Summer in Shiloh, Thank Gd A Swimming Pool

 Bli eyin haraa, don't tempt the "evil eye," we don't feel the war directly here... in a way...

Unfortunately, a local boy was killed defending the State of Israel a few months ago, and another was seriously wounded fairly recently. Many local kids of all ages and family members of those of us living in Shiloh have been fighting for our very survival... So I can't say that the war doesn't touch us. It can be said that so far, at least, we haven't been targeted.

So, besides being a gigantic elephant in the room, pressure that is hard to ignore... the war is almost distant. Of course many of my neighbors are doing tons of amazing volunteer work...

But it's summer, and our local swimming pool has opened for a longer than usual season 

Getting my exercise in the pool a few times a week keeps me fit, sane and healthy. Or at least as healthy as I can be at my advanced age...

I exercise in the pool, pretty much the same fun and games -not classic swimming- as I loved to do well over sixty years ago. 

Not only do we have "separate" swimming times, there are hours for "adults only." Thank Gd for this pool, which is only a few minutes' walk from my house.

Summer- Sure Have Been Enjoying The Pool

 

The local Shiloh Swimming Pool is just a few minutes' walk from my house. This week is the the last of the season. Most of us would love another week, but this has already been the longest season ever. 

Not only do we have "separate swimming" only, but the day begins and ends with 18+ adults only. That makes it a super pleasure. Our pool is very social, at least during Women's hours. No, we don't laze around on lounge chairs. We chat as we exercise in the water. Of course there are some serious swimmers, who are busy swimming laps, but many of us exercise with our heads above water most of the time. I'm going to miss the socializing as well as the water exercise.

Baile Rochel Wimps Out of a Swim, But Pumps Iron Instead

Our intrepid golden age athlete, yours truly Baile Rochel, can't handle the cold very well. Yes, heaven for me is sitting in the sauna or soaking in a jacuzzi. My only problem is that sometimes my gold necklace gets dangerously hot, but no sweat.

The past few weeks there have been problems at the pool I belong to. Not only hasn't the pool been hot enough, the jacuzzi barely reaches body temperature. Even before checking the posted temperatures on the wall it's easy to see the lack of thick cloud of steam hovering over it.

One of my friends who drives there is a lot more tolerant of chilly, icy water. I guess she still misses the icy lake water of the "old country." 

The other day when we arrived, I joined the parade of wishful, though cautious, swimmers and checked the temperature readings before even taking off my jacket. It was clear to me that not only was the jacuzzi too cold, but the post-swim shower would be freezing. 

Well, since I was already there in the health/fitness center, I looked for an alternative to sitting in the lobby playing with my cellphone. 

Even though decades have passed since I had stepped onto a treadmill, the high-tech gym called to me. It's also included in the price of my "pool membership" and has been on my "to do" list.

I opened the door and peeked in. Everyone seemed so busy and confidently "at home." I courageously walked around asking:

"Who's in charge?"

At my age, not only can a foolish move be dangerous, but some gyms demand proof of "fitness" before letting us "seniors" try out even the most gentle of machinery. When I finally found the instructor, a female who looked around the age of my oldest children, I mentioned that it "had been a long time" since I last worked out in a gym, but since the pool is cold...

I mentioned that I'd like to try the treadmill, so she showed me how to turn it on and off. For some peculiar reason, my body kept contorting, and I couldn't stand straight, but I soldiered on. I played around with the speed and incline, but I must admit that it felt a lot longer than ten minutes. 

After reporting to the instructor, I let her choose various machines for me. She instructed me in reps* & sets,* making sure to take out or reduce the weights/resistance according to her judgement as to how much my body could safely handle.

About a half hour after I had started, I decided that for a newbie* this was enough. I told her so and then asked how old she thought I am. She took a good look and answered:

"Fifty."

I gave her a big hug and thank you, revealing that I have a daughter of that age. That's the best encouragement any one could give me. I'm seventy-two and not embarrassed to admit it. 

Gd willing I'll be back there, instead of one of my swims each week. And in case you're wondering, that night and the next day I did feel my muscles kvetching, but not as much as I had expected.

*fitness slang

Back To The Ariel Pool

 

Thank Gd I've returned to my "occasional*" swim in the Ariel Sports Center Pool. The water in the pool isn't as hot as it sometimes was, but it's not cold.

The jacuzzi, sauna and steam room are all closed, due to COVID corona restrictions. And they only let in people who can prove that they've been double vaccinated. I'm not complaining. I really missed my swims, and I'm grateful for every opportunity I have for my water exercise. They extended membership, because the pool had been closed. Gd willing the Shiloh pool, less than five minutes' walk from my house, should open around when the Ariel membership ends. Then after the Shiloh pool closes for the season, I'll Gd willing rejoin Ariel.

That's the plan.

*between one and three times a week

Love Our Pool, Though Season Over Half Over

Summer in Shiloh... It's great, because we have a swimming pool. And the pool is a short walk from our house.

When we chose the building plot, where we now live, nobody had a clue that it would be such a great location. It's a minute's walk from the shul and in the other direction, about three minutes from the pool, besides being in between two bus stops. I chose it for the sunrise. It faces directly east and doesn't get strong winter winds.

One of the great things about the pool is that not only do we have "separate hours" for males and females, but there are "adult"hours. That means that the opening and closing hours of the pool are for grownups. It's quiet and peaceful, less crowded. We can swim and exercise without distraction and bother. I only go to those adult hours unless my granddaughters are visiting.

I've been taking out membership for years. It encourages me to go, even when I don't have all that much time. When you pay for each time, you end up going much less. I try to go every day, whether hours are in the morning or evening. To be honest, I'm not a "swimmer." I do my own version of water aerobics. Years ago I went to the pool in Neve Yaakov and learned a lot from the teacher there. They had fantastic lessons free once a week. So now add what I learned there with my years studying dance and "movement" to get a lot out of my time in the pool.

Our pool season ends at the end of August unless enough people sign up for September. Gd willing, I'll find a way to get to a pool during the rest of the year. It is so good for my general fitness and wellbeing.

Must get moving, so I can go to the pool.

Too Bad The Pedometer Doesn't Count Water Exercise

As many of you know, I have my phone set up as a pedometer, and I happily show off my step count on Instagram and Facebook.

On a day like today, when it was a scorcher, real summer day, my walking partner and I walked two circuits early in the morning, and then I was home until evening when I went to the nearby pool. I exercised in the water for 45 minutes.

According to my pedometer I did a rather lazy under 9,000 steps. And no, my phone isn't waterproof.

Isn't it a bit crazy that I don't feel I've exercised if the pedometer doesn't confirm it?

Thank Gd, The Chiropractic Adjustments have Helped

Not that long ago, I blogged about my neighbor, Dr. Azriel Gordon's Chiropractic Clinic. I had gone to the open house to celebrate his new location. I listened to his talk with half an ear, not having a clue that I'd soon be one of his patients.

"Gd laughs," as the saying goes.

When a pain in my hip caused my knees to ache and make normal life totally impossible I gave Dr. Gordon a call to set up an appointment. That evening I trudged down the hill to his clinic, which was a bad mistake. I should have found a ride. By the time I got there, I could barely move. And the pain in my knees was excruciating.

Dr. Gordon began by reminding me that a well-treated body should last over a hundred years. Oh, boy, had I just permanently abused it...? Chiropractic healing concentrates on keeping the spine supple and healthy. Everyone knows that a break in the spine paralyzes sections of the body, so it makes sense that blockages will also have dangerous effects restricting movement and causing other damage. I knew quite a bit about chiropractic care, because my brother-in-law in New York has been a chiropractor close to forty years, and he has helped me a number of times. But since a trip to New York wasn't realistic, I had no problems calling Dr. Gordon.

When I got ready for my adjustment, I couldn't even take off my shoes. So, since they were soft, he allowed me to keep them on. Dr. Gordon worked very hard trying to relax/release my spine and move the bones of my hip joint into the proper position.

One thing I wonder about is if there are many female chiropractors. I haven't heard of any. The profession demands great physical strength. Women do well as massage therapists, dealing with soft tissue, but the type of work that Dr. Gordon does is much more physically demanding by the therapist. 

Part of my "treatment" was that Dr. Gordon helped me get a ride home. He told me not to overdo things. I realize that I had gotten in such bad shape, because I hadn't gone for help when the first discomfort began.

The next day I began to feel better and started doing various stretches to get my spine healthy again. I do have a very extensive dance background, which makes it possible for me to know what to do. Other people really do need much more professional guidance.

A week later, I returned for another adjustment by Dr. Gordon. By then I could comfortably walk down to his clinic, but I asked a neighbor to drive me home.

Since then I've been doing daily twists and stretches, while gradually returning to my walking routines. The big difference is that I stop when there's discomfort, but the discomfort has been much less frequent and doesn't reach the pain I had previously. My goal is to be totally cured of this "hip" problem, and I'll return for what Dr. Gordon calls tune-ups. Call 054-4849094 to make an appointment or ask more questions.

In the meantime, I feel that I'm doing well, thank Gd, with gradual daily improvements.

Yesterday I comfortably walked a lot and at a good pace, B"H, thank Gd.

Pool Progress, Season Too Short

As our pool season gets closer to the end, I'm getting there even more, thank Gd. In June, the first month it was open, I was still working and studying when there were "women's hours," so I missed a number of opportunities to swim. Now I'm "unemployed" or "retired," so I can take advantage of the pool much more.

I try to get at least forty minutes of water exercise when it's open at night and an hour or more during the morning "women's" time. Nothing beats exercising in the water, and I say that as a professional. I have a lot of dance, fitness and exercise experience and training. I know my body well. The other day I tried to do easy floor exercises, and I was very disappointed. There really is no substitute for the pool.

That's it for now. I don't want to be late; it's already open. Have a great day!

Sun Smiling on Pool

As promised, here are some photos of the Shiloh Swimming Pool in the sunshine:

before entering the water
psyching myself up

clock is wrong

My friends and I, the same ones from less than 12 hours before, were back at the pool Friday morning. We knew that the water would be as cold, or colder than the night before but tried to cheer each other up imagining the air would be warmer.  And I hoped, out loud, that we'd burn more calories trying to keep warm in the cold water.

I wonder how long it will take me to jump in, but in all honesty, I usually waste more time psyching myself up to jump than it took me to climb down the ladder.

At least exercise I did both times. And I'm really trying to take advantage of  every opportunity to get in the water. That's why I pay for the membership for me and my husband. We both need it. And, Gd willing, the water will heat up long before the season is over.

Yes, The Shiloh Swimming Pool is Open!

I was away in New York for the Grand Season Opening of the Shiloh Swimming Pool. I try not to miss pool days, since our season is terribly short, barely three months. And it's closed for what is considered pleasure swimming from the 1st of Av (Jewish Month) until the 10th of Av aka "the Nine Days." But for various reasons, I had to go when I went, so I did. And I must admit that Gd was with me on that and still wanted me to exercise in the water, so He arranged for me to stay with a friend who has a swimming pool in her building that can be used by guests, which I did very happily. In my modest bathing-suit, and the fact that at the hour my friend and I went, there was hardly anyone there but the lifeguard, and the fact that we were there for health reasons, I don't consider it problematic. 

Once I returned home, I got out the outdoor pool gear, yes, as you can see, the dark plastic glasses, hat and a bathing suit which looks more like an outfit I could wear on Shabbat or a trip to Jerusalem. It has a flowered top, 3/4 length sleeves and a regular-looking skirt with "built-in" shorts.

The Shiloh Swimming Pool, as you can see, is actually two pools, a regular swimming pool and a wading pool for toddlers. There's lots of grass for sitting, plastic chairs and playground toys for the kids. In addition, there's a snackbar in which you can buy all sorts of treats and food. And of course, there are toilets and showers.

There is "separate swimming" only at the pool. Children under five (or is it six?) can be with the opposite sex.  Also, children under a certain age must have an older person along to watch. And the best thing is that the first hour and a half and the last hour before closing are "adults" only. That makes it much more pleasant.

PS I don't "swim." I exercise, do my version of water aerobics.

Great "Golden Age" Activities Here in Shiloh

Bringing my father on aliyah to Israel

Some of you may remember that we had my father living with us here in Shiloh for almost a year five plus years ago. The plan had been to also get my mother to Israel and set them up with suitable help in a place near a good senior citizens center or in one of those residential places suitable for a combination of "independent and assisted living." But in the end my mother wanted to be near my sister, though was sorry that she was so far from most of her grandchildren and all of the great-grandchildren.

During that year my father was with us, I hosted a weekly "movie night," (actually late afternoon,) for English speakers. Most of the participants were between my age and his. It was very popular.

A couple of years after he left, a new "middle-aged plus" couple moved to Shiloh, and she was looking for a project, so our "social/activity" coordinator suggested that she develop a program for Shiloh's elderly, a growing population. There's quite a challenge considering that few of the elderly are fully comfortable in Hebrew, so there must be translation into English and Russian. And now there's a couple from France that moved in with their daughter. They try to translate into French for each other.

One of the weekly activities is an ulpan to help improve their Hebrew. And another is an exercise class by a professional yoga/aerobics teacher. They also bring in lecturers, show films and have lots of other programs. They meet twice a week. I'm sometimes asked to help with translating to and from English. I do it when I can.

Not all the participants are elderly, and not all the participants are immigrants. Too bad we didn't have these activities when my father was living with us. He would have loved to go, and it's an easy walk from our house.

And to be honest, I did get quite a workout at the exercise class. Maybe I should go more often!

Last Day of Pool Season, Sigh...

Short but wonderful, that's our pool season here in Shiloh. The season lasts barely three months. Each year we, the regulars, hope for a longer one, but so for that's it.

main swimming pool

toddlers wading pool

Just three months... That's never long enough.

There are two unbeatable things about the pool, besides the convenient location near my house.

• enjoyable healthy exercise
• a chance to meet and talk with friends

This means that summer is over for sure, even if it keeps being hot, we won't have that wonderful summer relief of being able to jump in the pool for a while. This year I never got to the pool during evening hours. I did all of my swimming in the morning before 9:30.

Why Do People Think I Swim Laps?

Shiloh Swimming Pool

When people hear that I go to the pool for fitness, they take for granted that I swim laps.They are inevitably shocked to hear that I don't swim laps. Actually, I don't even swim, at least not anything that resembles one of the strokes I had been taught well over half a century ago.

And, no, I'm not afraid of the water, not even deep water. I've never had any problems floating and paddling around a pool or lake or whatever for as long as I can remember.

And I certainly had proper swimming lessons, at a Y one year and at all sorts of camps. I was also taught in school. In Great Neck North the junior high school had a pool, and swimming was on the required curriculum.

My head could do the "Crawl" the basic swimming, racing and lap stroke, but somehow, I was so painfully slow and de-energized I could never swim enough lengths or laps or swim quickly enough to graduate from Advanced Beginner. I never, ever passed a "Deep Water Test," the requirement to be permitted into the deeper end of the pool or lake. It didn't matter that I could do the Side Stroke or Elementary Back Stroke for long periods of time. They are both slow relaxing strokes, which I found suited my "swimming style." Of course I did them more slowly than anyone else.

In Junior High we were required to do twenty-five pool lengths of each stroke to pass that part of the required curriculum. I started with the Elementary Back Stroke, and it took me the entire lesson, a lot longer than anyone else. I was so exhausted afterwards that it was decided to exempt me from the requirement.

Here I am over fifty years later, and I probably spend more time in the pool than many who passed Swimming. Nowadays I don't even do the strokes I once loved, because they are bad for my knees. Instead, I dance in the water. I do all sorts of exercises; some I learned and others I've made up.

As a dancer who trained for almost two decades and former dance and sports teacher, I firmly believe that exercise requirements must be flexible. Any activity you do in the water which is more than standing still or floating on some sort of raft is good. The same goes for most any exercise. Fifteen minutes or a few minutes of stretching here and there is better than nothing. It may not be the same as a good workout, but it's definitely worth keeping up!

Enjoy!

Finally Dry Seats at the Local Free Exercise Park

The other day I was pleasantly surprised to discover dry enough seats at the local free exercise park just across from my house.  It has become very popular in Israel for all sorts of parks and playgrounds to be equipped with adult "toys."  These are outdoor exercise machines similar to what you'd find at a Curves or some other "circuit" exercise place.  There are two things that keep some of us away from them.  One is modesty, since not everyone wants to do all of these activities totally in public view.  But in our park there's a low fence, high enough to hide our legs and low enough for people to keep an eye on their children playing on the children's toys and the adult ones, too, even though the signs say only for those 14 and up.  There's another problem with our exercise park.  The irrigation system for the grass, the sprinkler, also sprinkles water on the seats.  And it's not very comfortable to sit on a wet seat and walk away as if...

But the other morning I was lucky.  The playground was dry and empty, so I could take advantage.

Washed Out Fitness Attempt Times Two

I had been seriously thinking of joining the fitness place in Sha'ar Binyamin, near I work, but then I discovered that their scheduled classes, zumba, belly-dancing, aerobics etc are all during the "wrong" time of the day for me.  I'd need classes early afternoon before night shift begins. 

So, then I tried resuming my walking in the morning, planning on using the free exercise machines in the park near my house.  That never works, because they are always wet when I get there.

Apparently the automatic sprinklers set to water the grass always ends just before I get there leaving puddles of water in all the seats. Am I giving up too easily?  I really don't like the idea of schlepping a shmatta with me for my walks.

Finally, Some Pool Time

Unlike other years, we didn't take pool membership this year.  I'm the one who goes the most; last year I averaged four to five times a week, even though some were barely "dips" of fifteen minutes.  I'd rush to be there the moment it opened and then rush to work, a bit late but feeling so great, refreshed and energetic.

But this year the pool opening was postponed due to major renovations, more like rebuilding.  The Health Ministry had so changed the required safety and health standards that there was no way the pool could just be "repaired."  It took months of expensive work, but luckily I'm not the owner, so I just observed.

And then, before it opened, my mother passed away, and my pleasurable visits to the pool were forbidden during shloshim, the thirty days after burial.  That cut a huge chunk out of our repair-shortened season.

In addition, my trips to the states, to see my parents and then for my mother's funeral had cut down on my income, which is calculated to the minute, from personal identity-sign-in until the machine recognizes my finger when I sign out.

I've only been to the pool three times, and I'm careful about how I photograph it to respect the modesty of my neighbors.  We're not on display, like in other pools.

The pool at the Shalom Hotel as viewed from the terrace of the senior citizens home.

G-d willing, I'll be able to get to the pool more next year and enjoy the health benefits and slimmer figure...