Nature, Exercise, and Healthy Food

Awesome swim 🏊‍♂️ 🏊‍♀️ this morning with @queens_comb at Moorings Beach Park #naplesflorida #openwaterswimming (at Moorings Beach) https://www.instagram.com/p/CM4oyi9B1la/?igshid=u8mqfomueoia

Great swim today with @stephaniehavelka at #lowdermilkbeach in #naplesflorida . First leg was 1 mile from Lowdermilk to @naplesbeachresort and back. Second leg was from Lowdermilk to Moorings Park and back. Total around 2 miles. Water temperature 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Perfect swim 🏊‍♂️ 🏊‍♀️ for getting back into the water after a 5 week hiatus. Afterwards a great breakfast and coffee at @food_and_thought . Stephanie and her husband Josh are visiting from Laguna Beach 🏖 home of the LBOWS, one of my favorite swim groups. Thanks again Josh and Stephanie for making the trip down to Naples for an awesome swim! Hope to see you two in Southern California soon! (at Lowdermilk Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CM25UnFhedM/?igshid=1po90d5poo74l

First and last photos by Dave Priddy. Rough water, strong current, water temperature 68° Fahrenheit. Started swimming at dawn with full moon above the Gulf of Mexico before the sun rose. The air temperature was really cold, maybe 50’s? After the sun came up it started to warm up a bit, but not much. Great breakfast afterwards. (at Lowdermilk Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKoyzeHhZQT/?igshid=1mho9h467unih

Pink lady Apple 🍏 🍎, avocado 🥑, and butter lettuce 🥬 salad 🥗 for lunch today. I’m back on a paleo-vegetarian diet (mostly plants, and minimal processed food such as white flour and sugar). The salad dressing was made with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, agave, shallots, and garlic. The best salad in the world to help me improve my health. This morning I had a wonderful swim with @meredithnovack at the Greater YMCA in Naples. She helped me improve my breaststroke, something I’ve struggled with my whole life. If you need an amazing swim coach, hire her. I’ll miss Mere who starts her new job up in Charlotte, NC next week. After the awesome swim I grabbed some McDonald’s for breakfast, which will be my last junk food meal for 30 days. My goal is to keep swimming 🏊‍♂️ and eating well for 30 days to try to get my weight back to normal. I weighed in at 212 pounds and for a 5’11” man (I shrunk from 6 feet in my old age), the BMI tells me I’m 3 pounds shy of obesity. I will need to lose 33 pounds in the next 33 days to get into the “normal” zone according to BMI. I know some of you think BMI is outdated, but I still think it has value, but like anything, don’t take it as Gospel. Facebook advertisements seem to know that I’m a swimmer (see the shirts they are trying to sell me?). But they also think I’m old. I’m 53, which is getting up there. But does that make me an old man? So this old man needs to get in shape, improve his diet, and kick some ass over the next 5 weeks. I’ll track my progress and share some awesome recipes for those who want to get healthy with me. Here’s to a healthy and productive 2021! #healtyfood #fitnessmotivation #fitnessjourney #swimming #saladsofinstagram (at Greater Naples YMCA) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ7a_TAhZ-u/?igshid=ugy8lyj7g9u1

Awesome 2 mile (3km) swim 🏊‍♀️ 🏊‍♂️ this morning with Denise Wise Priddy at Fort Myers Beach 🏝 🏖. Water temperature 62 F (16 Celsius). Air temp in the 40’s (7 Celsius). No red tide in Fort Myers Beach which was a nice relief. Naples red tide toxicity levels are very high, lots of dead fish, coughing, and eye irritation. After the swim I grabbed breakfast at Plaka Restaurant: chicken fried steak with gravy, grits, wheat toast, two eggs over easy, and plenty of hot coffee to warm me up in the sun. Afterwards, heated up in the car then grabbed a chocolate malt at Dairy Queen and walked the Pier. A great way to start Sunday. (at Ft Myers Beach Fishing Pier) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ4lSpehrTW/?igshid=14osp55jtoxxx

The Pleasure Bay Boyz™ - name courtesy of Kellie Latimer. Greg Gomez is missing and presumed swimming in warmer waters in Farm Pond. A chilly 🥶 59 degree swim without wetsuits (that’s 15 degrees Celsius for you non-Americans). We swam across the bay and back at 6AM this morning, finishing up in the drizzle with a cold shower 🚿 in the park. Then off to Sugar Shack for some egg and sausage sandwiches and warm coffee. But they had the AC blasting cold 🥶 so Rick Born and I ate quickly and proceeded to our respective cars to warm up. We need to find a better breakfast place, ideally one with a fireplace 🔥 (at Sullivan’s Castle Island, South Boston)
https://www.instagram.com/p/By73Jstha4-/?igshid=snbp87kvi8oy

T2 Naples Masters Thanksgiving morning swim 🏊‍♀️ 🏊‍♂️ 🏊‍♀️ at Vanderbilt Beach 🏖 #vanderbiltbeach #openwaterswim #openwaterswimming #gulfofmexico #naplesflorida #t2naples #t2aquatics #t2masters (at Vanderbilt Beach) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqfUU21j985/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1d39e5ae0l2td

A week ago I took on a very challenging swim. 30 miles around Manhattan, no wet suit, no assist. #20bridges #20bridgesswimaroundnyc . I could not have done this without my killer crew: Alex Arévalo (kayaker and primary guide), Jia Jung (observer and support), Andi Kaubisch (support and photography), Sean Makofsky (RIB captain), and Rondi Davies (route planner and behind the scenes crisis manager). This was an experience of a lifetime. Thank you to those immediately involved but also everyone who inspired me and encouraged me to pursue my dreams. (at Manhattan, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpCqu_RlEhS/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=y6of2uzgnb4l

Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City #FEMSS Friday Early Morning Sunrise Swim - started swimming with the group in the dark before the sun came up. What an amazing way to watch the sunrise!

Great swim with CIBBOWS at Brighton Beach in #coneyisland this morning with Brad McVetta (at Brighton Beach, Brooklyn NYC)

On my swim today I faced a couple uninvited scary swimming companions #scary #sharpteeth

1.5 miles in very cold water, this morning in Nahant, with Greg Gomez and Rick Born (at Nahant Beach)

Tree frog

at On Lake Hopatcong

Maria, my kayaker for the first 1.5 miles with Hugh. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of Teri, my kayaker for the last 5 miles. (at On Lake Hopatcong)

I think this Zink Oxide makes me look like Heath Ledger's Joker character from Batman movie The Dark Knight (at On Lake Hopatcong)