When I finally quit smoking .. my last day was November 7, 2001 .. and I consider it to be “cold turkey”, although I used the PATCH to help me. I haven’t had the urge to smoke since.
My wife, on the other hand .. quit smoking on August 13, 2001 and instead of the PATCH, chose to use Nicorette Gum to help her stop smoking. She consider’s that also to be “cold turkey”, because she hasn’t had the urge to smoke again. However, she did get addicted to Nicorette Gum. It’s funny .. and we *can* laugh at this now .. but, her doctor actually recommended that she go on the PATCH to quit CHEWING NICORETTE GUM! She considered it, and even tried a week but, then gave up the Nicorette gum for sugar-free Dentyne Ice gum.
I was always more of a bubble gum person myself, and enjoy making bubbles, dubble bubble, and all the ‘good flavors’ .. but, I eventually got used to just chewing Dentyne Ice. Besides .. it was sugar-free. It’s better for your teeth - and/or - less fattening if you swallow your gum.
Now ..5 years plus later .. once a week on shopping week, my wife buys about 10 packages of those 4-packs of Dentyne Ice (they’re not cheap .. but about $2.22 CDN at SuperStore) .. and, depending on how it goes during the week .. and how much gum I am chewing .. she may stock up at Walmart with some ’specialty gum’ like, Mentos Gum, or other flavors of Dentyne Ice gum that I might like. However, for the most part .. it’s either Green or Blue ICE.
I thought it would be interesting to post a picture of what our drawer looks like, on Wednesdays after we stock it up with gum .. Personally, there are many days I don’t chew gum at all - but, on the days that I do - I chew maybe 3-4 packs in one night, 3 pieces at a time. So, it goes fast. My wife on the other hand, constantly chews gum practically every minute of the day, but just takes 1 piece at a time and throws out the rest into the empty used spot that she took her piece of gum from. It’s very unsanitary 
and drives me nuts! I think that’s one of the reasons why I take my own packs of gum, so I don’t accidentally remove one of her USED gum pieces she places and molds to look like a perfectly new piece of gum.
Yep. Here are the pics of a week’s supply of gum for two people.
PS.. my wife did that ‘marble’ effect herself on all our cupboards .. it used to be the same 70′ish wood-brown colour as the counter edge you see. But, that’s another story.
Welcome to ..
:. Random Links
I’ve just got too many good links in my BLOGLINES that are going to waste .. and other people should be able to read them too!
Feel free to take your shoes off .. stick around .. click on some links .. click on the top header image … EXPLORE these sites! Bookmark them! Add their RSS Feeds to your own Bloglines! They may seem like random links, but there’s a reason these sites are in my Bloglines
That’s all .. here we go! Enjoy.
* all or nothing
* Weight Watchers Brownies recipe - 8 points
* Six easy Weight Watchers snacks
* Obesity answer: stand-up treadmill workstation? via Weight-Watch-Blog
* 5-Day Core Report
* Old habits are hard to break … and might be the reason you’re still overweight
* How Many Calories Should I Eat a Day? via Starling Fitness
* Advice For The College-Bound Part I
* Carnival of Diet Tips
* Fitflops: Can a shoe tone your butt?
* 6 Summer Slimdown Tricks
* Smaller plates make you eat less?
* Burger King faces Trans Fat Lawsuit
* Free Weight Loss Tips
* Workouts for busy people: free ebook
* No Time? Really?
* FitnessMantra Weekend: Fruits, Vegetables and Whole Grains Are Best During Allergy Season
* Walking Rotation
* Role of your physiological make-up in determining the success of your weight loss initiatives
* May 25, 2007 — Just 4 Today and The Hacker’s Diet
* Fueling runners
* The Ins and Outs of Internet Dieting and How to Find Your Online Dieting Groove
* LA Weight Loss Australia Goes Bust
* Stuffed Peppers
By Mac C
Having a goal is vital. Without a goal, life is just dull and unmotivated because you don’t have anything that you want to achieve or obtain. So, what is your goal? Are you thinking of weight loss? If yes, you must have a proper goal and fitness plan to obtain your perfect figure.
To set a weight loss goal, always remember the basics ‘what, when, why and how’. First, you must determine the goal that you desire in a specific way. For instance, instead of setting goal like ‘I want to lose weight’, change it to ‘I want to lose 20 pounds’. This will give you a clear picture of what you are going to accomplish. Second, set a deadline for your goal. This is to prevent you from delaying the plans. Avoid from having an unrealistic timeframe. If the period is too short, you may put yourself into frustration when you fail to do it. Third, dwell on why you want that goal so much. Again, get as detail as possible, like you want to have weight loss so you can wear the beautiful dress on your birthday party. Finally, plan on how you are going to reach your goal. For example, exercise for 2 hours each day with your fitness equipment and replacing junk food with healthy food like fruits.
After having a clear view of your weight loss goal and fitness plan, it’s important to write it down. Get a big poster with your goal written down and paste it in your room or office. This is to ensure you see it everyday and push yourself to do it. Then, try to manage and separate your goal into monthly goals. They are more achievable when you break it into smaller targets. Write them down with your action plan and deadline on the calendar or planner. Every time you review it, you will be more focus with your goal. Besides that, you should also keep track of your daily exercise and food intake. For instance, how frequent you eat, the type of exercise you did, the duration and so on. This journal will be useful for you to examine your progress.
Sometimes, you may find it hard to carry out your weight loss goal and action plan. Review and determine whether it’s just your weakness or the plan is too harsh. If it is just your laziness, push yourself more and avoid the same mistake. However, if it’s about the plan, do not ignore it. Alter the plan a bit so you can move on. Do not stop at a point too long or it will ruin your whole plan.
A weight loss goal is easier to accomplish if you own some support. Be it your friends, family or lover, let them know what you are doing to gain support from them. However, if you get any negative respond, do not give up. Try to turn to online support group. Meanwhile you must be confident with yourself. Not believing in yourself is like putting a big stone in front of you. It will only stop you from marching towards your goal. Hence, you should boost your confidence. Get some motivational items for yourself like t-shirt, mug or pillow. Let it reminds you on your goal, and also encourage and motivate you not to quit easily. In addition, paste an anti-craving sticker to remind you not to drop into the trap of temptation. Besides that, motivational and inspirational stories may also help you in gaining some courage.
Finally, you must make sure you are determine and really strive for your goal as weight loss process requires consistency, discipline, confident and self control. If you have made it for the monthly goal, reward yourself with a gift. You may even give yourself a one day rest, putting your goal aside just for one day. On the other hand, if you fail to obtain the significant result you have longing for, remember ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’. Be patient and put more effort into it.
Good luck for your weight loss goal and endeavors!
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Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mac_C
By Al Villa
One of the exercises that has become quite popular is the exercise ball. If you are looking for results you can easily do the routines at home and get surprising results. The concept is based on the fact that you get a better work out because your body is very unstable on the exercise ball. This requires you to use muscles you normally do not use in other type of aerobic activities.
Basically what you do is pretty much routines you would do otherwise. For example when you do crunches on the exercise ball you are twisting and bending in order to stabilize yourself. In addition to getting a good tummy work out you are also getting a workout in other muscles with the compressing, twisting and bending.
There are many different routines you can do with the exercise ball. When you first start out you want to take it easy. Start with the exercises that are easy such as ball balance, hip extensions, butt extension and back extension. Get used to the ball, you can even just sit on it and watch TV to become acquainted. It seems a little awkward at first, just like anything new. Once you make the ball your friend it will be fun. And always be sure to follow the traditional good rule of warming up with light cardio routines.
One of the other things you can do is search on the internet for examples of free exercise ball routines. There are many sites that offer free advice. But before that you need an exercise ball. You can find them in most sporting goods stores but better yet you can get them on the internet. Some sites that offer advice also offer a free exercise ball if you sign up for one of their programs.
This is a great way to get your abs in shape and also other parts of your body. But remember that diet is also important and be sure to follow a healthy diet plan for best results. Always keep in mind the formula for weight loss, if that is your goal –you must burn off more calories than you take in. So a combination of taking in less calories and burning more calories with the exercise ball gives you a one two punch. In no time you will be feeling and looking great. You can get all this accomplished in the comfort of you home.
Al Villa is a retired Judge and internet entrepreneur. He loves to write articles and you can use them as free content provded you include the whole article and this resource box with this hot link: Al Work At Home
Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Al_Villa
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