And in my last 3 days.... remind me why I do this again...

No juice left in me. I have given everything I got. Exactly as you see it on the picture, my muscles feel like a bunch of fully squeezed out lemons.

3 days until I take on stage. 3 days to look back at my journey and ponder into the circumstances, desires and thoughts that drove me through another 16 weeks of hard work, commitment and dedication.

I have had a lot of support throughout my journey but I have also had a lot of judgement and criticism... its part of life, its part of not being death and living your life to the fullest. I do not expect everyone to try and understand why I do the things I do.

Regarding the process of competing, trust me I am not a gifted athlete, I am someone just like you (or else I would be aiming to be an Olympian) and no I am not taking on any questionable substances (since I work in the health industry committed to educate and improve people's lives through exercise and natural nutrition). The results of what you will see on Saturday are purely hard work, dedication and commitment to my personal goal of wanting and choosing to take my journey in the fitness industry to the fullest.

I want to share the words of a fellow competitor/athlete Adam Russell regarding doing a fitness competition.

Why try and rewrite what someone else has already expressed with such accuracy:

"Less than 1% will ever experience taking the body to the wire. The discipline, attention, intention, devotion and desire developed through the process truly enables one to grow closer to and experience first hand our true human potential in form of mind body and soul. When someone questions my motive I just say "I'm not interested in your opinion based on an experience you've never had!""

I think he hit it on the spot. I am at the point in my career where I will only chose to listen to your opinion if you provide it to me with an open mind and a desire to learn, a desire to question for knowledge and a desire to understand. I will not hear your opinion if you goal is to wrong or criticize an industry and an experience that you do not understand and do not care to.

That is the bottom line.

On another note as I went on my last "walk in the park" cardio session I had a lot of time to look back at all the positive support I have gotten throughout this journey. I want to thank and acknowledge all those people at my home and work environment who even when I had a crappy attitude, were kind enough to provide me with kind words of encouragement, a hug (even though they make me really uncomfortable) or a pat on the back.

Thank you to all of you who have sent me text messages or posted on my Facebook wall your words of encouragement. They always came when I needed them the most. :)

Thanks again to my awesome transformation coach Sean Tierney and my awesome posing coach Julia Emanuele for their unfailing believe in me. To my rock, my world and my biggest fan, my husband, to all my family for being so understanding and kind to me and who always got the worst of my worst in my worsestest days, to my clients and coworkers who I have needed throughout this process and who helped me keep a positive outlook in life by making me be the best I could be for them. To my friends Macy Ghulam and Lynn Corbett who have bravely joined and supported me in my workouts. To special people that have been close to me in the past year Stacey Lyons, Karen Berends, Serena Mueller, Grace Armstrong who have let me drag them along into my crazy fitness poposals and challenges, thank you for believing in me and letting me believe in you.... my brother Rodrigo Diaz Mercado who has always always believed in me.........

So many others, and you know who you are... :)

And now, the time has come, be there or be squared.