Dana Lynn

Just two more days until my prep begins! I really cant wait to get things rolling. This year is going to be a great year. I can feel it. I have decided that this year I will be taking lots of classes. I want to learn many new skills. I’m going to enroll in Makeup school in Hollywood where I will learn to do make-up for photo shoots and cinema as well as just everyday beauty makeup. I’m really excited about that. I have always loved doing makeup so this is a great oppertunity to learn from professionals all about makeup. So I’ll be training during the day and taking classes every night. I’m also going to take classes to use my new camera for photography and I also want to take a pottery class. There are just so many things I want to do. I also want to learn how to knit. I know that might sound funny but I would love to be able to make things like hats and scarves. So I’m going to look into that too. All the training and dieting will just be one part of my life now. I will make this prep go by quickly by focusing on many other things along the way. I have also been reading a lot. I love getting into good books! I just finished a really good book yesterday and I’m starting a new one.
I have my trip to Aspen coming up in about 8 weeks. Last prep it was the 8 week mark that I REALLY saw a huge change in my body so I’m hoping by the time I see my family on our trip there will be a big change. I’m going to work SO HARD and be perfect with my training and diet. I made that promise to myself.
For Chanukah (how the heck do you even spell it??) Jay bought me a new ipod. Its the kind that you can watch movies and shows on. I love it. I bought the third season to Desperate Housewives. I have already seen the first two. I just love it. I also bought some other shows about traveling. I am planning a trip to Italy and Greece also in the Spring. I also bought a show about Whales, Sharks and Dolphins. I’m going to go Whale watching soon too. I am dying to see some Whales! Alaska will also be a trip I’m going to take. My mother went there last year and FLIPPED OUT. She just loved it. So I’m dying to go too!
Well, tomorrow my friend and I plan our New Years party and then come Monday, I’m ready to start an AWESOME YEAR!! Its all what you make of it, right? Well, I’m ready to make this one a GREAT YEAR!!

I cant tell you enough how excited I am about getting my prep going. I have a few more days and then we have a new years party and then jan 1, its go time. See, for me, the difference between prep and regular life is this… I dont want to be on prep year around. I dont find it necessary for me to be ripped year round. I dont want to have to diet strict all the time. I enjoy dining out and not counting calories all the time. I want to travel this summer and I dont want to be worrying that I have to do and hour and a half of cardio everyday and not try the foods of the places I’m visiting. My goal in all of this is this… I’m going to prep and compete in a show in April. I have 16 weeks. I’m going to work as hard as I can and diet as hard as I can for these next 16 weeks. Then after my show, I’m going to take a much different approach from last time. I’m not going to PIG OUT. I’m not going to try to get in 16 weeks of missed foods. I’m going to work hard at keeping my body weight between 125-130lbs. Thats a nice weight for me. I still have curves and look like a woman but I’m also nice and lean and athletic looking. My goal in all of this is to keep in my weight in check between shows or even if I decide not to do another show after this one. Whatever the case may be, I need to learn to stay at a comfortable weight and not yo-yo up and down.

When I say that Jan 1 is my go day. Its only because I look at it like starting that day, there is no slacking off. I get my job done. I dont make anymore excuses and make sure each day I accomplish what I’m supposed to do. This summer and fall have been rough on me. I’ve been up and down and sideways with my head. I cant let myelf down anymore. I have had lots of fun these last months but now its time to work and I’m ready. What should anyone believe me now? well, you dont have to… just wait and see

DL

The changes in the weather must not be good for me. I have an ear infection and I’m totally congested again! What the heck! I’m trying to drink a lot of fluids and see if I can flush whatever this is OUT!
Yesteday I sat down and made myself a plan. I put everything I intend to do down on paper. Its basically the rough draft but today i will continue to tweek it. I put down my plan for training, cardio and diet to work towards doing a show in April. I plan on taking the next few days to get myself completely set up and organized just like I was last time so I can FINALLY follow through with my goal again for this new year. I’m very excited to work hard and get back to a place where I can be so proud of myself again.
Next week I’ll start going down to Venice again and training with Pauline. It should be interesting to see what happens with my strength after this time off.
I think its time for some hot tea. My throat hurts
DL

I’m back in L.A…. and SO glad I’m done traveling for now. The flights and airports are so packed right now because of the holiday’s and the last thing I want to be doing is dealing with that anymore. It feels so great to be back, unpacked and settled back into life here. This week is going to be pretty slow and quiet here in LA… believe it or not! During the holiday’s things slow down and I really like that. I have some goals planned for this week and I’m really looking forward to taking them all on. I have been so sloppy with my eating and training habits lately… and just to be clear, I’m NOT upset with myself. Thats a HUGE rule I’m sticking to from now on… DO NOT get upset with myself for the choices I make with my food and training. When I eat things that aren’t “clean” or miss workouts… OH WELL… the beauty of all of this is these are things I can change and if I want to enjoy myself in other ways then constantly worrying about my diet and training all the time then thats ok… those enjoyable moments with my friends and family are important and wont last forever. Now that I’m back in LA, I can go back to focusing on other things like my fitness again and training again.
I need to go food shopping to restock my kitchen with all my healthy foods again. This week I plan on walking to my local gym everyday. I also need to start back my weight training and cardio routines. Also, this week will be the week I sit down and set out my goals for this spring. What the heck am I doing?? What goals do I have with my training? Am I picking a show? What diet plan will I follow? All these important things.
I saw some of the pictures from the photo shoot I did with Pauline and Pavel. They look GREAT!! As soon as the magazine is published and the pictures come out I can post them up in my website in the media section. Fun! The thing I do miss is doing photo shoots. I think that in itself will help motivate me this spring.
I’m going to look back on the diet I used for my last prep. I’m going to try to put together my own diet idea and then go over it with Pauline. I NEED to find a diet I can stick with. Thats the key to any program. Thats something else I’m working on this week.
Ok, I’ll be checking in all week and letting you know how things are going with my goals.
We are almost to 2007 and I want to make this a GREAT year!
DL

I’m just sitting here in NJ in my mother’s kitchen waiting for the baby’s parents to come pick her up. Playing stand-in mommy for a few days was fun but I’m ready to go back to being childless for now. A good night sleep will be the first thing I’ll look forward to. I loved taking care of the baby. She is a wonderful baby and I would watch her another week if I had to but it will be great to see her reunited with her mommy and daddy again.

Tomorrow I head back to Los Angeles. The trip home was great. I loved seeing my family and even got to catch up with some old friends from middle school and high school.

Today I went over to my parents company and got to taste test some products in the lab that they are working on for me. Yes, I’m working on my own line of products but you’ll just have to wait to know more about them until they are ready…. trust me, you will all find out as soon as they are perfected! The line will be great for EVERYONE… if you are training for a show or just watching your waist line. I’m just so excited!

Today I did 45 min of cardio. It was a great session. I really got my heart rate up and burned a ton of calories. I needed that cardio session. When I take off any more then a week of cardio my body starts to get very angry with me. My hips ACHE like crazy… my lower back hurts and aches too and my mood starts to plummet. After today’s session I stretched out and felt wonderful again.

Oh, remember the friend I told you all about who is doing the little bet with me. Well, we decided what the prize is. She lives in Florida and we dont get to see eachother ever… SO, if we both reach our goals, I’m going to take a trip to Florida to see her! What a wonderful prize, huh? My long term goal is to compete in a show in May however, I have many more goals before that and now that my new product line is in the works, I’ll need to be in shape for some photo shoots and other fun stuff! Anyway, things are really looking great for me and I’m so excited. Plus, my little cousin just got accepted to her number one choice for college today so everything is looking up!

DL

I thought I would check in quickly while the baby is sleeping. I must say that she is just cute as a button! I took a picture of her so I’ll post it.
I spoke to a friend last night who is very into fitness training as well and we discussed starting a little bet/contest between the two of us for the new year. I think that could be really fun. If the stakes are high things could get intense. haha! Last time I was on prep, the two of us were neck and neck with our bodyfat and weight coming down. Every morning we would check in with eachother and see how we were doing. She then decided not to compete so my weight kept going down to my contest date. Once my contest was over and the summer came, the two of us gained a lot of weight back (as you know about me) and the two of us have had our struggles ever since. Now we have decided that we need to make this more of a game and contest between us again and see what happens. I propose that the stakes be HIGH so we both work hard and want to win. Its just something else to help drive us and get us going again. I still have the idea of doing a show in the spring in my mind so that would also be part of my plan.
Well, here’s a picture of my latest little Baby project… I’m getting pretty good at this Baby thing

Hello from New Jersey! I have been here for a few days and boy oh boy have my plans changed while I’ve been here. I was supposed to be in Florida right now however yesterday we got a phone call that a friend of the family is in the hospital and has to have surgery on her gallbladder. Well, the catch is, she has a 2 month old baby girl… and guess who is babysitting! ME! Yep… I’m in charge of a 2 month old baby. Well, needless to say, I got about an hour of sleep last night. Babies are a lot of work! She is so cute though. She’s actually been really great. I guess her mother rocks her alot because last night everytime I tried to put her to sleep and put her down, she woke up again because the rocking stopped. So I was up rocking her ALL night! Today we went out and bought her a swing. Its great. It even plays classical music. So she really likes that and it also gives me a break from all the rocking. She also eats a lot. She wants a bottle about every hour. I love dressing her up in all the cute little baby outfits too. So as of right now it looks like I’ll be in NJ for the entire trip and I even have to extend the trip a little bit so I can continue to take care of the baby until her mom recovers. I will tell you one HUGE lesson I have learned in just ONE day of taking care of this baby so far…. I AM NOT LIVING FAR AWAY FROM MY MOTHER WHEN I HAVE MY BABIES!! No way could I be doing this without my mom!! No way, no how! So you know where I’ll be when its time for me to have babies…. NEW JERSEY!! and who know… that might not be THAT far off…
The downfall in all of this has been my training. I knew already I was taking off from weight training on my trip so thats ok but my diet hasnt been great and cardio has been zero so far. I’m not going to stress about it. I know when I get back to Cali I’ll pull my act together once again and refocus on things. I have been choosing healthy foods but I’ll be honest, I really havent been focusing on all that this week.

Well tonight my mom is having the baby sleep in her room so I can get some sleep. If I have another night of only one hour I might fall part. I dont do well with just a little sleep. I guess when I have babies I’ll have to get used to that But for right now, I like my sleep

See ya soon..

DL

Hello! Its Tuesday and I’m just about to go out and do some cardio. Its kinda cold here…. somewhere in the 50’s but I’m going to do my cardio machine outside. It doesnt take me too long to get warmed up but I’m sure the initial shock of the cold will be rough though.
I’m going on a little trip the next few days to visit my family. I’ll be attending a big holiday party and seeing a few friends. I’m not going to restrict myself from sharing meals with them and having some food at the holiday party but I will use good judgement and not go over-board. Also, I’ll make sure to keep up doing some cardio each day. It will help keep my metabolism up and keep my mind focused on not getting out of control with my eating. If I do, I just know I will regret it.

Jay wants me to focus on doing another show. I know I should. I know I will be so pleased with myself if I get my stuff together and focus on a show. I really think he’s right. I feel like such a flake who hasnt gotten herself together. I go back and forth with my plans and my motivation. It makes me feel AWFUL that I havent buckled myself down. Maybe its been the holidays. I HATE to use that as an excuse but geez… I dont know, it has been rough for me lately. My mind drives me nuts and I constantly go up and down with my thoughts and moods. I think during this trip I need to decide what I want to do when I get back. Whatever I decide, I will start after the new year. The holidays will be OVER, my trips will be OVER. If its a show I decide on, then I WILL pick the show and NOT move it. If I do, I think Jay might kill me. He gets so upset and frustrated with me when I change my mind and dont stay focused. I dont blame him. He only gets upset with me because he knows I get upset with myself. Maybe I will pick a show in April and just DO IT!!
I have lots of stuff to do today to get ready for my trip. Packing is one of them…. YUCK, I hate packing!
Alright, time for cardio…
DL

Sorry I havent written in a few days. I’m sure everyone’s just broken up about it! haha! Just kidding. Anyway, its Sunday afternoon and I’m just waiting for my friend Erica to come over. We are going shopping for holiday gifts today and I can’t wait. Its a girls day out. The past few days have been pretty low key for me. Jay has been away for a few days and the weather was a bit gloomy. I just stayed around the house getting some little things done. I have been doing some reading lately which has been nice. Its always nice to find books you can get into. I’m reading a book called, “Jokes my Father Never Told Me.” Its written by Rain Pryor, Richard Pryor’s daughter. Its about her life with him. I’ll let ya know how it is. I always find it interesting to read about some of the people’s crazy lives out there.
On Friday I helped out Pauline and Pavel and did a photo shoot for a Swedish magazine. We did it at a gym in Santa Monica. The shoot was part of an article they are doing comparing different types of gyms. I was the typical “hollywood girl” working out. I had all my gadets on cardio (ipod, blackberry) and even Prada glasses on my head. I was supposed to be there only to flirt and be seen. haha! You know we have ALL seen plenty of people like that at the gym! Anyway, it was a lot of fun and I cant wait to get the pictures back. Pauline and Pavel were great to work with and I’m sure the article will come out great! I’ll make sure to put up the website and link to the pictures and article in my media section of the site.
My depression and mood has still been rocky. I get spirts of energy and get so much done and then I start to feel sad or down again. I went to the doctor and spoke to him about it. I’ll get through this. Right now I’m just going to focus on keeping busy and reading about other things besides fitness, dieting, my body, ect… I think I need to step back a bit and not focus so much on it all. I have put a lot of pressure on myself which I think has just made things worse. I’m going to take a step back. Focus on some other fun things and hopefully after this crazy holiday season I’ll get back to it. For now, I’m going to just focus on being as happy and healthy as I can be. This is the time for moderation. I’m going to take some pressure off without taking it ALL off and see what happens.
I have been thinking about life a lot lately and I think pretty soon I’ll be making some HUGE changes in mine. When I’m ready I’ll announce them to you all!
Well, I should finish getting ready for my wonderful day ahead of me. Erica and I are going to have a slumber party tonight too. We will get dinner and watch a movie and just have some good girl talk. I need that
DL

Here I am… Its been a rough couple of days. Starting on tuesday I just felt awful and it all went downhill from there. I was tired, sad, emotional, questioning life, my purpose, my goals, what I want… I was so down in the dumbs. My body hurt. My energy was poor. Well, since this journal is about being honest I will be. I suffer from depression. Not just “having a day day” depression or sadness but actually a chemical imbalance in my head kind of depression. I take medication for it but that doesnt prevent it from ever being there. I’m not ashamed or embarressed to say I suffer from depression. Its something A LOT of people suffer with. The days when depression hits me are really horrible though. Its such a sad empty feeling. I think that depression on top of the fact that the 20’s are a hard age for most people doesnt really help either. So yesterday I went to the book store and bought some new books and decided to relax and read to take my mind off things. I tried so hard to get through my day but my sadness just took over. When I take my mind off things and try to get into a book or watch a movie it really helps to take my mind off of all that thinking. The worse is when I start to ponder my life and purpose. Ugh! I get worried about the future and the past and the what if’s. If anyone reading this suffers from depression as well please know that you can reach out to me. Its not an easy thing to deal with and often it isnt discussed amoung people but the best thing I know is reaching out and having the support of others to get through it. It is something that runs in my family and now as we get older and understand it more we are able to be there for eachother.
The other downside of my depression is that it does get in the way of my training and motivation and drive. Trying to get through cardio when your depressed is AWFUL. Imagine all that time on cardio I have to THINK… and THINK… and THINK…. well, the best option for me on those days is to not even try it. I tried the other morning and it felt like 30 min was 8 hours. Its NOT like that on days I’m not depressed. I actually did the stepmill for 50 min the other day and it didnt bother me a bit. Infact I enjoyed it. But when your depressed it feels like you weigh about 500lbs and most of it is in your head and on your shoulders.
Well, the good news is I started to feel MUCH better last night. The depression started to lift late in the day and when I woke up this morning I felt so much better. The world didnt seem so sad and empty anymore. Today the weather is nice and it isnt dark and cold. I have a doctors appointment later this afternoon and then a workout with Pauline. We train back today. I bet we do deadlifts so its good I feel better because you need to have your head on straight when you do deadlifts!
Well, I’m going to get myelf going and make it a great day! I have lots of fun books to read now too!
Have a wonderful day and I’ll be back later
DL