HOMEWARD BOUND

I'm getting ready to fly back to the U.S. today after three days in England for my sister-in-law's funeral. It was a bitter/ sweet kind of trip, with the joy of seeing family being counter-balanced by the sadness of the occasion.

It's far more challenging to stay on track with healthy practices when you're out of routine and it was particularly difficult to get adequate exercise this week. I brought my running gear, but it has rained most mornings I have been here, so I only got out once. That was yesterday and I ran three and a half miles in rural Lincolnshire, which was delightful.

Of course there have been all kinds of food temptations too, with so many things avaiable that I don't get back home, but overall I think I did fairly well in that area. No fish and chips, which was a good thing! - I will have to do that just once when I come back over here next week for a wedding on my wife's side of the family.

Off to the airport soon - JFK at 2.45 - back home!

STRAWBERRY PIE

1/4 pie = 1 point

1 pkg vanilla (sugar free) pudding

1 pkg Strawberry Jello (sugar free)

2 1/4 cups water

Mix top 3 ingredients together. Bring to a boil. Cool.Pour over 4 cups strawberries.

Put in a graham cracker crust or dessert dish.

If you use a graham crust make sure to add Points per serving depending which crust you choose.

RETURNEES

Just got in from my Wednesday evening WW groups - there are some great people in both of them and it's a real privilege to be able to help them towards their goals. One of our members became Free Lifetime tonight, which means she reached her goal six weeks ago and has maintained it since then. Another member got back to Lifetime after succesfully losing the weight she had gained while carrying her baby. That made it a very good evening.

I was especially glad to meet the new members - all of them returning after differing periods of times.

I don't care how many times people join or rejoin, so long as they keep coming back, because if you're there in a group you can eventually get to where you want to be. If you're not there, it isn't going to happen.

Success means getting up just one more time than you fall down - it is not never falling.

HOT STUFF

It has been unusually hot here today, busting way through the record for this date, so I decided to make the most of it by going for a walk in the sun this afternoon instead of heading to the gym.

I knew it wouldn't be as intense a workout, but I figured that when you get a July-like day in April, it's stupid not to enjoy it.

In the end I went to my old friend mapmyrun.com and worked out a short run, rather than walking. It was just 2.6 miles, but man, it was hot! Certainly sweated today!

I never want to get so obsessed with working out that I don't enjoy the beauty of a apring day.

MIXING IT UP

I generally run on a treadmill at the gym, mixing it with some eliptical training lately just to keep it interesting, but since it was sunny this morning and marginally warmer I decided to run outdoors. Soon it will get too hot for that.

Several years ago I worked out this simple route around an extension of the block I live on. It's 1.6 miles, so depending on how much time I had, I would do between two and four laps. I've run those roads so much that I now know every blade of grass by name - to say I'm bored is an understatement.

Enter - www.mapmyrun.com

My outdoor running has been totally changed by this website that helps me chart different courses and tells me exactly how far they are. Today I opted for a new 4.8 miles route, switched on my iPod and had a good run in the sun.

You have to keep it interesting and thanks to the good folks behind mapmyrun, running around the block is a thing of the past!

EAT THIS - NOT THAT

There's a wealth of scarey information in this book which I was given by one of my Saturday WW members - I thoroughly recommend it. Knowledge is power!

Who'd have thought it's better to eat a Quarter Pounder at McDonalds (410 calories and 19g of fat) than the Premium Grilled Chicken Club (570 calories and 21g of fat)? Plus, there's a whopping 1720mg sodium in the chicken sandwich and a more modest 730mg in the burger!

At Panera, their innocent-sounding Sierra Turkey Sandwich is 840 calories, 40g fat and 2.080mg sodium. Better to go for their Barbecue Chicken Crispani at 380 calories, 15g fat and 980mg sodium.

If you're in Panera, beware of their Italian Combo Sandwich, which the book labels a weapon of mass destruction - 1100 calories, 56g fat and 3200mg sodium.

A lot of interesting stuff in a book that is readily available. There's one for kinds too.

TENNIS ELBOW - WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

I finally went to a doctor today about the discomfort I have been putting up with for weeks in my right arm. She said I have tennis elbow, which is what I had self-diagnosed on WebMD, and said I should see an orthopedic surgeon who may well give me a cortozone shot.

If I get many more sleepless nights I may cave and go do that, but in the meanwhile, does anyone know if using an eliptical trainer aggrevates it? I think I know the answer, but feel free to email me at revrog@optonline.net