“How does it feel, Daddy?” Charli asks.
“Feels lazy.”
“Good,” I say. “It’s just a warm-up.”
He looks skeptical.
I reach over and bump the speed up a fraction and add a slight incline. “How’s that?”
“Not as lazy.”
I nod.
“You should be getting anywhere from six to ten thousand steps in a day. You don’t have to run, but you want to get yourheart rate up a little. Improve circulation. Build strength in your legs. Maintain mobility.”
“Sounds like a lot.”
“It really isn’t.”
For the next several minutes, he walks while Charli and I stand nearby.
At first, he grumbles. Then he starts talking. Then he’s telling ranch stories from twenty years ago.
By the time fifteen minutes pass, he seems genuinely surprised when I stop the machine.
“That’s it?”
“That’s all the walking for now. Let’s try something else.”
We move to the stationary bike.
Albert lowers himself onto the seat. “I haven’t ridden a bike since Jimmy Carter was president.”
Charli laughs. “Told you. Old as dirt.”
The bike session goes much the same. Easy pace. Steady breathing. No strain. No pressure. Just lower body movement.
By the time we finish, Albert’s cheeks are slightly pink. “I’ll be damned.”
“Feeling okay?”
“Actually feel pretty good. But I’d prefer riding a real bike outside.”
“We can make that happen,” Charli says.
Next come resistance bands.
I demonstrate a few basic pulling exercises, followed by some presses. Nothing too complicated or risky.
Albert follows along surprisingly well.
Ranch work has left him stronger than his family realizes.
Charli watches proudly as her father works through each exercise.
We finish with a few sets of chair squats and wall push-ups.
The entire session takes less than forty-five minutes.
