DIANE RUDHOLM'S DORM ROOM

I am officially six weeks out from USAs! Time sure does fly like crazy! I know that I say that ALL the time, but I feel like it was just yesterday that I decided to compete at USAs! And now it is almost show time.

I'm happy to say that my diet is back on track. As I mentioned in my last blog, I let emotional eating get the best of me as I struggled through calling off our wedding... But the good news is that I didn't get too far off track and now I'm officially back on track. It is always those first few days eating 100% clean and on plan that are tough...the cravings can be brutal. Let me emphasize...the CRAVINGS are brutal. This is not hunger. It's not a need. It's a mental craving. I know a lot of people who experience cravings and assume that they are hungry. In order to reach your goals and your strongest and healthiest body it is important for you to determine whether or not you are experiencing cravings or hunger. Most likely..whether you want to admit it or not, it is cravings. So anyways, I'm back on track and just starting a brand new diet plan for USAs and I'm excited! These next six weeks will not be easy by any means, but I'm excited to push my body to its limits and see what I'm really made of.

In addition, training is going very well! I did arms yesterday and let me tell you...My biceps/triceps are SORE! As painful as the soreness is at times, I absolutely LOVE it. I crave that sore feeling after a great workout, so I was excited to feel the soreness coming on this morning.

My workout yesterday consisted of Seated Curls superset with Seated Hammer Curls, Standing Barbell Curls superset with Standing Curls..Followed up with Tricep exercises like the Rope Pull Down and Kick-Backs! I finished up with 1 set of 50 tricep rope press downs...Boy did that burn! Overall it was an awesome workout and I left there with no juice left in my arms :)

My cardio has been great as well. I'm doing 45-60min in the morning - usually stepmill. Then I'm doing 35-45min after my weights as well. I'm actually enjoying my cardio WAYYY more than I have in the past. Especially since I was able to add some new tunes to my iPod. David Guetta's "Gettin' Over You" is my new favorite for cardio. There's something about the "perfect" music that can really get me moving. It's actually kind of pathetic when I REALLY think about how much I rely on music for my workouts. That just goes to show how much of this is based on your mentality/mood/emotions - Your body CAN do the work regardless...It's your mind that you really have to work on bc it will make or break your progress.

So that's where I'm at. New nutrition plan. Heart-thumping cardio. A newly found mental focus. All thanks to our amazing Lord - God is SOOO good and I'm so thankful that I have the opportunity to experience His love and grace every single day. Without Him...NONE and I mean NONE of this would be possible. As I heard this morning while listening to my Christian tunes.. "Falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me". I have NEVER felt so joyful and in love with Jesus and THAT is truly giving me the strength I need to push through this prep.

**The difference between a good athlete and a top athlete is the top athlete will do the mundane things when nobody is looking** --Susan True

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE!

Diane