The Munchies! OMG!

Recently, hubby and I quit using tobacco products. Yay! We are using e-cigs, so we still get the nicotine, but in a safer format….and before someone starts warning about the propylene glycol being an ingredient in antifreeze, you need to look at what else it is used in and has been approved by the FDA.

I digress….I am here to talk about the munchies. Quitting tobacco has opened us both up to these insane, incredible desires for munching on any food available…healthy or not healthy. So we have had to arm ourselves with some tactics to defeat the munchies.

1. Get up and do something outside if the weather permits.

2. Clean house, vacuum, dust, sweep, etc.

3. Drink more water.

4. Take a drive somewhere.

5. Have low cal snacks available…carrot sticks, celery sticks, sugar free popcicles, watermelon cubes, cucumber slices, pickle spears, low cal fruit, etc.

6. Exercise a little more.

These are just some of the things we are attempting to do to keep the munchies at bay. And we still have not gone back to the tobacco.

Tobacco versus E-Cigarette

My husband and I have been smokers for a long time…him longer than me. I have quit in the past several times and those no smoking times have lasted for a few years at a time. But I always started back…mostly due to the stress of the job (nurse).

Now we are both retired and are counting our pennies since we live on a fixed income. Every dollar is accounted for and doled out sparingly. We averaged $300.00 a month on cigarettes. That’s a lot of money when you are living on Social Security.

Last week we were running our usual errands…bank, groceries, cigarette store, etc. On the way, I told my hubby that now would be a good time for us both to quit smoking. He thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know if I can. Why don’t we try those electronic cigarettes?” Hmmm….I’m thinking this might be a way to eliminate tobacco from our lives.

After some research into e-cigarettes, we decided on Mistic brand, available at WalMart and other retailers in our area. The battery (long end of the cigarette) and the cartridge (filter of the cigarette) are heavier than a regular tobacco cigarette. “Smoking” the e-cigarette is very similar to a tobacco cigarette..without the burn, ash or smell. The cartridge has food safe liquid with nicotine, that when inhaled and exhaled, resembles actual smoke.

It FEELS like I’m smoking. It TASTES like I’m smoking. The end even lights up when I take a puff. But I have found that I am NOT puffing on it as frequently as I did a real cigarette. I may puff on the e-cig once or twice every couple of hours..just enough to get the nicotine in my system. Eventually, I will probably not be “smoking” at all.

I was worried about hubby and his reaction to the e-cigarette. He seems to be doing fine with it. Of course, he puffs on it more frequently than I do. I honestly thought he would have gone out and bought a pack of tobacco cigarettes by now. But he hasn’t. I am pleasantly surprised and happy that he is sticking with the e-cig.

Cost wise, this is much cheaper than tobacco cigarettes. It is about 1/3 the monthly cost. A $200.00 savings…HELL YEAH! I can live with that.

UPDATE! UPDATE! I am no longer smoking the e-cig or any cig for that matter. I am officially a NON-smoker. I noticed that I was puffing on the e-cig maybe twice a day. So I asked myself, “Why am I doing this?” So I just totally quit….no cigs whatsoever. Don’t miss it.

Hubby is still “smoking”, but way less than with tobacco cigs. I am not sure that he will ever quit, but at least it’s not tobacco.

Dealing with Discouragement and Disappointment

We have all been there, felt those overwhelming emotions of discouragement and disappointment when we haven’t succeeded in reaching a specific goal in our quest for a healthier lifestyle.

Sometimes it happens in our exercise routine or in the weight loss goals we set for ourselves.

I know in my exercise routine, I had decided to do two different things to get myself healthier. One, I would walk my dog daily. The other, I would ride a bike. The walking I have been able to do and get better at it. Of course, I have a dog that loves to go walking anytime of the day or nite and is willing to go the distance as long as I am able and willing to go the distance. BUT, the bike riding….well, let’s just say that is on a back burner. Why? Because I got the wrong size bike for my height and I have difficulty balancing it. Needless to say I was very discouraged and disappointed that I couldn’t keep that part of my exercise program going. I felt guilty that I had to cut that part of my exercise out until I realized that I was doing great with the other part. I had to change my attitude. So I can’t ride THIS bike. I’ll sell it and save for one more suited to me…even if it is an adult tricycle, so be it. Or I’ll just sell it and save for a treadmill that I can use in the house during bad weather. Whatever I do, I know that one part of my exercise program is working and I will put all of my concentration into that for the time being.

My weight loss goals have, at times, also been an area of discouragement and disappointment. Yes, I would love to go to bed and wake up in the morning 20 pounds lighter. But that AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN! I have set myself a goal of X number of pounds to lose per week, per month, per 6 months. Has that happened? No. Discouraged and disapointed…yes. But then I have to sit down and have a good long talk with myself. So I am one of those folks who doesn’t lose weight easily. What can I do about it? Change my attitude about it. I had to realize that ANY weight loss is a GOOD thing. I had to look at what has happened so far in the past 6 months. I HAVE lost 24 pounds. I AM wearing a smaller size. I AM moving more. I HAVE a cholesterol number in the good zone. I HAVE lost a lot of inches.

Dealing with discouragement and disappointment is a matter of ATTITUDE! Change your attitude when the Double D’s attack. Look at the problem from a different point of view. What can you do about it? Is it worth fretting over? Are there other options? Who knows or cares (besides me) that I haven’t been able to accomplish ONE of my goals? When you look at the problem differently, the Double D’s tend to fizzle and stall.

Remember exercise routines and weight loss goals are not set in stone. They are fluid and our attitude must be fluid too.

See you on the good side of healthy.

Visiting Florida?

Do you REALLY want to visit Florida? I’m sure you’ve seen all the advertisements about how great Florida is. Snow white sandy beaches, crystal clear waters, super entertainment, etc.

Well let me inform you of some of the negatives. I’ve lived here for 30+ years, I know what I am talking about.

1. Hurricanes…yes this is a major problem along the Gulf Coast. Hurricane season is from June thru November, peak tourist season. And most of the tourists congregate in the beach areas…not the best place to be when a hurricane is imminent. Excessive, destructive winds with tornadoes, surges of sea water that can reach roof tops, power outages lasting days, sometimes weeks, downed trees and power lines.

BTW and FYI, you can call 911 till hell freezes over during a hurricane. NO ONE, I repeat NO ONE will come to your rescue during a hurricane. They will come to you AFTER the hurricane is over, but they do not send emergency crews out during a hurricane. They have lost too many EMT’s and Paramedics because of the stupidity of others. So if you are told to evacuate an area, Get the Hell Out!

Oh and please remember that there are only one or two major interstate accesses into this state. If you try to leave when a hurricane is imminent, you could get stuck on the interstate during the worst of it. Traffic can be backed up to central Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. And forget about trying to find a hotel or motel to stay in. They will be packed full and have no vacancies. You will be SOL.

2. Thunderstorms with lightening, more frequent here than other states. How many folks do you know that have been struck by lightening? I am a retired nurse. I have taken care of quite a few patients struck by lightening, some of them suffered brain damage, some lost limbs due to severe burns. I’ve known some who were killed instantly. If it’s lightening here, stay indoors. Oh, and I must not forget the power surges due to thunder and lightening. Everyone here uses surge protectors for their electronic devices, otherwise one would be spending a fortune replacing all of those things.

3. Snakes and other vermin. There are 6 poisonous snakes in the U.S. You can find at least one species of each snake scattered throughout the U.S. BUT you can find ALL of them in Florida! They are not just in some isolated, wooded area. They are found in neighborhoods, garages, any place that offers cool, dark relief from the hot sun.

Gators, another animal to be wary of, has made a remarkable comeback from the endangered species list. They inhabit the rivers and ponds. Some have been found on golf courses, in swimming pools, lounging in someone’s back yard, crawling up a driveway, just to name a few places. These creatures have powerful jaws and will eat just about anything, including young children and pets. They are very fast for short distances.

Planning to visit Disneyworld? Read the fine print on that brochure about being cautious around snakes and gators. Yes, there are snakes and gators in Disneyworld and they are not part of the entertainment package.

Other wild critters you might run into include possums, racoons (usually carriers of rabies), foxes, bats, rabbits, turtles, lizards, etc.

I’ve seen foxes in the parking lot of a mall. I’ve had bats come in my house through an open window. I’ve seen wild rabbits and turtles and snakes on my daily walk with my dog through my neighborhood. It is not uncommon to see them.

Oh, and I must not forget the bugs. They come in giant size only. Mosquitoes, which carry all kinds of diseases, palmeto bugs, a giant size version of the ordinary cockroach, love bugs that swarm in May and September and stick to car windows like glue, fireants, whose bite stings and burns and causes small pustules to form.

4. Sun and humidity. People come here for the sunshine and beaches. Some are totally unaware of how much damage the sun can do. Heat stroke is a common occurrence among visitors. So is sunburn requiring hospitalization.

The humidity here can be stifling for those not used to it. It also poses a real threat to those with respiratory problems.

These are just a few of the things visitors need to be aware of when visiting Florida.

Am I trying to scare you away? No. But I do want you to be aware of the dangers in this state and prepare accordingly. It could save your life or the life of someone you love dearly.

Discipline

We have all heard the word, but what does it actually mean?

Here are a few definitions:

1. Punishment…something we are all familiar with. Either, we experienced it first hand as children or we used it on our own children. In this instance, discipline can take many forms from timeout to a whack on the butt for bad behaviour. I know with mine, as small children a well placed whack on the butt usually served to correct the problem. When they became teens, I had to come up with ingenious ways to correct the problem. For example, when they were young teens we went to a department store looking for a wedding gift. We were in the china department and they decided it would be fun to punch each other in the arm. All I could think of was that they were going to break something expensive that I would have to pay for. So I leaned over and whispered that if they didn’t stop, I would pick my nose in front of God and everyone else and wipe it on their shirts. The look of utter horror on their faces was absolutely priceless. It worked!

2. A system of rules governing conduct or activity. We’ve all seen this in the form of signs in and around our community. For example, speed limit signs, or no shirt, no shoes, no service in restaurants, age restrictions in bars or clubs or movie theaters, no solicitors, no food or drink allowed in store, etc.

3. Self control. This one is the HARDEST one to enforce. There will be no one to tell you that you haven’t done what you were supposed to do or not do. Only you can do that. And this is the one we need the most when we are striving to become a more healthy individual.

We need self control when faced with a vast array of food choices that could undermine our healthy lifestyle. And we need self control to maintain our exercise program or even push it beyond our comfort zone.

Self control comes from practice and time. We must practice, daily, our good, healthy food choices. And we must force ourselves to embark on our daily exercise program to achieve our goals. With time the discipline becomes easier because it has become a habit. And everyone knows habits are hard to break.

Keep practicing your self control and you will see a new you.

See you on the good side of healthy.