[NavyVet]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

There is a really cool device available called a swimpro that can be found at superswim.com. It’s a tether system that allows the swimmer to swim forever without going anywhere. The user never has to turn at a wall. It’s a flexible fiberglass pole that goes into the pool deck that has a rope attached to the top of the pole and a belt on the other end. The swimmer puts on the belt and just swims and swims. The faster one swims, the more the fiberglass pole bends. Our pool is 12 x 24 feet and has more than enough room to use the devise. I use it almost daily to supplement my lap swimming at the various sports pools. There is nothing like a quick half hour swim before golfing to loosen up the muscles, or a nice moonlight swim before bed. Unlike an endless pool device or a swim spa, the swimpro only costs about $250, last virtually forever, has zero maintenance, and uses no electricity. Also, unlike swimming against a current, where the swimmer has to maintain a constant speed, the user can vary their effort as much as desired. I wish I had better pictures, but the two attached pictures give a decent idea of the system. In one picture I am swimming backstroke while being watched by the absolute best lifeguard ever (ya gotta love border collies). The other picture shows the swimpro in the pool deck at the end of the pool. Swim on : )

I'm really curious: Which sports pools and what times of the day are you able to find lap lanes (with lane ropes)?

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by asianthree

Our pool is 28’ so very short. But two very good options, I try to swim 2-4 miles per day.

That is super impressive. I am on pace to swim about 400 miles this year and I thought that was a lot. At 2-4 miles per day, say you average 3, that’s well over 1,000 miles per year. Good for you, it’s the greatest low impact full body exercise out there. Swim on : )

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by NavyVet

I'm really curious: Which sports pools and what times of the day are you able to find lap lanes (with lane ropes)?

It’s not easy, but I have a system that doesn’t limit me to one pool. My life is scheduled around the weekly sports pool schedule in the Recreation News insert in the Daily Sun each Thursday. I juggle the rest of our daily activities (golf, bike riding, walking the dog, etc…) around my best swim option each day of the week. I have a couple days each week I can go to Mulberry and La Hacienda, and one day each week at Colony Cottage and Lake Miona, and usually weekends at Laurel Manor. Things should get better in my area now that the High School finally has their own pool and is no longer monopolizing all week nights at Laurel Manor. By extensive trial and error I have identified the best options each day of the week that work within our schedule. My wife has come to accept that if dinner hours are the best option on a given day, she will be playing a round of executive golf that evening and we will be eating late. I have swam at every sports pool in the Villages and found that getting a lane at Everglades or Ezell are the most difficult. I am not one to swim early in the morning, so I can’t speak of the ability to get a lane then. In general, I find it’s much more difficult to get a lane when daylight savings ends and pool closing time comes much earlier, which coincides with busy season. The easiest time to get a lane is when the temperature drops below about 55 degrees out. The colder it gets, the less crowded the pools are. I love having the whole pool to myself in January when it’s 40 degrees out. It’s a little cold getting out of the pool, but we’ll worth it. Swim on : )

[HandyGrandpap]

How about some heavy dark drapes with cornices + plastic covers over the couch!!! Perhaps include a greeter dogs that is all over you upon entry that you have to pretend you enjoy the attention from the dog.

[Dusty_Star]

Originally Posted by HandyGrandpap

...Perhaps include a greeter dogs that is all over you upon entry that you have to pretend you enjoy the attention from the dog.

You're saying that a person's pet is a home improvement that is not worth it - to a temporary, occassional visitor?????