My daughter, the college athlete, is home for summer. Before she came home, I decided that I wanted to glean her expertise about working out. The child works out for a living and I know she has some amazing skills that can help my middle-aged body find it’s way back to what it once was before I let it all go in the name of my favorite ice cream.

Mind you, she has been home for summer since May and today is the beginning of August. So much for capitalizing on her presence while it lasts. She will be back in school in a few short weeks, fully in shape and fully ready for her new track year at Sac State, while I on the other hand…….

In an effort to make good on my goal, Meaggan took me to the gym yesterday where she had me do this-n-that’s in between her work out.

Her work out was amazing. It rivaled something you would see on an ESPN documentary and involved huge amounts of weight and a lot of sweat. I had to laugh at myself when I saw the two of us in the mirror, her with her beautiful strong body and me with my sagging arms and legs that screamed out at me for forcing them to lunge, bend and lift things.

Today I woke up and for a brief moment I thought maybe I had been hit by a truck and was awakening from a coma state. It was literally the only rational explanation I could find for my intense pain.

The second thought I had was that using the toilet was going to be an experience akin to giving birth.

The thought of bending my legs to lower myself seemed unimaginable and I started making plans to use a Facebook post from my cell phone to send for help should I become unable to lift myself from the potty.

The fact is, I wish I had done this sooner.

I wish I had valued my daughters services and taken advantage of her work out wisdom while I had the chance to see real change while she was still home. The pain is immense, I’m not gonna lie- I couldn’t use my arms the rest of the day yesterday which made things like fetching plates from a cupboard and taking my shirt off over my head fodder for my in-shape children. Nonetheless, it feels good to know that I took an important step towards getting into shape.

The worst is over, I got up and did it. Now it is about momentum. It is about chasing the goal. I can make a positive change in my well-being by keeping at this thing called physical fitness.

I may be sore today, but I know that anything worth having comes at a price worth paying.