating. She was sold on the program when she heard John and Brad talk about how there is no secret to weight loss;  eat what you want, just less. Jessie loved Brad Pilon's article "Fat Loss Divide and Conquer"and found she loves to fast. She hated the gym, but now Jessie is a regular there known by name Jessie had a bad experience at a gym once as so she hated the gym and didn't really know how to lift weights. After doing the Venus Index Workout she is not afraid to lift heavy and became a regular at her gym and now they know her by name. Jessie didn't have to stop running and in fact completed a half marathon during the contest.  She found that it does not matter if you do cardio or not. She stopped doing cardio at the end of the contest and it did not hinder her weight loss progress. Pick one thing, the power of habit At one point after reading all the insane contradictory information in the diet and fitness industry Jessie realized she was paralyzed by analysis. Once she joined the contest and focused on the workout and calories she realized that one victory spawns another and it starts snowballing into the rest of your life. One good habit leads to the next as described in a book she read called The Power Of Habit by Charles Duhigg. During the holidays she found if you just pick one thing to keep you on track it really helps.  She never stopped her workouts during the holidays and that kept her on the right path to success. It is part of the power of habit. She found that by doing this she learned to be consistent. Links from the interview: Eat Stop Eat - Diet Lifestyle protocol designed to help you to lose fat and regain freedom in your food choices Original Venus Index Workout - Workout program for women that's responsible for the most amazing transformations online Venus Index Community - Friendliest and most supportive women's only fitness community on the Internet Advice from Jessie: Use the Venus Index Community for support Calories matter; figure out how many calories you need Join a transformation contest You don't need so much cardio Do one good thing for the power of habit If you have never fasted try Eat Stop Eat Slow and steady wins the race Learn from your failures and it makes you stronger Follow the workout plan as designed Follow Eat Stop Eat as designed Give support to get support Believe in your dream Read what Jessie wrote about her experience with Venus Index: VT6 after photos and essay 250 words is by far not long enough to say all the things I want to say about my experience.

 Transform Your Mind And Your Body By Keeping It Simple | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 46:20

Today John talks to Deanne Hernandez who placed first in the 6th Venus Index Transformation Contest. Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest: At the beginning of the contest Deanne did the Venus Index Workout but tried to eat gluten free because it sounded like a good thing to do.  Like many of us she was eating a certain way for no particular reason other than it seems to be the latest fad.  She realized she could not lose weight because she was still eating too many calories.  Her weight stayed the same during the first eight weeks of the contest.  She did not take her diet and calories seriously enough.  Then she got really motivated and kicked into gear, got motivated, got her correct mindset, took a good look at her calories, and ended up with some amazing results. You can change the way you look.  Deanne also decided to get involved in the Venus Index Community Forum and that helped her a lot.  She didn't realize how much support and information was available there.  She highly recommends others to get involved there to help with your success. Stay Motivated Deanne realized that the process was mostly about mindset.  Like most of us have also learned she found she needed mindset techniques like cause and effect; "If I do this than what?", and "You either do it you don't."  She decided she needed the contest with the end date to help keep her motivated.  She said the contest was the best thing she ever did for herself.  She realizes now that what she learned how to do during the contest is something she can do for the rest of her life. Deanne loved listening to the previous contest winner interviews and loved to imagine herself looking like the pictures of Alisha.  Not only did the process transform her body but it transformed her mind.  She had spent most of her life with a poor image of herself and a lot of negative self talk.  The process she used during the contest and listening to Olya's interview helped her stop the negative self talk.  She started treating her workouts and diet as gifts to her body.  She now treats herself with kindness and respect. Knowledge Is Power Deanne learned that managing the correct amount of calories, Eat Stop Eat, and eating foods you like were the keys to successful weight loss for her.  She learned the truth about calories from the Venus Index manuals and from the Venus Index community.  Deanne learned that the process was simple but not easy.  She decided to keep it simple and tune out all of the conflicting information that comes from the diet and fitness industry. Keep It Simple Deanne really liked April's interview and the plan for doing the VI workout lifting weights three days a week.  Even though more advanced weight lifters can do the workout more days per week the three days per week kept it simple for her.  She decided she would do something every day.  Mostly she paid attention to her activity level for the day and tried to make sure she was taking 10,000 steps.  She walked while she listened to the Venus Index podcasts and that made it fun and enjoyable for her.  She decided that if she did not feel like exercising she would just do it anyway, even if she decided to make the workout easier or lift lighter.  Even on the days she decided to do an easier workout she found that once she got going she felt like pushing herself hard and it felt good.  She found that by doing this she learned to be consistent. Links from the interview: Eat Stop Eat - Diet Lifestyle protocol designed to help you to lose fat and regain freedom in your food choices Original Venus Index Workout - Workout program for women that's responsible for the most amazing transformations online Venus Index Community - Friendliest and most supportive women's only fitness community on the Internet Advice from Deanne: Don’t wait, Do something NOW. Keep it simple Figure out how many calories you need and go from there

 Infomercial Workout Junkie Discovers Venus Index | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 56:32

Here's your new interview with one of the contestants from the 6th Venus Index Transformation Contest. Today John talks to Sheila Kibe, who finished second in our most recent transformation contest. Check out her stunning transformation pictures:     Read Sheila's experience with Venus Index in her own words: At the beginning of 2012 I was doing what I always do, searching for a workout program to help me lose the weight I had gained the previous year. Every year it was the same goal and that was to reach 135 lbs by my birthday in October. The only difference was that this was my fortieth birthday and I wanted to enter my forties' in the best shape of my life. I have spent the last 17 years since having kids trying to lose weight. So working out and dieting is nothing new for me. Some years I had success but it was like a roller coaster up and down. This year when I stepped on the scale I weighed 173 lbs and I decided that it was time to take control. I spent January through May doing different exercise programs but only managed to lose 13 lbs, how pathetic is that?!? I was busting my butt with cardio and I didn’t seem to make any improvement in the appearance of my body. I realized that my eating was a major issue and I started searching online for how low I could go without putting my body into “starvation mode” and that is how I happen to come across the Venus Index. I listened to a short video that intrigued me and I then purchased VI 1. I started on June 17th at 160.5 lbs and my first week was just getting through the fasting and then the 2nd week was when I started the actual workouts. From that point on, I never looked back and I never strayed. 6 months later, I am 50 lbs lighter and 37 lbs of that was lost through using the Venus Index and Eat Stop Eat. And the best part was that not only did I meet my goal but I surpassed it and weighed in at 131 lbs for my 40th birthday. The best birthday present ever! Tips from Sheila: Be open minded to Intermittent Fasting (IF) , you will not go into "Starvation Mode" Pay attention to your  calories and manage them accordingly. You maybe consuming more than you think you are Take several rounds of pictures during your photoshoot, to ensure that your lighting captures your physique at it's very best. The  benefits of doing a Water Load prior to your "After Photos" maybe cumbersome at first but the results are worth it. Sheila's Workout and Nutrition Plans:  Venus Index Phase I Eat Stop Eat     Listen to Sheila's interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:  

 Phi-Life Series: Muscle Building & The Anabolic Continuum | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 24:19

Today we bring you another podcast from our phi-life series. Phi-Life is a series of podcasts where John Barban and Brad Pilon discuss their ideas and concepts on the topics of muscle building, fat loss and health. In a nutshell they are just thinking out loud and recording it for your benefit. Today's topic: Muscle Building & The Anabolic Continuum   Muscle Building is one of the most elusive goals of  bodybuilders and gym-goers alike.  Furthermore, it has puzzled scientist's in research studies who have been unable to effectively control and/or determine the results of a muscle-building research study. When it comes to muscle building, it's important to identify where an individual is in the Anabolic Continuum. The Anabolic Continuum takes into account the several factors that determines your potential for muscle building. A few factors for example are: height, weight, age, and years of training experience. Your ability to build muscle follows a very logical progression. Specifically, with your response to weight training. Today John Barban and Brad Pilon will discuss further intricacies of the Anabolic Continuum, as well as provide some tips and suggestions to ensure you remain on track for your training and muscle building goals.   You will also learn and discover: What are confounding variables and how they can impact a research study The difference between responders and non-responders in research studies How to predict your lean muscle mass How to determine where you are on the anabolic continuum Are you in the right place in your weight training life Is there a specific way that you should be training What are the knowns and unknowns when evaluating an individual for a research study Listen to the podcast here:

 Phi-Life Series: The Most Reliable Tool for Tracking Weight Loss that Nobody Uses | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 30:12

Today we bring you another podcast from our phi-life series. Phi-Life is a series of podcasts where John Barban and Brad Pilon discuss their ideas and concepts on the topics of muscle building, fat loss and health. In a nutshell they are just thinking out loud and recording it for your benefit. Today's topic: Money Doesn't Lie - Tracking Weight Loss not with Calories, but Your Finances If you like numbers, you will like today's podcast. If you hate counting calories,  then this podcast is for you as well. It's something most people don't think about. However, there is a link between how much money you spend and how you spend it AND the amount of fat you are carrying around your belly. Money doesn't lie, where you choose to spend your money is a good indicator of  your diet , what results you can expect from it, and even who you are as a person.  Discovering who you really are may be quite shocking, so not everyone is willing to look at this type of data and face the facts. When you look at someone's bank account and more specifically the money spent on food, you can get a pretty good indication of how that person eats. The truth is, money is neither good nor bad. If you are a consumer, it's a way of obtaining what you desire. If you are an investor or entrepreneur it's a tool to make your plans become a reality.  Since we live in a society that's economy-based, you're a part of the economy whether you like it or not. So you might as well learn how the economy works and how to make it work for you. While this is not a website about finances, we recognize that money and calories are tied together. There is a fine line between you paying for energy and paying for weight gain. Once your body has what it needs, anything after is money you are investing only to  to gain a return fat. In the U.S.,  people spend more than 1.6 trillion dollars a year on food alone. That's a lot of money...and a lot of food. What's also interesting is this data indicates that Americans spend most of their money on food in restaurants and prefer to have it prepared rather than going to the grocery store and cooking it themselves. This is the complete opposite of what most Europeans prefer. Could this one decision or habit affect your ability to lose fat? In this episode of Phi-Life podcasts, Brad and John will share with you several findings on this subject. They will also discuss the national economic food trends in the U.S. and how the analysis of one's finances can predict weight gain. It's pretty incredible, but also very logical when you hear it. You will also learn and discover: How much red meat does the average American consume per year Why (and how) tracking your finances through  your  food budget can help you lose weight and save money How your  eating habits encourage food companies to produce more food and thus contribute to the growing obesity rate The simple truth about your environment and why  you are fighting an uphill battle with your diet Pro's and con's of being an average consumer How you maybe setting yourself up for failure and weight gain with your spending habits How to budget for fat loss (finance not calories) Why you should track how much money you spend on food, and more specifically what type of food and where it comes from Why tracking your finances might be simpler than tracking your calories Listen to the podcast here:

 Phi-Life Series: Can Fasting and Training Add 20 Years or More to Your Life Span? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 15:18

Today we bring you another podcast from our phi-life series. Today's topic: Life Extension Life extension and anti aging products have become very popular in the last few years, a few of these products include: many types of health foods, supplements, workouts, drugs, and even special therapies. One of the biggest claims actually comes from intermittent fasting when used as a tool for extending one's life span, some say that it can add decades to your life. The question is, can it really add that many years to your life? This is what John Barban and Brad Pilon will answer for you today. Technically, there are only two ways we can approach the anti aging process. First, the obvious one is to create protocols around your diet, workouts, drugs and therapies and wait for the results.  However, the issue with this approach is that you need at least one generation to have valid data and more importantly you can't tell people what to do for the rest of their lives. The only way this approach can work is to study mice, keep in mind that mice are very different from humans, so not everything that applies to mice will apply to us. The second approach is to reverse engineer this process and to actually study the people that have lived the longest (over 100 years). Strangely enough, there is very little they have in common. There is no single workout or diet you can copy and hope to live for as long as them. There are a few common indicators such as: Low Stress Levels Activity (both mental and physical) Low Bodyfat Percentage Apart from these three things, each individual lived a different lifestyle. In other words, you can't guarantee that a low carb diet or powerlifting type of training will help you to live to be a 100. The even greater question to ask  is will lifestyle changes help you live longer or are you at mercy of your genetics and faith? If so, what is the  best  approach to take? This is what John and Brad will attempt to answer for you today in our podcast. You will also learn and discover: Is it even possible to study anti aging and have any measurable data? Does modern science currently offer anything you could use to delay the aging process? What is your best bet when it comes to living a greater QUANTITY and QUALITY form of life? What's the magical age that determines you will  have a good chance of living to be a 100? What are some things you can control that will help you improve your life and live longer? Can you make the aging process enjoyable? Listen to the podcast here:

 Phi-Life Series: The Untold Difference of Marketing Fitness Claims in North America | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 22:12

Today we bring you another podcast from our phi-life series. Today's topic: Geographic Influence On Claims Did you know that advertising claims in the health and fitness industry are regulated differently in each country? For example, in one country a product might claim to help you lose 10 pounds in 30 days, while in another country  that same product  will claim up to 20 pounds of weight loss! This is true because from a marketing perspective, what might work in one country might not work in other. We actually find this happening quite often. North America is a prime example. You can have the same product for both the  U.S. and Canadian market. However, each country will have a completely different claim. What the companies are able to get away with saying depends on their government's regulations.  If you live in the U.S., you may be accustomed to hearing certain phrases such as, "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days" or when marketing muscle building products usually to men something like "How to build 20 pounds of lean muscle in the next 4 months."  These phrases are commonly found in TV ads and  fitness magazines. However, if you tried to marke the same product with this claim in Canada you might lose millions, because people simply wouldn't believe it to be possible and nobody would buy. The claims that you’re exposed to on a regular basis in your home country will have an effect on where your "BS radar" is set. If you showed the U.S. ads to Canadians they would be very skeptical, however for U.S. viewers transformation from fat-average to fitness model in couple of months might not be that thrilling or impressive at all. What's even more interesting is how all the media channels tie-in to one another. Ever thought to yourself, "If everyone keeps saying it, it must be true right?". That's the very moment your judgement becomes clouded by media and your your skeptical eye begins to  diminish. Today Brad Pilon and John Barban will discuss how claims on print media, video media and product packaging vary in different countries and why that affects your buying decisions. You will also learn and discover: The difference in what the government allows you to be exposed to and what you then believe is realistic to achieve Why consistency in print, visual, website commercials matters and how it affects your judgement How marketers used a false unsupported claim "U.S. Formula" to boost sales in North America That you are more  of "a product of your own environment"  than you may think That if you can predict the greatest possible claim people will accept, you will make a lot of money If it's possible to know which claims are true Why the claims can be so different from country to country, but people have the same physiology Listen to the podcast here:

 Phi-Life Series: The Real Story Behind Supplement Packaging | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 35:03

Today we bring you the first of many podcasts from our phi-life series. Today's topic: Supplement Packaging What do you think is the most important thing in supplement development? If your answer was ingredients, you would be incorrect. When developing a new product, the supplement developers actually work backwards from packaging. In reality the package is what will sell the product, not the ingredient. The ingredients are pretty much the same across all the products, so that's not what sets a specific supplement apart or even what will make you choose one for purchase. One can hardly imagine how complex the process of just "creating the package" really is. It's not only the color of the supplement that matters. It's the questions of whether you put the ingredients into capsule or powder form? If so, do those contents belong in a  bottle or package? Packaging is the first impression a customer will have with a product. The next step of the process is figuring out what to say, what font to use, what colors to use, what fitness model to endorse the product with what particular claim and much more. You simply cannot sell a supplement without the right package and claim, because that's what drives sales. Everything must fit together, the claim has to fit the cover and everything has to be in-sync from a buyer's perspective. Packaging is utmost importance for a supplement company. In today's podcast you will  discover just how much it matters and what really goes into packaging   design. This is not to tell you that supplements are evil and should be avoided at all costs., Quite the opposite, certain supplements can help you with your fitness goals. However, understanding whats goes behind the scenes will help you pick the supplements you really need and avoid spending money on products that are useless to you, but may look very appealing at first. Today you have a chance to get inside the heads of previous supplement developers - John Barban and Brad Pilon. You will also learn and discover: What colors entice you to buy The reason some supplements are on the market (not all supplement are backed by clinical studies) The exact steps that take place before the supplement is put on the shelf [For supplement developers] How to make an impression on your customers and stand out in competition How package size correlates with the magnitude of promised results How supplements can get away with outrageous claims How your thought process as a customer affects package development If it matters whether the supplement cover looks pretty or not Listen to the podcast here:

 When Is the Best Time to Work Out? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 28:31

Here's your new interview with one of the contestants from the 5th Venus Index Transformation Contest. Today John talks to  Teresa Shaner finished forth in the contest and earned herself a spot on Venus Index Calendar. Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest: While most people chose to submit their transformation pictures at the 20 week contest deadline, Teresa decided to take her pictures after only 12 weeks. This decision has now motivated  Teresa to push through the full 20 week transformation.  She's "All-In" and ready to take it to next level! Prior to  this contest, Teresa had difficulty gaining momentum needed for her to finish a transformation contest. One obstacle she and several mothers encountered is that once she had done everything for her kids, she had very little energy and time for herself. However, as we've seen before with our previous Venus winners, if you want to take care of other people you need to take care of yourself first. Teresa wanted to feel  better and live a healthier lifestyle. Having a history of family health issues made her even more determined to start focusing on this. She didn't want be placed in that risk category as she grew older. Before she would always try to do the workouts in the evenings, which has a lot of disadvantages. She made the decision to perform her workouts and cardio in the the morning. The turning point came one day when she woke up and wasn't  feeling dizzy. She decided to do her workout early in the day, which was a brand new experience. When she got home later that day she didn't have the stress to push herself to do the workout, because she's already done it. Working out in the morning is not only beneficial in terms of more energy throughout the day, but it also removes the pressure to do the workout and eliminates the opportunity to skip the training. The longer you wait to do the workout, the greater your chances are of not going. After two weeks Teresa realized that working out in the morning was the best thing to do. Why? Because the last time she missed a workout was 4 weeks ago, and that way only because she was out the night before. She thought she would end up with less energy, but the opposite came true.   Pick the Smartest Diet Approach for Successful Weight Loss For the diet we usually don't give any specific rules, just one rule - you gotta eat less calories than you burn in order to lose fat. However, there are a few things that can help you with it. One of those is making smarter choices that have fewer calories - fruits and vegetables. Especially vegetables are very dense and filling and have almost no calories at all and if you are a good cook you can make some tasty meals. That's what Teresa did, she chose a diet that consisted mostly of vegetables and lean protein rather than burgers and refined products. There is really nothing wrong with eating "processed" stuff, but they aren't volume food, they have a lot of calories and won't satisfy a lot. Food Is Just Like Alcohol, It Connects People... In times past Teresa weighed 118 pounds, then she got married and had her first child. She started getting away from the health and lean ideal and began to gain a couple of pounds. She gained 69 pounds after her first child and never lost it all. She also revealed to us that it was very uncomfortable and that there was a lot of pressure on the back. After a second child she gained 72 pounds and again, never lost it all. When she started the VI contest she was already dieting for the past 4 years, but just like she said, she was never truly focused on getting it off, she had some progress and then was stuck at 170 for a really long time. The contest helped her focus, she had a deadline to shoot for, it's more serious when you take pictures, and compete. It's no longer just dieting for the sake of dieting and maybe losing some weight,

 Can There Be a Simple Way to Lose 100 Pounds? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 35:18

Here's your new interview with one of the contestants from the 5th Venus Index Transformation Contest. Today John talks to  Suzy Johnston who finished third in the contest and earned herself a spot on Venus Index Calendar. Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest: What's even more amazing is Suzy's overall transformation with Venus Index. Check out her whole progress pictures here: Suzy started at 240 pounds (she is 5'7'') and gradually over 16 months she lost exactly 100 pounds. Very impressive results! It's always interesting to hear where it all started, what was the trigger point for gaining weight, because truth to be told no one is born overweight, there is always something external that trigger's overeating and thus weight gain. For Suzy it was moving away from her sister. No one was looking over her shoulder, she could eat fast food all the time and binge on it whenever she wanted. Some days, it got really bad. One day Suzy decided to buy a scale and was in shock once she saw that she weighed 240 pounds. This was a turning point for her and she made the DECISION TO CHANGE. She began educating herself about fitness and searched online for weight-loss solutions. However, she had trouble finding the truth.  It was hard to distinguish who was right and who was wrong, everybody seemed to contradict one another. Nevertheless, Suzy decided to keep it simple. She started running, lifting weights and eating less. She found success in her approach for weight loss but was completely blown when away she discovered the Venus Index and the concept of  "body metrics." It was at this point Suzy realized that it's more important to focus on her "ideal" Venus metrics rather than her weight.   Losing Weight Is an Incomplete Goal Is just losing the weight the ultimate goal? You need to think about where you want to be and what you are going to do once you achieve your desired goal. You will always need some kind of goal to keep pushing you forward, otherwise you will stagnate with your progress or even worse, revert back to your old self - this is what's called yo-yo dieting. So what is your goal? What will you do once you cross the finish line? Sad yet true, most people who lose weight can't keep it off, they go back to their old self and gain it all back. Figure out your goals in advance and you won't lose momentum.   Expect People's Negative Reactions and Keep It to Yourself Be aware that some people treat nutrition as if it were a religion, so it's better to add this topic to your "do not discuss" list. Some people will label their fitness approach, believe it to be the  "best and only" way and then identify themselves with it - e.g. Paleo people. Not only do they think they know better, but they also don't believe that it's possible for it to be simple and done without suffering. They will argue with you that it's very complex, and you have to forego  eating foods you like. However, once you get in shape and are the road to improvement they will try to stop you. Now  they will question why you want to lose more fat and accuse you of being obsessive-compulsive. Save yourself the hassle and choose wisely who you share your fitness goals with.  Many Venus Lifestyle  followers choose this "undercover" approach. Suzy finally achieved a healthy body weight and is happy with the amazing progress she has made. For her, it's just further improvement and she's already taking it to the next level. What about you? Links from the interview: Eat Stop Eat - Diet Lifestyle protocol designed to help you to lose fat and regain freedom in your food choices Original Venus Index Workout - Workout program for women that's responsible for the most amazing transformations online Venus Index Community - Friendliest and most supportive women's only fitness community on the Internet

 Say NO to Yo-Yo Diets and Dump Fat Clothes For Good | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 52:29

Here's your new interview with one of the contestants from the 5th Venus Index Transformation Contest. Today John talks to Liss Graham who finished second in the contest and earned herself a spot on Venus Index Calendar. Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest: When Liss pulled out the pictures on her PC she couldn't believe this was really her and her husband had a pretty similar reaction. The Day-to-day changes are almost unnoticeable and when you look at yourself in the mirror you usually see only the flaws. When looking at the pictures though you can be more objective and if you have both before and after photos than you can truly see your progress not the skewed version in a mirror. ...And don't worry about getting good pictures. Liss took some advice from her friend Alisha (previous VI winner) from the VI community about taking pictures and setting up lights. She went through a couple magazines, pinned a couple pictures, set up a mirror, her sister in law helped her with the lighting and taking pictures. Then she got babysitting for the evening, took a couple pictures for each pose and that was it, nothing complicated. Here is one more picture from the shoot: Liss always felt like a giant kid. She told us that compared to other girls she wasn't that tiny and cute like others, she was big and a bit overweight for her age. She didn't feel pretty. In her freshmen year she weighed 140 pounds. She started playing tennis and lifting weights, but throughout the years her weight often fluctuated up and down, which was quite exhausting. She would work hard  to lose the weight, only to relapse and gain it right back. She was a victim of what's called the "yo-yo diet". It was because her diet was very low in calories and highly restrictive - high protein, low carb and only certain food. This type of diet wasn't sustainable so she would fall off here and there often resulting in binging. It All Starts with the Decision to Get Better Liss decided to make a change. She began first by researching how much celebrities weigh;  she looked up Julia Roberts and a few others. It was here when she realized that while those women are lean and in shape it's not what you would call the "ideal" shape for women.  Nevertheless,  she began searching for more of a  "fitness look". This search is what ultimately lead her to the Venus Index. VI offered her a set of metrics, a goal to shoot for--an  ideal shape, all while being able to measure the progress without having to do a fancy DEXA analysis every month just to know if she was on track. Beyond a shadow of a doubt Liss was happy to have found Venus Index! She could go to all the social eating events, throw away the "fat clothes" and put an end to the crappy approach of yo-yo dieting. If she didn't feel like working out, her kids would constantly ask her if she was going to the gym or her friends would text her asking where she is - her accountability to fitness was at the highest it had ever been, which set her up for success. Having these systems in place, a proven workout program, and help from the VI community she was destined to succeed and she did, just scroll back up and look at the pictures. Now, if you wanna hear more about her journey, psychological barriers she had to overcome, what worked for her and what didn't, just scroll down to the bottom of the page and hit the play button to listen to the interview. Tips from Liss: Track your strength and try to improve every time you hit the gym, even if it's just for one more rep Don’t argue with people about it, if they wanna know what you are doing I post every little chart, weight, and measurements on my blog in the community When you finally get fit everything becomes so much easier  Avoid destructive behavior patterns, one thing leads into other – couch potato, bad food, no workout, no results

 From Fragile to Venus | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 54:19

Here's your new interview with one of the contestants from the 5th Venus Index Transformation Contest. Today John talks to April who finished first in the contest and earned herself a spot on Venus Index Calendar. Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest: Here's some good news. You can change the way you look. No matter what others are saying, no matter if they tell you it's stupid, pointless or call you names. You really can and it's the best way to increase your happiness and self-esteem. Today you will get a chance to listen to something pretty deep. April opens herself up and reveals some secrets about how she was being treated when she was younger, how she felt about it, how it affected her confidence and ultimately lead her to join the army, yes the army! April was always told that she had no butt and was always bit self-conscious about that area of her body. For example she would not take back shots, ever, even when taking after photos for the contest she was refusing to take the back shot. Familiar feeling? It's really hard to get over your insecurities, especially when other people keep talking you down, in this case it was April's sister who was commenting on how flat her butt looks. Sometimes family members can be the worst enemies on your path to success. If they are not, good for you. Start Talking to Your Muscles (For Real) No, we haven't gotten crazy (yet), you should really start talking to your muscles, or at least begin focusing on feeling them and activating them in the right way. The best way to build great butt is to do all those lunges and step ups you see in the Venus Index workouts (don't you dare skip those!). However here is something new, your body will activate the muscles it finds are most efficient to perform the movement, for example squat can be done in different muscle patterns - you have to put your mind into, otherwise your body will default to what's most efficient - for most people it's their quads and not hamstrings and butt. In simple terms, if you want certain area of your body to improve, you need to train in a way your body understands. Most people are just throwing up weights, not really training and forcing the body to work properly during the movement. A good idea as John likes to say is to start thinking from the muscle rather than from the weight. Guys have a big issue with this, simply because their ego is preventing them from using the lighter weights they should be training with. Women usually tend to have an opposite issue - lifting too light. So once you correct that and start using more challenging weights, you have to learn the other side of the coin which is muscle activation. The better you are able activate your muscles results in more contractions towards the area targeted for muscle growth. A popular way to activate your muscles is by looking in the mirror while you are working out. Yep, they aren't there just for vanity and ego, you don't have to be scared of looking into them, use them to your advantage. Even more, there is actually research that suggests you will develop more the muscles you can see - this is why it's harder to work on the muscle groups you can't see like muscles on your back. This Industry Can Really Mess You Up If You Aren't Careful April experienced this at first hand. In the interview she talks a lot about her past and how it made her very self-conscious about her looks, she discusses how she improved her training by focusing more on the mind-muscle connection, but also reveals her story of how she tried pretty much every approach there is in the fitness industry. She tried bootcamps, running and marathons, various personal trainers, cardio and so on. Nothing worked. Until the Venus Index and it's diet protocols. To hear the full story of how she came around finding VI and why she decided to stick to it, scroll down and listen to the interview.

 What If You Have Never Lifted Weights, Can You Still Do This? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 40:07

Today we have an interview with Heidi Fletcher who placed 5th in the Open Level 1 in our latest Venus Index Contest. Check out her pictures: What's amazing about this transformation is that Heidi didn't do it alone. She did the contest with her boyfriend Adam, who placed in the latest Adonis Index contest. Heidi never lifted weights before and she watched Adam when he was following the Adonis Index workouts. Then finally she decided to jump in and not only do the Venus workouts, but also join the contest as well. Adam started coaching her on how to lift the weights, how to improve her form and he was encouraging her to challenge herself more with her training. Starting out, Heidi  wasn't sure how much to lift for each exercise. She never trained at the gym, prior to Venus, running was her  sole form of cardio training and exercise. Heidi was always in a pretty good shape, outside of her baby weight, she naturally ate at maintenance and kept her waist line slim. She never did anything specifically to lose weight, because she never had to. However, when she saw Adam getting into shape she recalled from her background in the  medical field the many benefits of lifting weights to improve overall health.  More importantly the impact weightlifting had on improving bone density, especially for  women.   This made her even more eager to get started.  Heidi mentioned several times what a joy it was to workout with Adam, who operated as her trainer and was able to  coach her on how to lift properly. He trained her to know what it feels like to  pushing the weights and how to safely challenge herself. Heidi experienced a different type of exhaustion from lifting weights as opposed to just running. This provided a learning curve until her body was able to acclimate to the training and she had a better understanding of how to test her limits. It's normal if you  experience these similar feelings, because it takes years to know what it takes to be exhausted at each rep range. Heidi still has some mental barriers like fear of falling over with heavy weights, but this is something that she will overcome with time invested in the Venus workouts. Weight Lifting Will Not Turn You Into a Green Big Monster Most women think that weight lifting is stupid or that it will somehow turn into a big green hulk. Well, that's not true, those muscle ladies you see on stage of Mrs. Olympia are always on massive amounts of steroids and testosterone, you will never look like that, ever, even if you lift the heaviest dumbbells in the gym. What actually happens as a response to weight lifting is that your body tightens up and your curves will come up, which at a low body fat creates that desired attractive hourglass look. You need to lift weights to look good, feel healthy and to become a stronger woman, there is no other way around it. The only issue is that we don't have enough role models for this, so the general assumption is lifting weights = big bulky muscles = unattractive. Right now the only way to see what looks good is to look at certain movie stars, natural fitness models or even certain fashion models and see the real results from intense training. What you can also do, is go here into our transformation database and take a look at what our ladies have achieved with the intense Venus Index workouts. More tips from Heidi: Photoshoots are not just standing there and taking a snap shot, it's hard work and you should be prepared to take hundreds of pictures to pick one or two good ones When you are lean your look will change depending on what you eat and how much you move When you are lean you might consider fasting just for 16-18 instead of 24, and maybe more often When you get to the last 5 pounds of fat, it gets harder and even though it's still only about calories, your approach will have to change a bit Trust the VI numbers

 You Can Change the Way You Look | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 17:29

Today we have an interview with Ioana Tarce who placed 2nd in our  latest Venus Index Transformation Contest. Check out her pictures: Ioana never felt bad in her own skin and she never worked out or followed any type of diet. She was alway...

Comments

Login or signup comment.