A few days ago, I recorded an episode about quitting smoking as a gift to your loved ones.

I think it also makes sense to quit even if you're single.  By smoking, you are narrowing down the pool of potential mates.  Perhaps Kevin will want to chime in with his thoughts.

I have a book called Country Wisdom and Know-How that mentions St. John's Wort tea as being helpful to those quitting smoking.  I've tried this Yogi tea and it's actually not bad.  They disguise the St. John's Wort flavor with licorice.

Here's a dose of positive motivation to quit smoking.  It's Huey Lewis and The News, with Hip to be Square.

Do you ever get sick of smoking?  Sometimes, I do and I'll put out my cigarette half way through it.

I just wish I'd feel that way for more than a couple of hours until I want another one.

The current global recession can add to stress levels and make it difficult on those of us trying to quit.

But wasting money on cigarettes is hardly helpful to our budgets.  The recession should be just another reason to quit.

I think it's important to have reasons in mind of why we're going to quit smoking.

One reason is to quit as a gift to people you love.  Why do something that endangers your health?

I don't want to leave the people I love on earth earlier than I have to.

Have you heard about the eCigarette?  Have you tried them?  Yesterday I said there was no such thing as safe cigarette, but these would seem to be safer.  Reviews on Amazon.com are mixed, plus eCigarettes are expensive.  Then again, smoking regular cigarettes is getting more expensive with new tax increases.

I think I'm going to quit without the ECigarette and try to put the ridiculous habit of smoking cigarettes behind me.

While I've been switching brands prior to quitting, one brand I've tried is American Spirit.  Supposedly there are no additives, but this does not make it a safe cigarette.  There is no such thing as a safe cigarette.

I actually find it to be smooth and long-burning.  It's probably better to switch to a less enjoyable brand since I'm trying to quit.

Another instruction on my hypnosis CDs is to avoid alcohol when quitting.  I need to put a higher priority on quitting.

Too many nights I've been having a beer or glass of wine, then reading a book or watching tv instead of listening to the hypnosis CD.

When I was younger, I felt like my smoking was not really impacting my fitness level very much.  But I think the smoking has definitely caught up with me.

I really want to quit smoking and get in great shape.

I did something somewhat surprising yesterday.  I started a two week free trial gym membership.  Just seeing fit people was inspiring.  I also didn't think about smoking for awhile.

I tend to think gym memberships are expensive, but they really are not compared with the costs of smoking.

I think those of us with addictive personalities may benefit from substituting exercise for cigarettes.

There are some people (family, coworkers) that I do not feel comfortable smoking around.

The embarrassment of smoking is another reason I want to quit.

As cigarettes have gone up in price recently, I thought it was a good opportunity to try Marlboro 72s.

They aren't labelled as Lights, but taste like a Marlboro Light.  They are significantly shorter so I thought smoking these would be a good way to cut back prior to quitting.

I have some excuses for not quitting smoking yet:

1. I have to give a presentation at work on Tuesday
2. The economy is in shambles
3. I have a horrible, long commute.

But I have to be careful about excuses because there is always going to be stress in life.  I need to quit smoking.

Sometimes I fall asleep when listening to the hypnosis CD.  I'm not too concerned about that because my subconscious mind should still hear the message.

However, sometimes I think the message is getting drowned out when my central heat kicks on.  I'm going to make some adjustments and listen to the CD for a few more days before quitting.