Take small steps in order to reach lifestyle goals

Dear Readers: If you’re working on a lifestyle change, like losing weight or quitting smoking, there are things you can do to improve your chances. Changing even minor things about ourselves can be difficult, so making a big change can seem impossible. Here are a few hints to help boost your confidence:

U Set several small goals instead of one big one. If you plan to quit smoking, focus on getting through today without a cigarette, and gradually challenge yourself to take another step each day.

U Reward yourself for reaching your daily goals! Treat yourself to a manicure, a movie or simply a relaxing bath.

U Don’t expect perfection. If you slip up, don’t be too hard on yourself. Stay positive and vow to have stronger willpower the next time.

U Surround yourself with positive reinforcements! Asked loved ones to help keep you on track, or consider a support group. It’s always easier when someone else is there to cheer you on.

Once you’ve really kicked that bad habit or lost that extra weight, your body will reward you with extra energy and good health! Heloise

Dear Heloise: Before I toss out a scratched CD, is there anything I can do to save it? Billy Mac, via e-mail

Compact discs can scratch easily, but the good news is that many scratches can be wiped away with ordinary white toothpaste! Gels won’t work — just plain, white toothpaste.

Squeeze a small amount of toothpaste onto a clean sock or any lint-free cloth and apply to the CD, starting from the inside and working outward like the spokes of a wheel. Remember to wipe it from the inside out, never back and forth. Once the entire underside is coated, take the clean, dry part of the sock and wipe away the toothpaste, again using spokelike strokes — from the inner edge to the outer edge.

Don’t use water. Just continue wiping until the paste is gone. This should work great on minor scratches on DVDs and game discs, too. Heloise

Dear Heloise: I read in your column about women and their purses while they are in public bathrooms. The only way to be sure your purse is safe is to hang it on your neck! I know people who have had their purses snatched from the hook at the top of the stall, and also I’ve heard of someone reaching under the stall door to take the purse from the floor. It’s impossible to run after these people. First, they are very fast, and second, it’s hard to run with your pants down around your ankles! Just wanted to pass this along. Karen, San Antonio

Dear Heloise: Washing plastic bowls in the dishwasher almost guarantees that they’ll flip upside down and be holding water. I loaded the whole top basket with the plastic containers and laid a piece of fishnet on top of them (I wet it first), and they went through the cycle. None flipped! Try it. George, Mississippi Coast

King Features Syndicate