I know I'm well into dieting when I begin craving broccoli and fish. I've been including broccoli in almost everything I'm eating (well, except my oatmeal...ewww!). I take fresh broccoli, break of the stems, use the florets, and put them in the skillet with a bit of cooking spray, a clove of freshly minced garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Now, don't let me breathe on you after that dose of veggies!

I did an hour of cardio earlier today after a bout of sprints and a workout of shoulders last night. My left knee hurts a bit, so I've upped my glucosamine, and that seems to help. As I begin dropping bodyfat, the cushioning around my knees dwindles down, and then my knees ache and pop a bunch. I suffered through this while powerlifting, and once I quit doing the extremely heavy squats, my knees healed up somewhat, but the dieting down tends to bring the pain back a bit.

My moods are all over the place. I'm either extremely up and hyper or somewhat morose and melancholy. The diet exacerbates my mood swings to some extent, but I'm aware of it and just ride the tidal waves as they come in.

Many people wonder whether women belong having such low bodyfat percentages, and my response is that it depends upon the woman. I'm sure I'm getting too personal here, but the issue of when a woman's cycle drops off and how it correlates to her diet has been a big one amongst fans and trainers alike. I have friends who get to about 12 percent bodyfat and their cycles stop completely. These are possibly the same women who later on have difficulties with getting pregnant. In my case, I've been as low as five percent bodyfat and only had a break from cycle the month of my show, and I believe the major cause of it was stress and anxiety, for when my grandfather passed away, the same thing occurred, and believe me, I was nowhere near five percent bodyfat. I had just finished the last Galaxy show of the year, Thanksgiving had come and gone, and Christmas break with homemade cookies from former students had been in full swing. Add a Jewish family and friends to a funeral, and food is ample and plenty. It's as though food is meant to cushion the pain of death like a pillow cushions our heads at night when we sleep.

Anyway, I wish my cycle would stop, but it's as stubborn as I am and likes to rear it's ugly head right up to the point I'm competing. Luckily, my timing will be just right and I won't have volcanic eruptions on my face nor extra weight gain from the bloating. I can't say the bitchiness disappears, though...lol! Couple dieting with PMS, and men should just move to another planet! Lol!

Now that I've grossed y'all out completely, let me move on to more pleasant items. I have a suit fitting on Monday evening. I had been frantically trying to reach my seamstress for almost two weeks and had no luck whatsoever. I panicked. Freaked out. Nearly tore my hair out. I overreacted, of course (that's not like me...lol!), and called everyone who knew her and drove to her workplace to try to find her. She just had some house problems and had been working at the university so much and felt she had all the time in the world to get my suits done, so when I finally reached her, she was so calm and cool. So all is well now, and I'll be seeing the beginning phase of my suit-making process. I'm getting a new one-piece and a new two-piece, and I'm hoping they'll be able to last for the entire year...or at least until I can manage to earn my pro card. My seamstress is awesome at what she does, and we'll be taking pictures throughout the entire process, so I'll be sure to post them when we can get them up on the site.

The weather is beautiful in Texas...clear skies, breezy air, mild temperatures (in the 70's and 80's...sorry...don't mean to rub it in for you northern people). So now I have no excuses to use in order to avoid sprints. Actually, I did a really good job last night. I soldiered through a shoulder and calf workout, and then went into the parking lot outside of my gym and ran the following:

Four sets of building 60's
Three sets of 100's
Four sets of 40's
Sprint drill: sprint forward 20 yards, lateral shuffle 20 yards, backpedal 20 yards, lateral shuffle 20 yards...repeat without stopping and do two sets.

I felt really good after it!

The show is four weeks from tomorrow. I think I could step on stage in two. And that means I'm right where I want to be. I still need to get my legs down further; my glutes harder, leaner; my abs tighter; my shoulders fuller. I've begun to work on my posing as well. I can almost visualize the stage, being in the line up, getting the call out. My skin tingles in anticipation. April 17th...here I come!

Jodi :)