Slightly OT: I listened to YouTube advice and applied it on Sunday morning. "Photograph what you love..."

 

front gate.

I was dismayed to read a 65 year old pronounce that 65 was the starting gate for "old age." I guess because of genetics and life experiences, and luck, aging is different for everyone. No one (except other swimmers) listens but I'm pretty sure I've found the "fountain of youth." It's called rigorous daily exercise. And the neat thing is that everyone gets to pick the rigorous daily exercise that they'd like to do. I've chosen swimming. Since the age of five. And I have to say that it provides me with so many anti-aging advantages that I'm dumbfounded that people aren't rushing to swimming pools and getting ready to get their laps in. 

A good workout can provide a mix of aerobic, anaerobic and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) sets altogether in the space of an hour. And on metabolic tests competitive swimmers who swim four or five day a week (or more) measure up to twenty years younger when compared with the general population on basic health metrics. Add in some yoga and some weight training and it's pure gold. 

But I think the other thing that keeps some at least feeling young (which is half the battle) is allowing themselves to be silly, funny, and a hell of a lot more immature than others. I can't speak for anyone else but most of the time I still feel like a kid cutting class in college. And it feels delicious. 

One of the guys who might be a photographer but surely has a channel on YouTube was "teaching" other photographers that a sure way to stay motivated is to photograph things that you love. Animated or inanimate. And I was thinking about that as I drove by the pool on Sunday. So I pulled into the parking lot and went inside.

I'd been there a couple hours earlier at our weekly Sunday swim practice and I was remember how cold it was. Down in the 20s. And, as you can see, our pool is outside. But what you might also be able to see are the clouds of steaming rising up off the surface of the water and into the air. 

We workout in the warm womb of 81° water but there are those 30 to 60 seconds at the end in which you have to pull yourself up into the 20° air, sopping wet, deal with the shock of the additional windchill and get your ass into the locker room as quickly as you can. That will surely wake you up and keep you young. No doubts about it.

I think being in the pool and swimming with 30 or 40 long time swim friends keeps me fit and happy and so I include the pool in the subjects that I've come to love. Even on the least hospitable days. Doubly hard when it's still dark outside...

The pool is certainly applicable for a photo project. Now in progress.

dreadful weather. see the insulated pool covers in the foreground?

Those cover the shallow section. 

We have to cover the whole pool when the workouts are done.

I didn't have the right camera in the car. 

I had the GFX with the CZ 50mm Milvus attached.

Just for grins I set the aspect ratio to 16:9. Did 

it vignette? You betcha.

Believe me. When you have 20° temps and wind gusts of 30-40 MPH 

you don't want to be fooling around practicing your racing starts 

from the blocks...

In addition to our masters workouts in the morning the pool is 

open until 4 pm on Sundays to serve those intrepid, individual 

lap swimmers. No takers on this day around noon...

Back up lane lines. Someone is thinking ahead.

run, swim, climb, walk briskly, etc. Stay young. Be happy.