Dr. Dena is Back ( Dr. Sexy tucked away for a bit)

Dear Friends and Fans,

WOW! It's actually kinda nice outside. I hope maybe Fall is here, or giving us a taste of it. It seems a bit crisp this beautiful Sunday morning. I would love to take a nice walk.. but Maryjane's leg is still bothering her. I'm not sure what to do. She runs up and down the stairs all day following my every move.. I wish she would just rest.. but NOT!! I laugh when I say this because I say it everyday but.. this cough is about gone. I've been coughing like a damn old man all week. I never had a sinus infection before. I think that's what I had. I hear there was some funk going around, but I got the airplane cooties on the trip back from Texas. It ran a typical 7-10 day cycle. I could have done more things for it like Vick's on the chest, steam and hot tub soaks, lots of water and rest. I DON'T take prescription or over the counter drugs. I pray I never get so ill... but I believe the power that made the body heals the body and that power being the innate ability of our immune system.

So I had something happen this Friday at work. I'm still not sure how I want to handle it. Do I send this person a letter, confront them personally, or just blow it off. You guy's tell me.. I have a poster of myself hanging on my door outside the office. It is a beautiful picture of me. I use it for most of my advertisement and business cards. It is one of my highest selling pictures. I will post it for my pix of the week. Anyway, there was a woman with her 3 young children outside my office being extremely loud. I'm use to this, since my door is my the front of the gym.. but this was out of control. The children were screaming OHHH MOMMY YUCKY UGLY MUSCLES while pointing at my picture. They kept saying it and screaming it to each other till mommy chimed in and said "Yes yucky ugly muscles". I was out that door. I excused myself from my patient, and poked my head out the door. I looked at the children and then mommy. She was very apologetic on the fact that her children were screaming outside my office; she even looked at me and said yucky muscles and giggled like.. oh kids will say anything..totally oblivious to the fact she just insulted me to my face. I've learned the hard way that when my heart is beating 1000bpm, keep your mouth shut, so I walked back in my office. I saw her come back in so I stepped back out of the office and looked at her. She was getting a drink out of the cooler and looked over and said sorry again for being loud. I realized that I was probably intimidating her by now ,but not intentionally. I'm wanting to voice my feelings but I can't because I still need time to think before inserting foot into mouth.. Now with her thinking that I'm a mean muscle doctor and you better not make a peep outside her office, I'm flabbergasted by her ignorance! The punch line to the story is this... her youngest child is MONGOLOID!!! I can empathize with him and I KNOW he will be talked and whispered about behind his back his entire life. I'm sure mommy has had talks with this beautiful young man explaining to him that beauty is only skin deep, don't judge a book by its cover, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that one day... after all the teasing... there is an advantage to being different. I'm sure his siblings will forever protect and stand up for their handicapped brother, yet mommy laughs, encourages, and chimes in with them to look at my beautiful picture and view and voice that it's ugly???? What is she teaching her children?? If I was missing a limb I wounder what she would say when they passed me in the store. The real sad part to this story is that mommy is so closed minded, she has NO IDEA. Ugly, pretty whatever wouldn't a normal parent tell their children not to make fun of others or say things to hurt others feelings?? ESPECIALLY when you have your own family issues. How many times in elementary school is her little one going to be ask why he looks like that?? Come on!! OH.. I was pissed. By no means, did mommy make me feel ugly or insecure.. it actually made me want to go downstairs and start pumping up my muscles...lol.. What do you guy's think?

Dr.Dena is back in the house. I left Dr. Sexy out a little longer than usual, because she had some stuff to take care of. I finished up my shoots, and got 3 fantasy videos up on http://www.herbicepscam.com/ . Now back to business. I called Charles yesterday laughing at the fact that I think I need to be a heavyweight... but after seeing the line up at the Atlantic City heavyweights, I would be sitting on the freaking side lines..lol.. Iris K, Lisa A, Betty V, Helen B. need I say anymore?? I'm just going to training and come in where I do. The big thing too is picking the right shows and being in the right place at the right time. I'm just going to be MY best. I need to start training a bit heavier, so I have to turn my training clients into training partners. Nucks wants bigger arms and chest, so I will training with him Mon/ Wed morning on those parts, My dentist trains Tue evening.. we are rehabbing him from 3 total shoulder replacements, so I call him my wild card. I will train whatever that day with him. My old traning partner Big Marvin White, top masters national competitor, NPC Judge, and my post man, is back at my gym, so he and will train heavy probably back or legs. Still working it out.. but back in business. Monday here I come!!

Your IFBB Pro,

Dr. Dena

P.S. STRENGTH IS BEAUTIFUL

Weekend With Dan Ray

Dear Fans and Friends,

I'm one exhausted puppy. Dan Ray came for the weekend to shoot some stuff for my web site. Well, of course he did a great job,and we had a ton of fun. We shot till 2am today, rested, and then back at it. He left like around 7pm this evening. While he was packing his stuff, I like crashed on the couch.. I told him I couldn't stay awake any longer.. I saved my last bit of energy for you guy's. OHHH Saturday I laid in bed all night and was afraid to move my legs in fear of quad cramps. They were slowly grabbing . I'm still just really exhausted from the show. I had a very heavy patient load last week, right after the show, Monday all the way to Friday on my feet all day. Monday and Tuesday I had to soak my feet in an ice bath to get some of the presssure of fluid down, and then, a photo shoot weekend of approximately 2800 pixs. We were burning each other out... Dan would be like "OK Rest"... and we would laugh because we could do it all day till some1 gives in. LOTS and LOTS of cute stuff. I hope you like the one I picked. Right when I saw it I started laughing.. It's just so cute! I thought I would start your week off with a laugh.

Well, I've just about had my share of junk food. I woke with a major food hangover this morning, and it doesn't really help the fact that I've been suffering from a head cold since Tuesday,and still am. I'm ready to get some direction back.I may get to throwing some weight around this week. I'm waiting to talk to Charles about the plan... he gave me his thoughts, but we now need to put them in motion. I'm not sure if I already said this, but I think that I need to just come in next year where I come. @ the 2006 Europa, I placed 2Nd in the open class @143 lbs. I put the 2 pictures next to each other and you can really see the 8 lbs. @ this years Europa, 2ND place was 143lb, and 3rd was 145 lbs. You know what else... I think I'm 5'3' . My mother would argue the fact, but I look taller, and now when I see people they say I look tall. Who knows maybe I grew.. Or all the 6.5 " heels have paid off..lol. My schedule looks to be a little slow this week which is kinda needed. The month of Sept is going to be busy for me business organization wise and traveling. I look forward to getting further caught up with my life this week. Maybe I can even get this huge mound of laundry down to something a bit smaller. Maryjane had some bug bites all over.. I had to bring her to the vet because I wasn't sure what it was from. He said chigger and mosquito bites.. gave her antibiotics and anti histamine... I don't take medicines myself and hate to give them to her... but I kind of had to... I looked at her today and realized that this stuff knocks her out.. she doesn't act right.. lazy, extra cuddly, makes me think she doesn't feel good. I'm stopping the meds.. I don't like it! The bites are somewhat better, but I can't see her that way.. the guilt overwhelms me. Well, I'm off to bed... I'm going to cuddle with my baby... and eat either chocolate cake with mint choc chip ice cream or another piece of peanut butter pie..lol.. almost back on track! Can't wait for the cooler weather. You all have a good week. Thank you for your support.

Your Pro,

Dr. Dena

Monday Morning!!!!!

Dear Friends and Fans,

Here it is Monday am... what am I to do with myself??? No cardio, no sluggishness, no irritability, no pressure!!!! I will start where I left you last with my show weekend. Friday night, after the show, I just went out for a quiet dinner with my manager Joel, and new IFBB Pro from Holland "Saskia Salemink" http://www.saskiasalemink.nl/ . These 2 were my posse... there at my beck and call.. what a great help; it's the behind the scenes" people who really make a difference in your show experience. Look out for Saskia at this years Sacramento, in February.

Ok.... I choose pizza. I forget the name of the restaurant, but it was open til 3am, and great!! It was quite, empty, and we were catered to! Cheese pizza, chicken Alfredo with angel hair, garlic cheese bread with marinara, salad, chocolate cake, A couple HUGE diet cokes.OOOOHHHHH my stomach was burning as I laid in bed. Not to the REAL bad state... I think it was like 2:30 am when Joel called and told me the pixs were up on http://www.musculardevelopment.com/ , contests,2007 Europa, I couldn't stand it any longer... I had to see!!!! Up out of bed and down to the 4th floor to pay the computer a visit. My posse and I viewed the pictures and critiqued me, I can still see the fullness I need. First.. My legs got me 4th. I had the other three on MANY poses.. Oh my back was better.. my abs are tighter, my chest is more detailed... but the no matter how much better my back, abs, chest are, my legs fell short in EVERY Pose!!! I see it!! I thought I had done a good job bring my shoulders up, but the 2 debbies made my shoulders look small and flat. I still need stuffing in the pillows.. I have time. I feel really good that; I'm organizing my game plan, and getting my focus where it needs to be... more specific training.... maybe heavy stuff; Charles and I will meet at the Olympia and put my plan together.. most likely I will be at Venice bch Gold's in Nov and Feb to be with the "Trainer of Champions" Charles Glass. What do I have to work on this year.. for the 4th year in a row , we will give it to the Shoulder, Lats and legs. I still want to build up the calfs and triceps, but I'm positive this will happen as I bring up the mentioned ares. I'm going to talk things over more with my diet guru, http://www.davepalumbo.com/ , about not working for a weight class. He says we can get me down real quick to make 135, after making these improvements, but I look at it like this... #1 heavy weight Tazzie is just huge, detailed, conditioned 162, which is very light for her, but 2nd place Thresa Bostick was 143 and 3rd place Beth Roberts 145. I was 143, full and less conditioned then I'm known for, @ the 2006 Europa I placed 2nd in the open and went to the 2006 Olympia. We could probably bring in a 143 more conditioned package.. placing me in the heavy weights. We'll see. Charles has always stated the fact I need to be bigger!!!!! The trick is doing this with out destroying my symmetry and look.

Ok Saturday I worked the MHP booth, and mingled with Fans all day. If you took a picture of us and would like it to be posted on my site email it to me with a caption. Oh I did shoot with Jerroll Figg Sat am too. Saturday night was off the hook. You can see the paparazzi pictures at http://www.musculardevelopment.com/ and I will have a gallery of the show up on the site shortly. We started at the Hyatt Atrium bar, where we all mingled till the ring leader arranged our rides. Off to Club Clear. We had our own room, of course. We all danced and had a great time. It was very hot!! We had many people crammed in a small room, but it was worth it. We moved on to Eden.. I found out later it was 18 and up.. no wonder everyone looked so young..lol. Lots of energy... It's fun to be around people of your kind ( fellow bodybuilders).. if you know what I mean. For the most part.. Us bodybuilders are misunderstood. I guess that's true in all aspects of life, but it's a free feeling to be among people you share such an important part of your life with, and like I've always said.. So this is why I do it..bodybuilding is slowly completing me.. as a person!!

I left Sunday evening came home and went right to bed. I snuggled with my baby, maryjane!! I have a somewhat light day in the office today.. good thing, it usually takes me a couple days to put Dr., Sexy to rest and transform back into Dr. Dena. the blisters on my feet are amazing! I never knew blisters could be so big. I can hardly walk. I chose this picture so you can see the shoes I'm about to tell you about, but this is me with my trainer Charles Glass. Ok, I went from a dehydrated state on Friday to an immediate liquid carbohydrate diet, after standing around all weekend and dancing all evening, edema... swelling... sets in , especially in the feet. OMG I got the sexiest shoes , but I paid for it. I think if my feet weren't swollen these shoes would be ok.. but my toes were crammed down into this semi open toed 6.5" heels. My poor feet... my little toes look like little sausages. OHHHHHH!! My mom says " it pays to be beautiful" she would say this as she brushed the knots out of my hair, the length of my hair was past my butt. " Spun Gold" is what she would call my hair.... of course my hair represented her.

I would like to specifically thank My posse Joel Goldberg, Saskia, Dave Palumbo and Charles Glass for making everything about me!! I always think I can do it myself.. and end up saying what would I have done without you! xoxox

My supporters that made all this possible for me

MHP

West County Health and Fitness

Wendi

Patty

Becky

Tony

Colette

My Mommy

All my patients

Fans

Friends

All of you..

Off to Transformation...lol. Talk to you soon. I have some great stuff planned for the site. Thank you for your support. Your membership is much appreciated and contributes 100% to my bodybuilding.

Your Pro,

Dr. Dena

Friday after prejudging

Dear Friends and Fans,

Well the judging is over. I guess I'll start with yesterday, weigh-ins. i just slid in at 135, when Debbie b and Mahann were running around trying to lose a pound to get in the class. good for both of them... I'm positive they both placed above me. I FELT PRETTY GOOD WITH THE WAY I LOOKED AND MY CONDITIONING. I WAS UP PRETTY EARLY this am; I had to meet big Mary at 6:30 for a touch up. Everyone was great back stage. We are all friends and help and encourage each other which is really nice, it makes it sooo much better. I had a weird feeling while I was back stage. I haven't felt this way since 2003 USA. I'm standing around wondering how these other women are the same height and weight than me, but look so much bigger. It's weird. I look like a string bean, and they look like kidney beans. What is it????? Well, guess what??? It's my legs!!! My legs have come up so much, and I have been working my ass off on them, BUT when I'm next 2 people who don't have a leg weakness; IT shows!!! While back stage my dear friend, fellow 2003 jr.nat champ, Jimmy Canyon was back stage pumping my head up. I was wondering why he kept calling to me and telling me how good I looked. he said you got "symmetry" baby show it!!! I told him I didn't feel confident, I'm not use to this feeling, he said I can see it in your eyes that's why I'm here!!! Get that out of your head and show your symmetry. I knew then that it just wasn't the time for me. I did my best and haven't seen pixs yet, but to me I still think the best yet, for me!!!

On stage... things were great, as in stood in the middle, the place you want to be. The judges moved us through the mandatories and then switched me and Mahann putting her in the middle. She looked amazing... very complete.. they ran us through poses again and then opps moved me again with Debbie B., on the END, the worst place to be. I dealt with it, at least I was in the first call outs right. After the second call outs, they called me out again with a couple others.. I was thinking what is this?? I thought maybe good till I realized what was happening.. they were now comparing me with the lower placers.. meaning that I most likely got 4th or 5th. Reality had sat in already earlier when I was moved to the end... so this I dealt with and in a much better way than I did at the JAN Tana. When I got off stage I immediately went for a diet Dr. Pepper. I hadn't had anything to drink for almost a day.... boy it was good. I want to drink everything in site.... but I do still have to go back tonight to show off for fans so want to avoid the water buffalo look!lol. While packing my stuff backstage I was thinking of all the people I blew off and was not myself too, all the surfacey responses people got from me... all the guilt started to set in, and I thought all of that for this!!!! If I won it would have been worth not being myself for many weeks.. but to not and now look back.. I apologize to all those I may of hurt during my prep.. You KNOW.. it's not the best feeling not being #1, but one good feeling I can get out of this is that being an athlete is accepting the fact that your not always going to be #1, BUT DO THE BEST YOU CAN and hope your #1 most of the time..lol.. and be happy for the ones who did win! I'm feeling better. It takes a bit to get over. I don't feel like I got ripped off or shafted.. I see what it is.. and saw it back stage before we got on stage. I have to go back tonight and do my routine and get our placings. I will eat and party the rest of the weekend. Saturday I work the MHP booth for a bit and mingle with fans... then dessert bar and more after party partying!!! I have a shoot Sunday with Jerrol Figg before I leave on Sunday, and then back to work on Monday.

My plans for the future in regards to Bodybuilding are this... LEGS!!!! I'll go see Charles and workout something for our off season. I'll take a year off and probably come back to the Europa and hope to make the improvements. I plan to have a good time this weekend and then back to the grind stone.. and pull my practice together. I'm happy!!!! I can't wait to go mingle with fans and get their energy. Thank you all for your support. I can still get better, THAt'S THE GOOD PART.

Your Pro,

Dr. Dena

P.S. Note from my support team, thanks Joel, it is always good to remember that placing top 4 in a show puts you in the Top 20 of all competitors who you share this sport with.....I sometimes forget this..I am proud of myself and hope you are all proud of me!!

P.P.S. This is a pic from today before prejudging..and one from yesterday's weighin.

3 Days From The Europa

Dear Friends and fans,

I must say it's been an exciting couple of days. My air broke last night at 8pm. I got out of the shower and noticed that I was still just very sweaty.... omg! hot air AGAIN!!! this crap just happened a couple of weeks ago. I had an external thing put on the outside.. well it's gone now.AuGH!!! just what a dieting bodybuilder needs.... more hot and sticky... this was almost enough to push me over the edge! Marjane and I went to stay at a hotel for the night, as I sat around and called AC guys. Leon was coming over in the morning.. 12. Wendi was meeting me @10:30 to start my first coat of paint.... so now REALLY sticky!! While Leon was replacing the compressor, I took off to my seamstress to pick up outfits. Coat #2 of pro tan was scheduled at 2:30pm today. It was still a bit hot, but Leon was working away!!!.lol.. poor guy what a job... and my unit is right in the sun! AHHHH finally, before we were finished with coat 2 the air was filling the house. IT"S FIXED!!!! I better do well at the show...lol... I just dropped $1000. Okay, so now I'm about to normal.. if you can call it that..lol.

My shape really does look good. I look better than at the Jan Tana. It's hard to believe that it keeps getting better. I guess I really needed improvements, at one point. I'm still sitting at 139. I don't see me losing any more fat weight. The rest is just water. I have to weigh in at 6:30pm on Thursday. I have to make weight still 135 or under. It gets tricky here because we need to start filling my muscles out, but we can't afford any weight. We will be anxiously waiting the weigh ins. I plan to make and pack all my food tomorrow. Here is what I'm going to bring. I hate packing too much and wasting food. Like I want to grab a hard boiled egg after the show...lol... I've gotten a hang of Dave's deal so I think I'll be right on with the following: 24 hard boiled eggs, 6 beef patties, 4 Salmon fillets, 4 chicken breast, a salad mixture, some nuts and peanut butter. I really only need food for Thursday and Friday. I compete on Friday and work the MHP booth on Saturday. After the show on Friday... all eating will break through. It will start with Betty's dessert buffet. Wendi is coming over for another coat at 6:45pm. We will do it again tomorrow 3 times. I still have to get to target to pick a few things up, maybe some junk food for the room after the show, and eyelashes. I get my hair done at 11 tomorrow, I'll go to my PO Box and pick up the rest of the mail, enter my insurance checks, make a deposit and finish packing. I leave at 9am Thursday. It's almost here. I'll be blogging from the show so stay posted. I feel good, look great, the show will be tough. It's all about what the judges are looking for. Thank you again for all your support. I'll let you know how the weigh ins go. I'm getting sprayed by big Mary at 8:15 on Thursday... so after that I'll fill ya in. Keep your fingers crossed.

Your Pro,

Dr. Dena