I see constant commericals from companies like Medical Weight Loss, Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem that offer pre-packaged meals sent right to your home. You have to add fresh veg, fruit and dairy yourself. The cost is about $10 or $11 per day, not including the foods you add. And several weeks are free, if you sign up for a certain period of time.

These foods seem very salty and processed so I am not sure what to think about them. I guess a lot of water might balance that out!

Has anyone tried them? What was your experience?

TUESDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Older, more feet-friendly neighborhoods can help keep waistlines trim, U.S. researchers report.

"We were excited to find that two easily available census measures of diverse destinations -- living in an older neighborhood and higher proportion of residents who walk to work -- both predict lower weight," said lead researcher Barbara Brown, a professor of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah.

We all know walking is great exercise. It helps the heart and lungs, it builds strong muscle and it's good for our bones!

It's also a good social activity. We can walk with friends, catch up with our lives and if you are like me, walking can lead in just the opposite direction. It can be a time to be alone, with no-one talking, no little fingers tugging at me and no-one asking me what's for dinner! I can smell the air, listen to the geese and feel the breeze. Just me and me.

I can also feel my waist line getter smaller and my legs becoming leaner. And who doesn't want that benefit?

I am not a gym person, an exerciser or anything close. I hate to exercise. Big word - hate. But I hate it, hate it, hate it. Nay - I despise it!

The main problem with all this exercise malarkey is that it works. And works really well. Exercising lowers stress, lowers weight and strengthens the body. It's really, really good for us. Kind of distressing news for an exercise-hater like me.