HJNO Jan/Feb 2023

56 JAN / FEB 2023 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS COLUMN FITNESS IF YOUR MEMORY extends prior to 1986 (when smokeless tobacco advertisements were banned from TV and radio), then you probably have seen the Walt Garrison commercial in which his famous line, “Just a pinch between your cheek and gum is all it takes…,” shows him placing a couple fingers’ worth of chewing tobacco into his mouth. I certainly have. And when a child- hood buddy offered me chewing tobacco, for the first time, I did it just like Walt did. I cannot explain what I experienced that first time, but I believe that it provided something that was pleasurable, beyond the common side effects of dizziness and nausea. In addition, it provided a sense of Nicotine Delivery EDITOR’S NOTE Our Fitness Columnist, Jerry Fontenot, is in the process of kicking a dangerous habit not correlated with ideal health — vaping. In the process, he would sometimes share with us the struggle against the tenacious tentacles this drug had on his body and mind. As a former pro athlete and avid fitness connoisseur, Jerry has an acute awareness of his body. We asked if he would be willing to share his struggle with Journal readers and perhaps inspire and encourage millions of others who are trying to quit an unhealthy habit. While this is not strictly a fitness topic, you’ve come to know Jerry here, so we decided this part of his journey also belonged in this column. In recent weeks, Jerry has been sidelined from his regular workouts by asthmatic pneumonia and the aftermath of the flu. We’re pretty sure his next column will include the mental and physical anguish of being sidelined from working out for five weeks and counting.