Swimming to Knott St.

For the last couple of weeks I've been going to Dishman Pool, a Portland Parks and Rec facility just off MLK, for water aerobics classes. A friend has been going there for several years and, despite my whining about not having a suit and the whole locker-room being-naked-in-front-of-anyone trauma, finally convinced me to try it.

And I'm a convert...in one hour you get a great aerobic, conditioning, strength-training workout without sweating a drop or over-stressing your muscles. Plus it's great for core muscles, since you're wearing ankle floats and having to work to stabilize yourself in the water. And Dishman is one of those all-too-rare places in Portland where you can experience all of our community's different economic, political, ethnic and age groups. What a great feeling!

There are classes and lap swimming from 6 am till 5:45 pm that are geared for everyone from pre-schoolers to seniors (and those of us somewhere in between) and the cost is very reasonable. I'd highly recommend trying it out.

Details: Matt Dishman Community Center & Pool, 77 NE Knott St.; Phone 503-823-3673.