My wife and I just moved to an urban area and sold our car. We get a lot of exercise without the car.

Biking, running, walking...My goal is to incorporate swimming. My wife is a strong swimmer but I have yet to learn to swim properly. I can have fun in a pool and "not drown" in a lake but gaining distance beyond about a mile in the water is something I am not currently capable of.

Speaking in reference to MoBoB's observation you should gauge your workouts to what kind of stresses you foresee in a survival situation. I'm currently finishing my PhD in Physiology and from my exercise science colleagues I have learned a few things. Repeated environmental stressors signal the body to adapt. Thus endurance exercise stimulates the body to favor muscle types (slow twitch) that are relatively low strength but last over a duration (e.g. marathon runners). On the other hand mechanical stress from weights or sprinting encourage a greater bone density and selects for muscle types that are stronger over a shorter duration. Thus giving the spectrum of performance in running described by MoBoB. Pretty interesting that our bodies will adapt to our environment and our activities.

As a side note I also found out that it is now thought that "lactic acid buildup soreness" is a myth. Research seems to indicate the pain after working out is more likely caused my micro muscle tears and micro bone fractures.

Good luck Hookpunch. I think Martial Arts is a great place to start as it is not only physical training but also mental training for situational awareness and discipline.

Cheers,
Nemo