Not the same

Exercise and activity are not the same thing.  (Yes, this is why we have different words for them!)  We need both of them.  Activity covers the stuff we do when we’re moving around casually, walking the dog, weeding the garden, cleaning house, playing with the kids.  Exercise is the more extreme cousin of exercise where we get breathless and sweaty.

We do exercise, among other reasons, to make activity more fun.  When we get in those cardio minutes and build those muscles, we improve our ability to play Marco Polo or sharks and minnows, we don’t ache so much after trimming back the trees and vines in our personal jungles, and the dog is more tired than we are after the longer walk.

Fitness is not something that exists outside of life.  It is supposed to be something that makes the rest of our lives richer and happier.

Go work and then go play.