Headed for the long haul

Like most toddlers my daughter is a ball of energy and she can move in ways I lost years ago. She can squat so that her bottom is but a half inch off the ground and peer at an ant moving across the cement without ever losing her balance. She can roll off the couch until she’s hanging upside down, her back bent into an arch, her hands dancing in the air. Watching her reminds me of two things: 1. How a healthy body was built to be so efficient, and flowing and easy; and 2. How badly I need to get into shape. For her. For me. And to shore up and protect what little bit of this body I have left working for me. I’ve let my exercise routine go. I’ve got caught up in the activity of summer. And although, I’m hardly a couch potato, I need to get back into the exercise routine as a thank you to this battered body who keeps moving despite all its struggle. Stronger muscles do take the pressure off my weak joints and I feel better. And, I want to keep up with our daughter for a long time to come. So, now I’ll work toward longevity. I’m certainly not graceful, my creaking hips often rebel, but they can walk me around the neighborhood and the grocery store. I don’t move or twist or squat like my daughter, but I can chase her around the room and kneel down over the tub to give her a bath. So now I’ll use her strength and health as my motivation to keep going. To keep on doing the things that are good for me so that I’m creaking around for a long time to come.