Well, the enemy tried to pull the rug out from under me, but my faith and trust in the Lord has prevailed. My truck is in the shop being mended by the bodyman, and I found out he is one of my patients. I thanked him so much and asked that he take special care of my truck, and you know what he said? "Doc, you have taken care of me and now it my turn to take care of you!" Wow, my angels are working overtime. I am truly blessed.

I am back on my pre-contest diet and I am feeling like a million bucks. Workouts are exellent! This morning Mark and I made "dancing pecs" and tomorrow I am doing arms........gotta blast those suckers!

I guess when things look down, all one can do is think about the positive and goodness of God. I am alive and blessed.

I hope everyone is staying cool. It is hot in Des Moines so I know it must be hot all over. Take care!

your Iron Lady Doc!

It has been a rollercoaster week for me. It started with a huge high after my victory at the Team Universe and it ended with an accident on the interstate that sent my trcuk to the shop on Friday. I cannot tell you how emotional it has been for me, but emotions are just that............."Emotions!" They really mean nothing. It is a term that has no meaning. We try to describe feelings and emotions to others, but it has no concrete meaning. All I can tell you is I felt happy and then sad. Now, I am back to happy. My truck is in the shop being fixed. I am alive and God is my savior! I just know He saved me from something bad happening down the road. I am not even going to analyze this one, but instead realize that my life is precious and I am going to continue my journey. I have so many great friends in my life, a wonderful father and family, a fantastic job, a physique to be proud of, a car to drive, a place to live...........I could go on and on! I went to church yesterday and I thanked the Lord for blessing me and I asked for more of Him in my life. God is good...........go show the world who you love! Don't wait one more second!

Dr. J is back! I am sure that most everyone has heard the most fabulous news........I won my weight class at the Team Universe this past weekend. I am now qualified for the Worlds in Spain slated in late September.

Since arriving back from NYC, I have finally been able to process all this fun stuff. I am not sure it sunk in when they announced my name. I was carb depleted, dehydrated, and for the most part, pretty weak, but you know what? Hard work and persistance pays off. I cannot thank Dave Palumbo enough for his help throughout my prep. He ranks number one as the most intelligent bodybuilder and nutritionist I have ever met. His girlfriend, Colette Nelson, cannot go unnoticed either. She was my hair and make-up artist..........and "ART" it was! She is all that plus some! I have some pretty special friends in my life. I feel very blessed!

As of today, I am 9 1/2 weeks out from the World stage. I am trying to relax a bit on the diet, but for me, this is a hard task. I did go out for sushi last night and it was the most amazing taste. I loved it!

I have not been back to the gym, but tomorrow sounds like a good day to get back in the groove. I have been off for about a week now. I needed a few days to recover when I got back from NYC, but now I have one goal in mind...............outperform MY best! I cannot wait to train with my workouts partners, Mark and Melissa! Talk about two inspirational people for me--these two are it! Mark has got to be the hardest worker in the gym I have ever met, and Melissa is like a bull on a mission!

I have so many other people to thank...........thankfully, most of them I will see in person and give them all special hugs. Like I said, I am truly blessed!

Well, I am almost there. My first task was to make the middle weight class. Making this class was my goal in order to have my best chance to get to the overall. I have long, lean physique and in the heavy weights I get washed out by the shorter, more compact competitors. I have kept in mind that this show is most importantly about conditioning and this is where I am going to shine. I feel like I am in the best shape of life. I am so proud of me! Don't mind the fact that I had to wring myself out yesterday and trust me.............this was not easy. I felt kinda yucky for about 8 hours, but today, I am pumped up and ready to hit the stage. As you and I know, pursuing a goal is a constantly evolving process. It is not easy, but no one who has ever followed a dream has taken a direct, unobstructed path and arrived at his or her destination effortlessly and on time. Your mind functions like a muscle. My mind is a muslce! My whole body is a muscle and I am ready to show it off tomorrow morning. Send your blessings my way!

I am 10 days out from my show. The last two weeks of preparation have always been a challenge for me. Sometimes it starts earlier.........like 4 weeks out, but not this time. And, now, I am 10 days out from the show I have been training for the past 4 months. Lately, I have felt that the world has come crashing down on me. I am irritable, hungry, and tired. This is all too normal with most bodybuilders. Remaining serene is tough. Inner peace during these times is a real prize. But then again, when isn't inner peace absolutely necessary?

I asked my friend, Dave, to send me some words of wisdom today. He is so good at inspiring me. Here is what he said, "Remember, that what you envision is what you create ONLY IF you are DETACHED from the outcome. If you have expectations, you will ALWAYS be disappointed. The universe will "GIVE YOU" what you truly need; what you've created, NOT WHAT YOUR EGO wants. So, no matter what happens at this show, you will experience ONLY THE MOST DIVINELY PERFECT OUTCOME. Just be AWARE enough to see it. I'm very proud of what you've done and where you've come from (emotionally, physically and spiritually). You are a woman who finally has mastery over her body. Next step is to use your newfound "tools" to do what you are TRULY HERE TO DO..............."

Good advice, don't you think? So, today no matter what the problem, the single most important thing I can do is be quiet, go to a place of holiness in my heart, and release my attachements and fears. Sounds like a big job, but then again, nothing is easy if it is done right.

Hmm, I guess I needed to hear myself think this out in writing. I thank Dave, Misty, and Melissa, for listening to me this morning and supporting me. I feel good now!

Dynamic stretching is a type of stretching that moves a muscle in and out of a stretched position, as opposed to holding it in its stretch as you would in a static move. For example, a lunge is a dynamic stretch for your quadriceps and hips. Before you’re ready to play or weight train, you need to get your blood flowing to use your muscles. Dynamic stretches can help you greatly in athletic endeavors because they improve your “active” flexibility – that is, they work the muscles and joints in the same way that your sport will. In addition, dynamic stretches will increase your heart rate, helping you gear up for your workout. Jumping jacks, squats, lunges, and high knees are all examples of dynamic stretches. You can perform these moves as a circuit before any type of exercise to help you warm up and prevent injury. Complete one set of 10 repetitions per exercise, then move on to the next dynamic stretch. And make sure to do your static stretches after your workout or on days when you’re not gearing up for a workout but want to keep limber.

Hey there everyone! It has been some time since I posted a comment. I have been dieting for the Team U scheduled in NYC on July 15th. I am ready to go! I have some big shoes to fill as Deb Patton won last year with an amazingly lean/ripped physique. The Team U is all about conditioning so that is my goal this year.

I attended the Jr. nationals in Chicago a couple weeks ago. I am very happy for Tracy Mason as she took the overall. It was a fun weekend for me. I had some pictures taken and I will post them in the gallery section as soon as the CD's are available to me.

Last but certainly not least, I want to talk to you about pride. Ah, Pride! Pride has been considered one man's deadliest sins. It is through pride that the devil got his name. You might think I am exagerating this a bit, but let me show you a few things about pride...........the more pride one has, the more one dislikes pride in others. If you want to know how much pride you have, ask yourself how much you dislike it when others snub you or refuse to take notice of you, or show off. Sound familiar so far? The point here is that each persons pride is in competition with everyone else's pride.

Now, here is the kicker. Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next person. Being rich, good looking, or clever is not enough for the prideful person. What they want is to be richer, better looking, and more clever than anyone else. They take pleasure in being better than the rest.

Pride is spiritual cancer. It eats up the very possibility of love. If you are feeling better than the rest, that you are above all, you can be sure you are being acted on by the devil and not God.

Where did I read this? Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis! Come down off your throne and let go of pride. It will only eat you up. It will make you miserable all the rest of your life. Let it go!

Since I am the doctor, I think it is prudent to discuss medical conditions every so often to keep you all up on the latest. Today I will review cholesterol and fiber. Fiber, as you know, can actually bring down the cholesterol in your blood, but it has to be a certain kind.

Psyllium is a safe, effective, and well-tolerated add-on therapy for elevated cholesterol. Psyllium is a soluble fiber supplement recommended to reduce levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). This may seem complicated, but just be aware that studies have proven the success of soluble fiber in reducing cholesterol.

The guidelines recommend increased soluble fiber (10 - 25 g daily) as a therapeutic option to enhance LDL-C lowering. Soluble fibers such as psyllium have a stronger protective effect than insoluble fibers in reducing coronary mortality. In the United States, the typical diet is often deficient in soluble fiber.

The point of all this................take your metamucil, but make sure it is sugar free!