[duck]

I'm going to disagree with the "if it feels like exercise it is exercise" school of thought (but just a little). Being active doesn't necessarily qualify as being fit, so you have to decide which you are trying to achieve.

For instance: How many movers working for a moving company have you seen that have a beer gut? These guys move refrigerators and couches, yet I wonder how much they can bench and how long/far they can jog.

And on the other hand, I know a bunch of gym-rats who look like Adonis but once they are out of the gym you won't find them doing anything more active than playing a video game or watching football (instead of playing it).

And last, there are those people who garden, mow, till, plant, do yardwork without breaking a sweat, yet they don't look like Adonis and wouldn't pass for being physically fit.

So in my mind it depends on what your goals are, and then you have to take specific steps toward that goal (or goals). If your intent is to run a marathon, power-lifting probably isn't what you want to use as a training regimen. If your intent is to become very strong, jogging all the time won't get you there. If your intent is to look like Baywatch lifeguard, gardening and tilling your garden won't get you there...

I do agree it is very important to keep records. And lee hit on a point that people miss all the time; it has been shown that ten minutes of exercise three times daily is almost as effective as 30 minutes of continuous exercise. So start slowly if you have to, just perservere and stick with it.