don’t text and walk

I almost stepped in two fresh piles of doggy poo while walking as I checked my phone to determine which bus to take to the pool today. Why is it so difficult to clean up after one’s pet?!

I found my bus, then, thanks to directions from my cousin (given in Hebrew!), I found an indoor heated pool at Jimmy’s Health Club on the fourth floor of the enormous Dizengoff Center mall.

I figured out where to pay and how much (my 3rd Hebrew interaction of the day!) then found the changing room and stuffed myself into a hot pink maternity swimsuit. I felt like a big bright balloon. I’ve been wearing a bikini plus sun shirt for my outdoor swims but this seemed easier today. If you too are pregnant and want to look like a hot pink balloon gliding across the pool you can find the suit and my review here

My swim (in a narrow lane by myself) went extremely quickly but I found it annoying to switch directions every 20 meters instead of 50, like at Gordon Pool.

I also really missed the saltwater and, surprisingly, sharing a lane with others who are constantly either in my way or trying to pass me. The warmer temperature, as compared to the cold saltwater, was a welcome change to me today but if I’d been moving faster than my pregnant paddle I would have been too warm.

If you’re in the area and want to find this pool, enter the Dizengoff Center near the huge guitars shop then take the glass elevator to the right up to the fourth floor. Follow the signs that look like this

then pay in the office to the left. 70nis as of today. The bottom word, starting with the second letter, means pool.

If the lanes are full you should add your name to the waitlist on the dry erase board.

Overall, I recommend Gordon Pool over this one. It’s only slightly more expensive for a much more interesting experience!

Salty swim

I’m back on track again and feeling good! My past few workouts have varied from a hotel elliptical trainer with a view of Jerusalem to a run on the Tel Aviv Port to a swim in an outdoor 50 meter saltwater lap pool. The weather today is spectacular and as I paused to catch my breath at the end of a 50 yard length, I felt as though I was vacationing in my own private paradise. Sunshine, endless blue sky, saltwater swimming pool… it doesn’t get much better as far as workouts are concerned!
I can’t even remember the last time I swam but I’ve been craving water since whenever it was and I was happy to pay the $16ish to enter the Gordon Pool near my Tel Aviv apartment.
I jogged the short distance to the pool, swam a slow kilometer, smiled at the sunshine, then walked home. As I write this I’m making Baby A lentils & quinoa for lunch while I polish off the last few yummy chocolates made by my husband’s cousin. Nothing like a healthy post-workout snack!