This time of year many of us are promising to improve our health and fitness levels. Unfortunately these good intentions often don’t last for long. So how’s this for motivation: the chance to win $25,000 in cash!

Bodybuilding and fitness site bodybuilding.com has joined with Optimum Nutrition to run a twelve week personal transformation contest with prize packages worth a total of $100,000. The contest is open to US residents and those wanting to take part need to register before 31st January 2011 and upload “start” photos.

After twelve weeks the winners (one male, one female) will be decided according to two factors: “biggest physical and mental improvement and most inspirational and helpful to others.” Each grand prize winner will receive $25,000 plus other prizes. Ten runners up will each receive $2,500 and prizes.

Ryan DeLuca of bodybuilding.com said:

We set out to create the biggest transformation challenge anyone has ever heard of – no strings attached. Not only that, it was our goal to equip everyone with the tools needed to truly be a success. I must say, we have done just that. If this doesn’t motivate you, I don’t know what will.

For full details of the contest, terms & conditions and registration visit the Transformation Challenge website.

The life coaching industry in Britain could be set to get a boost according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.

According to a Telegraph source the current government is planning to give pregnant women and girls under 21 “several years” of one to one life coaching. This will be delivered by nurse practitioners via a reformed health visitor network. The plan follows a trial in some 60 areas of the country that found specialised coaching had significant positive benefits for young mothers.

There are, of course, arguments that this is the sort of thing that young people should get anyway from family, friends and society in general. However the reality is that many don’t so such a scheme has definite potential.

The 2010 Motivation Show in Chicago has announced a slew of initiatives to help it go green and reduce its carbon footprint.

The most obvious change is the choice of location: the McCormick Place West building which has received LEED Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) from the U.S. Green Build Council. However there are other changes, in particular to reduce the amount of paper products usually generated by trade shows.

For a start all exhibitor material will be distributed online and online forms will be used for exhibitor data collection. For show attendees the most visible change is that they’ll no longer be mailed a badge. Instead they’ll be sent an email confirmation of booking which includes a barcode. They to print this out and on arrival it’s scanned and they’re given an RFID badge.

Behind the scenes the Motivation Show is working with its general services contractor GES on initiatives such as recyclable carpet padding, energy efficient lighting and biodegradable trash bags.

Putting aside the possible privacy issues over RFID name badges it sounds like a very positive green move for the show.