Tennis Fun in The Big Apple

Andy Roddick can serve a tennis ball at more than 100 miles per hour. His serves travel 80 feet across the court in less than one second! And yet - Andy had an unfortunate and early exit from this year's U.S. Open. The beauty of tennis - and many other sports is that on any given day even the best players or teams can end up with the short end of the stick! (Look what happened to Maria Sharapova last weekend.)

Every year new and sometimes younger stars emerge and knock off one or more of the top ranked players. The excitement in the air around Flushing Meadows is almost electric! Memories of Jimmy Connors pumping his fist in the air. Pictures of Rafal Nadal running down seemingly impossible shots and hitting yet another winner.

Tennis offers plenty of excitement for those of us watching in the comfort of home and the lucky thousands who get tickets to one of September's signature sporting events. The U.S. Open - weather permitting - comes to a close this weekend. Will this be Rafa's year? Or another boring victory for Roger Federer? Will one of the Russian girls walk off Centre Court smilling? Or maybe this September will produce a new wave of U.S. Open Champions.

The Best Habit for Your Health

If you quit smoking now your body will begin to heal itself in a matter of hours! The healing process in your lungs starts withing the first couple hours! You can reverse the damage caused by smoking! Your body will actually repair itself! How Incredible is that!

You can speed up your recovery time if you start exercising daily. Or, at least most days of the week. And if you want to avoid the weight gain many ex-smokers experience, you might want to start or keep eating healthy foods.

There are no-doubt thousands of ways to quit smoking. Perhaps the easiest – is just do it. Decide to NOT Smoke! The choice is simple - and all yours to make! You CAN do this! Countless others have battled and won. You can too! It's all in your mind! You can tough it out and practice the willpower to quit!

Get rid of all your smokes. All of them! Throw them out. Just do it. When you get that urge – and you will – just take a moment to gather your thoughts and remind yourself of the many health benefits you can ( and will ) enjoy by quitting this horrible habit! This is, after all, very much a battle of your willpower. You make the choice. You decide! And you reap the benefits.

Take a drink of water. Have a piece of fruit. Keep some celery or baby carrots close at hand and nibble on something healthy. Dried fruits like raisins or prunes, raw vegetables, crackers, and whole wheat bread are also good ideas for snacks. Air-popped popcorn is a low-cal snack ( if you can stand it without the butter and salt ) anytime! Or grab a bag of sunflower seeds and munch on them when the urge hits you. Anything is better than smoking!

Start getting 30 minutes of exercise each day. Try something healthy - like brisk walking, cycling, swimming, or doing home repairs or yard work. If you can’t get in 30 minutes all at once, aim for shorter periods of activity – at least 10 minutes – that add up to a half hour per day. If you have not exercised in a long time, start with shorter sessions of 5 to 10 minutes and build gradually from there.

You're not alone. Many smokers struggle with how to quit smoking. Countless others before have made the choice - and won! You can too! Just think of the money you'll save!

There are countless alternatives. In the end – the choice is yours. Make that choice. Start getting in shape fast and make it easier on yourself. Get a little exercise each day. Enjoy a longer, healthier, and more satisfying life!

Try a new sport to help you keep busy and help you keep your mind off smoking! Tennis is great fun at any age! Or swimming will give you a refreshing workout! Even walking will help you stay active and burn calories!

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