Outside exercise gym at Lake Banook

The city of Halifax, in an attempt to get the residents off their arses and start working out created a few gyms outside so folks can work out for free.  Most people don't know what to do with the equipment and don't have a workout plan once they get there.  I have talked a buddy of mine into creating a workout for me with this equipment.  

My plan is to have a quick workout two or three times a week focusing on my upper body and core muscles.

This bad boy works your calfs and quads.
You sit on the chair and push yourself up the ramp using your legs.

This is a pull down on one side and a push up on the
other side using your body weight for resistance 

This Machine is a bit intimidating looking.
I'm guessing it is for push ups at different angles.

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Here's an olyptical trainer

There is a decline situp bench and a back extension bench

The other 2 sides have a dip bar, pull up bar
and a squat/calf raise bar.

With this equipment, we can work out every major muscle group in the body.  I just have to get up early enough to squeeze in a 30 minute workout before work.

Lake Charles water temperatures at Shubie Beach

This year, I tracked the water temperatures In Lake Charles (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia) at the Shubie Park beach.

I didn't have my thermometer every time we went swimming, but I think there's enough information to share.  It's important to know that the temperatures are in Celsius, not Fahrenheit.

The group I swam with swam at 6am a couple of times a week. We'd swim between one and two kilometers.   There are a couple of other locations I swam at and they are noted.

Date	Temperatures	Notes
June 16	?	Freaking Cold and Choppy.  Quote from swimming partner: “It’s so cold I can’t think!”
June 18	Air 14°, Water 16°	The water was calm and a lot warmer than the 16th.
June 20	Air 12°, Water 17°	The lake was like glass
June 23	Air 11° Water 17°	We had eight swimmers and the water was like glass.
June 25	Air 15°, Water 19°	Windy and choppy water
June 30	Air 15°, Water 19.5°	Water was like glass
July 3	Water 16°	This was my first ocean swim of the year at Parlee Beach.  There were Tonnes of Jelly Fish and my face was pretty tingly when I got out.  I also found an umbrella that blew into the ocean off the beach and I swam that back to shore.  Free umbrella!
July 7	Air?, Water 19°	I swam with no earplugs for the first time of the season and got dizzy.  (I think ear plugs are a must when swimming in cold water)
July 11	Air 17°, Water 20°	The water was like glass
July 28	Air 18°, Water 21°	It was a foggy morning, but the fog was higher than the lake so we had good visibility and a cool sky.
August 1	Air 19°, Water 21°	This was taken at Morris Lake in Dartmouth because of a high bacteria count in Shubie.
August 6		I forgot my thermometer
August 8	Air 15°, Water 21°	The fog was rising up off a calm lake.  It was a beautiful swim.
August 22	Air 15°, Water 21°
August 28	Air 12°, Water 19°	It’s getting darker in the mornings.
September 8	Air 10°, Water 19.5°	It was pitch black leaving the shore.  Coming back wasn’t too bad, but I think we’re calling that our last swim.

We usually swim with wetsuits, but when the water was around 17 and lower, I swam with two swim caps and silicon ear plugs.  I like that combination to keep myself warm.  

I have swam in the beginning of June before and the water is around 12°.  That is so cold that our jaws got tight and it was hard talking after we got out.  Also walking into the lake, I had shooting pains up the arches of my feet.  Swimming in water that cold isn't even fun as far as I'm concerned.