I'm exhausted! But definitely pleased to be at this new job. It was a busy day yesterday. I didn't leave the office until 6:30, which meant that I didn't get to the gym until 8 p.m. I had back and cardio to do, and my strength was down a bit since I timed my carb intake a little too early in the day. I'm changing that for today, especially since I have a training class from 8 to 11 this morning and still won't get out of work until about 6 p.m. And remember, I don't take much of a lunch break. I eat about three times while at work, twice before leaving for work, once on my way home before going to the gym and then one to two times upon arriving home from the gym. Yesterday, I had six meals when I should have had eight, but it's not too much of a problem. I didn't cheat or go off the diet at all, and my water intake was at about one and a half gallons, so all in all, I stuck to everything. And I wasn't too weak for the second cardio session yesterday, so I think once I get used to the schedule, I'll be fine. I did it while teaching, so it shouldn't be a problem. now.

I'm about to head into the fitness center and do cardio: 30 minutes on the stepper this morning. Then it's fight rush hour traffic to get to this class, which means I have to leave way earlier than I would if I were going straight to work. I hate traffic!!! Especially in Dallas. Drivers here suck! Lol!

I said the other day that I would discuss the fitness girls from the O. Let me just give a few tidbits of information and leave the details for the weekend. Stacy Hylton had by far the best routine. Entertaining with strength moves and great music as well as a terrific mixture of dance, mandatory stuff, gymnastics, etc., she really wowed the crowd. Kim Klein also kept my attention with her amazing skills and strength moves. A crisp, clean, tough routine, Klein will definitely be a force on the fitness scene in 2004. Adela GF and Anna Level had the best physiques, with Level being the most ripped by far and Adela having terrific symmetry and tightness. Should Susie have won for the fourth time? Not in my eyes. Her routine was a bit on the bland side and her physique, while ripped, is a bit too skinny and doesn't carry that full muscle belly look that I like to see on the fitness girls. On the other hand, Tracey Greenwood's physique was absolutely kickin'! Ripped, full, tight, terrific shoulders, awesome back and abs, that girl is truly what fitness physiques are about. Too hard? Too vascular? No way! It goes back to the old days of fitness when we had the really lean Monica Brant's and Theresa Hessler's and Dale Tomita's.

Kelly Ryan's routine was great, but it didn't match what I've seen from her in the past. And Jenny Worth just didn't meet my expectations of her performances and appearances in previous shows in the past couple of years. I don't know exactly what happened, but again, we have to remember that the competitors do live real lives and sometimes those lives get in the way of training and eating right. And sometimes the fire dies down inside and there just isn't a spark to train anymore. Burn out can occur quite quickly in this sport. It's definitely an interesting question to ask: how can one avoid burning out and not returning to the gym for a lengthy period of time? I have a few answers, but I'd like to see your comments on the board if you get a chance.

Speaking of which, I'll answer board questions tomorrow and Saturday. Just be patient with me! I'll get to everything as soon as I can!

Thanks a ton, guys! You're the best!

Jodi :)