I've learned to love water too, even the taste of it. We have UV filtered well water with potassium choloride salts. Lots of visitors dislike it, but I love it now.
It helps to remember that our cells get dehydrated, shrivel up and cry out for it. If you feel tired a lot, it may be due to that. Try drinking a glass of water when you're tired, and watch how revived you feel.
I need to lose 20 to 30 pounds too, but have never successfully dieted and kept it off. More exercise, more moving, more water, less food. That's my goal.
I got up early today and did 20 mins of yoga before breakfast. I live in the country too, pink-north, and don't like walking out there in the snow and mud all alone. I'll try to talk DH into coming for a half hour with me now.
Oh yes! here's a tip: my uncle lost 40 pounds last year just doing "portion control" after visiting a dietician who showed him on his large hand what size portions he should eat, of meat and cheese especially.
I bought smaller dinner plates for me to fool myself into eating less. I love food, love to eat, eat too fast before I notice how much, or how full I am.
. I need to do the whole body toning thing myself. My goal is 149 lbs and to tonne my mid section. I try to stay away from the scale just because there comes a point when you lose fat and build muscle mass and muscle weighs more than fat. 
