Life is a crazy roller coaster ride. It has been a very long time since I have written anything. I am not one to make excuses in life, but I honestly lost all of my motivation about a year back. I was told I had herniated discs in my lumbar spine, a degenerative disc, bursitis in my right knee and bursitis in my left hip. Basically I was in an extreme amount of pain for a very long time and just recently have I been able to start training again. During these lowest moments in my life I had to force myself just to get out of bed and go to work. That was if I was even physically able to do so. From my decreased activity level my immune system became extremely weak and I became ill very often. In December, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, but the only way to help with that was to actually workout, although it was so painful to do so. I began physical therapy as well as psychological therapy just to get me through my days.  I finally came to realize I was being ridiculous and everything I had always preached to not be. There are many people out there that had it far worse than I. I needed to pick myself up and start living my life, instead of running from it. Back in December I started Pilates and yoga on top of my physical therapy. About 2 months ago I started back in the weight room. I am now going strong and have not had the chronic pain I had the previous year.  I have learned an enormous from the last year and the main thing being that life is short, pain is pain and sometimes you need to be stronger than your pain. You need to turn to your own faith (whatever it may be) to help you through challenges and ask for help because we cannot do everything on our own, regardless of how independent you are! Today I am better than I ever thought I would or could be. Stronger, not physically but mentally, more than ever! My life is not perfect, but I don’t sit around and complain about it, I look in the mirror everyday and ask myself, “What can I do today to be even better than I was yesterday?” I am literally living life to the fullest. I choose what I do with every moment of my life; I no longer allow others to do it for me. That is no way to ever live your life! The message here is this, life can suck really bad and sometimes it can suck for longer than a day or a month, but eventually the sun will rise and you will always be stronger, more beautiful, more happy, and more YOU than ever before! These challenges in life help shape you into the person you were always meant to be!

Thank you for reading,

Jessica Ryan Jordan

Well, it has been quite awhile since I have written a personal blog on where I am at in my life. I don’t want any pity from this blog; this is solely to help those of you going through difficult times to know there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel.  I want people to understand they are not alone, we all face challenges throughout life some small and some large. It is how we deal with them and the person we mold into afterwards that matter!

The last five months have been quite the roller coaster. In November my back started hurting quite a bit and no amount of rest seemed to help. At first, I figured it was just overworked from the last year of intense competition preps and many shoots. So after my shoot with Ironman for the 2012 Swimsuit Edition in November 2011, I took about a week off. I then headed to Nationals in Miami with my clients who were competing. After the trip my back felt worse, I figured it was just from flying and took a couple days off from training. From this time on I battled this constant off and on pain that seemed to be getting worse and not better even with rest. So I finally went to the Doctor, who then sent me for X-rays and then finally an MRI in January. During this time I had to take time off of work. One day I would feel ok and the next I wouldn’t be able to even move.  After the MRI it showed I had two bulged discs and degenerative disc disease (which sounds much worse than it really is) By February I finally received my first epidural injection in my back.  I was so excited thinking that this would be the beginning of me getting back on track, well it wasn’t. It took another shot a month later and finally I started to feel like I was going to get back on track at this point. Well win you throw a week of influenza and a sinus infection, oh and not to mention dropping a 45lb plate on my foot just last week, it took just a little bit longer. Right now I feel like I am finally on my road to recovery.

People face challenges everyday and my challenges are nothing compared to what many people have to deal with.  Above I have written about all of the physical problems I had faced, but what you don’t really know about is the depression that came along with it.  The last five months have been the hardest months I have ever faced. For some it may sound silly and for those who know me may think that is crazy because they know I have been through other situations, which to them most likely, take the cake. However, for me my current state was far worse. I started loosing hope that I would never be the same strong, happy, full of life, motivated girl I have always been. I am here to tell you I am not there yet, but I am on my way.  This was a time in my life where I never thought I would be the same person ever again.  I stress that because when things aren’t going the way you want, it is very difficult to see a light at the end. But there is, it isn’t easy to find, trust me. The light may come and go in the process of healing too, just remember to reach out to those who love you. Never be afraid to talk about your problems with people who truly care about you or maybe even a non-biased person, like a therapist. Whatever helps get you on your road to recovery, just do it. I don’t want anyone to ever lose hope even in the worst of times. Reach out to those around you for help and never try conquering your problems on your own that is what family and friends are for! I know it sounds cliché, but remember, WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU, MAKES YOU STRONGER1

I have been “ON” pretty much this entire year. My year began with shoots, competition prep, three competitions and following my last competition I had various shoots. I have nothing to complain about life is good, but what happens when you feel as though you have lost all motivation? Well the last week has been a tough reality for me, I hit a low point, and luckily for me I figured out my issue and pushed through. I completed a wonderful photoshoot roughly a week ago for Ironman Magazine’s Swimsuit Edition coming out early in 2012.  It was one of the highest points of my fitness modeling career, but the next day I didn’t want to do a thing. I figured I was just exhausted and took the day off, and then this became a trend for about 4 days. I didn’t follow my normal routine, actually no routine at all. At about day five of this I told myself to wake up and get with it, there is no excuse! Day five was rough, but I stood strong and carried through this day, I made it because on day six I was back to my good healthy ways!

It is crazy what a burnout can do to you. You feel so low one day and then eventually you just snap out of it. It is all about riding the roller coaster of life. Without a few bad days you can’t appreciate the great ones! I reminded myself of this all day on day five! Another tip that really helped me breakout of this burnout was doing something, completely away from the gym, that I wanted to do! For me it was visiting my niece and nephew. Never in a million years could I have told you that these little angels would be my therapy. Just seeing their precious faces and hearing my nieces voice was enough to make me appreciate all the simple, beautiful things in life. I told myself, there is nothing that I don’t have. I have an amazing family that loves me, friends that I can call on anytime, a boyfriend that adores me and a successful career that I love! So by day six I woke up with my motivation back, I WANTED to workout, eat right and get back to ME!

Sometimes we need a break to realize why it is that we do what we do! We all need these moments to remind us of the simple enjoyments and beauty of life. Life is a journey; within a journey you will have many highs and many lows. The lows are where we will be able to learn and grow in order to create the highs and appreciate them. You are in control of the direction you will take each day; make the choice to push through the easy days and even more through your hardest days because the next day will always be brighter if you do!

Thanks,

Jessica Jordan

Well it has been about 2 months since I stepped on stage at the USA’s. I prepped a total of 19 weeks and completed 3 competitions within 6 weeks of each other! It definitely had its highs and lows, but I am so happy and accomplished for completing each competition with everything I had! I am now looking back 2 months later and feeling so much better about my placings and the overall experience. It took me a while to get over the way I felt after, feeling as though I wasn’t given two looks while being on stage, but at the end of the day, the competition isn’t always about how you place, it is about the things you learn along the way. I absolutely love competing, I love the thrill it gives me and the way it pushes me harder and harder every time. However, sometimes we need to be real with ourselves. As I look over my photos I have to say my conditioning is fabulous, but my size is my weakness. I could put more muscle on and the judges would probably lean towards my physique more or I can accept my body where it is at (which is where I am happy) and try something new! I am going to give bikini a shot! So this will be my new challenge and goal. I have not yet decided on when, but I have made my decision firm, that I will step on stage again, but this time I will be a sassy bikini girl :) I am really excited to give it a shot!

Other than this switch from Figure to Bikini, a lot has been going on in my life and it has been amazing! I am in a great place in my life right now and for the 1^st time I feel very confident about my physique, post competition. For all of you competitors out there, you know what I am talking about. We can all go through the post-comp blues now and then, but I have not felt this. If anything I feel like it is easier to stay on track now than the last few weeks of my prep.  I have been taking my business to another level and my clients are getting amazing results (both online clients and in-person clients)! I am also prepping three girls, one for Nationals (Figure) and the other two for their first bikini competitions. They are doing great and I am enjoying the journey with them! Stay tuned for their results.

Thanks,

Jessica Jordan



What a whirlwind of a weekend it has been! I arrived in New Jersey Thursday morning last week to compete in Team Universe a Pro qualifying competition.  I was very excited, eager and confident to take the stage and show the judges what I had. I came in with my most complete and conditioned physique ever and had also made many improvements from the year before. Check-in went great, I did a photoshoot with one of my favorite photographers, Dan Ray, Thursday afternoon and then Friday morning my parents arrived to come support me, as well as my significant other.  I was ecstatic to have them all there to show their support as well as all the awesome Oddo Angels that were there competing! Kim (Oddo Angel’s coach and trainer) was there to make sure we were stage ready! Everything was going very smooth and as planned, Kim said everything was perfectly dialed in and was excited for me to present my best package to the judges.  Saturday morning pre-judging rolled around and I was starting to get a little nervous, there were 16 girls in my class, which is actually pretty small for a National level show, all the girls were looking pretty good! Finally it was our turn to line up and hit the stage, first we came out in groups of eight, we did our comparisons and then came back out for our individual model poses.  After that were the call outs.  Call-outs are where everything changed.

First call-outs were made and my number was not called, I instantly felt a little frustration within, but held my composure for the next call-out. Then I was stunned to not be called for the second round.  I was now the only girl left on my side of the stage, which is never a good feeling. Then was finally brought out for the last call-out, where the judges didn’t even call my number, they simply told the final six of us to move to center stage to be compared. There I was instantly moved from the outside to the middle, where I remained so I knew I had placed around 11^th. I felt as though the judges didn’t even notice me until that very moment. Here I looked my best ever and placed 11^th behind a lot of girls I placed ahead of at Nationals last year with a less complete physique. I felt very discouraged at the time, but am feeling much better now. Everything happens for a reason and we all have times where we feel as though we are completely overlooked and this was definitely my turn for that.  I am so thankful to have the friends and family that I have. Of all competitions for my family to attend this was one that I truly needed them by my side. They helped me get through one of the more difficult moments I have had to deal with in this sport. In addition to having them there I had the support of my significant other who I can’t thank enough and my great friend Wendy Fortino, a fellow competitor who placed 4^th and surely should have gone Pro years ago. All my fellow Angels showed amazing support, thanks to Danitza Freigher, Lisa Rooney, Kat Tarbox, Carla Cadotte, Shala Singer, Patty Zariello, and so many more of you, You all are amazing and I thank you so much for all your love and support! This competition was very necessary and has really helped open my eyes to the subjectivity involved in this sport. I have never fully experienced this, only heard from others and now I know first hand what a last call-out feels like, especially after all 15 weeks of prep and hard work and to feel as though your weren’t even given an equal judging opportunity. I know my physique isn’t perfect, but whose are?  We all have improvements to make, but I truly feel that I was misjudged. I will only grow from this. My fire is burning on high, I am ready to take on the USA’s in 3 weeks with full force and nothing will stand in my way!