's motd Tues May 13, 2008

[Guest guest]

INHALE...EXHALE.

Tuesday, 13 May 2008

Good morning to you all! Well, I've got tell you that I had a great time in Chicago! And I want to thank all of the nice people who came out to see me. First of all, the good folks at Walgreen's were simply fantastic. They made a nice display of my Sweatin' To The Oldies DVDs and had a little table for me to sit on as I greeted all of the people who joined me at the stores.

And as all of the ladies walked up to meet me, I hugged and kissed each one of them. But after kissing each of them, I have to tell you, I could tell that many of them had another addiction besides food and I'm talking about smoking.I'd have to say that about 50% of the women I kissed were obviously smokers. See, I have a very keen sense of smell. You can brush, floss and gargle but I'll still know if you're a smoker. I think smoking changes you on the outside and on the inside. The eyes of smokers even look different and so does their skin.We always think about cancer of the lungs or throat that cigarette smoking may cause. But smoking is also an addiction that ages you on the outside. And I really felt sad for these ladies. Hey, I know how hard it is to give up overeating and smoking is another bad habit that's hard to give up, too.I talked to several ladies who were major weight-loss success stories, having lost 100 or more pounds each. Some of these ladies were one or two pack-a-day smokers. I told them how proud I was of them for beating their food addiction and losing the weight. But I begged them to get help for their other addiction...smoking!

Some of these ladies were in their 20's, others in their 40's and some were in their 60's and still smoking, to this very day. One lady I talked to told me that her mother was a smoker and lived to be 91 years-old. To which I honestly told her hooray! But I also told her that her mother's longevity, in spite of her smoking habit, would be no reason for me not to give up smoking.Let's face it, the odds are against you and your health if you inhale that cigarette smoke on a regular basis. And I know, it's not easy to quit more than one addiction at the same time. But you can still try your best to beat that oh-so-bad-for-you smoking habit!

Now I know, there are those who can beat the smoking habit plain-old cold turkey. You know, they just throw that last pack of cigarettes into the trash one day and never smoke again. Then there are those who take some sort of medication to kick the smoking habit. They may take pills, chew some brand of nicotine gum or even attend meetings, all in an effort to beat their smoking addictions.If you're trying to lose weight, and you're also a smoker, please think about this message I'm writing today. I know that many of you are afraid that if you stop smoking that you'll gain weight. And hey, you may even gain just a few pounds. But if you keep exercising and watching your portions, believe me, you will be just fine. And by giving up the smoking, you'll be a lot healthier and you'll feel so much better, too!Got it? The only thing I want you all inhaling and exhaling is...fresh air!Love,