The One That Sounds Kinda Like My Other Blog Post...

One thing I made myself promise about reviving Diary of a Mad, Fat Woman was that it couldn't just be another blog that said the same stuff I post on my daily life blog:  Life and Times of Jo.  It wouldn't be worth it if I was just writing the same stuff in two different places.

That blog has to be about life in general.

This blog has to be about trying to lose weight.

But, what happens when I get an urge or spark of motivation that leads from the topic I wrote about in my other blog?  Well, I guess posts like this happen.

It's not going to be exactly the same, but if you've read this post after reading my other post from this morning and start getting a crazy deja vu feeling...don't worry, you're not going crazy... you have read about some of this stuff already.

This weekend I had a total blast doing fun stuff with the family.  We played miniature golf on Saturday, and yesterday my big ol' family came over for a day in the pool.  

I had so much fun.

I didn't mind sweating.  I didn't mind getting the sunburn I now have on my shoulders.  I didn't mind getting up this morning despite being such a crazy, busy weekend.  In fact, I woke up in a great mood because of the crazy, busy, FUN weekend.

It made me realize that I want to spend more time doing fun family activities.  Especially if they involve some movement or working up a sweat. 

Playing miniature golf really isn't considered much exercise... but I did work up a sweat.  Playing in the pool, like I did yesterday, can't really be considered much exercise... because there wasn't near enough swimming as I thought there would be.  I spent a lot of my time jumping from the diving board, lazing on the pool lounger, and talking to my mom.  But, I did swim several laps over the course of the day, and because of the heat when I wasn't in the pool - I was sweating.

All of that outdoor fun got me thinking.  I've been thinking about stuff like bike riding, using the net in our back yard for badminton and volleyball, play basketball in the front yard, and I'd really like to find somewhere where I could play some tennis.  Not sure why, but I used to love playing tennis as a kid and think I'd enjoy it now.

All stuff to do outside, despite the heat.  Which is weird for me.  I'm usually the person that wants to lock herself up during the summer months and not come out again until the air outside is back in to or below 70 degrees.  

And, most of the activities I want to start doing on a regular basis don't really involve any money.  OK, I would need to buy a bike and tennis stuff... but the volleyball and badminton stuff we have.  Thanks to P-Momma (my pseudo mother-in-law) who gave us a whole backyard play set when we moved in.  And there's a basketball hoop that sits on our driveway.

One thing I have noticed about myself these past couple of days is that I want to exercise, but I don't want to do exercise that involves actually thinking about exercise.  Stuff like going to a gym or doing a work-out DVD.  In fact, the only real exercise that I want to do is walking/jogging.  That's more for the meditative qualities it used to provide.  I would really clear my head when I was out walking..then jogging.. and then running.  I didn't feel like I was exercising, back then, I felt like I was just letting off some stress.

That's the type of stuff I'm looking for now.

No crazy gym memberships.  No fancy exercise equipment.  

I want to have some fun.  I want to enjoy spending time with my family.  And I want to work up a sweat in the process.  That's not too much to ask, is it?

I'm not going to lie.. I don't ever see myself becoming a person that's addicted to exercise.  Not in the formal sense of the word, anyway.  I know that I can become addicted to running.  I know that I can become addicted to finding activities that I enjoy.  But, as far as getting up every morning and going to a gym or plugging away at an exercise routine or program?  Yeah...don't see that happening any time soon.

Maybe that was my biggest problem with all the attempts I've made in the past in regards to my weight loss.  I've always tried what everyone else is doing.  I've always told myself that in order to lose weight I have to be doing some type of plan or program or certain types of exercises.  Is that really the case?  Can't a person just lose weight because she goes from a person that eats junk and doesn't do a whole lot of activity to a person that eats better and smaller portions and spends her time involved in a fun, active lifestyle?  I'd like to think so.

And I guess it's something I'm going to find out.  

OK, so maybe this blog post isn't as much like my other post as I thought it would be... so the title and the rest of the stuff I said doesn't make as much sense, now. But, oh well.  It is what it is.

Till next time...