There’s nothing quite as rewarding in life as getting in shape is. Lots of people think that the only way to get in shape is to go to the gym or to exercise at home, but that’s not true. There are literally thousands of outdoor (and even indoor) activities that can be taken up to improve physical and mental health. One such activity is scuba diving, which involves diving in the sea.
This post will break down why scuba diving is good exercise, how you can get involved, and what to watch out for:
New Adventures
Quality exercise isn’t just building bodily strength and fitness, it’s also exercising the mind. Taking new adventures can be an extremely effective way of improving your mental health and making you feel happier about your life. If you are going to go scuba diving, then it’s very important that you go with a company that has expert dive staff on hand to advise and help you. The reason for this is that while scuba diving’s an excellent way of taking on new adventures and improving your mental health, a bad experience can have the opposite effect. Before taking scuba diving lessons or chartering a boat, make sure that you read the company’s reviews. This is so that you can be confident they know what they are doing and will be able to show you a good time.
Improved Flexibility
In terms of physical exercise, scuba diving is great because it helps to improve flexibility. The more you move around in the water, the more your muscles stretch and grow stronger. The movements that you make when you are scuba diving help to improve flexibility. The same is also true for regular swimming. If you are interested in performing an activity that’s going to make you a more flexible and stronger person, then scuba diving’s what you’re looking for. You do need to make sure that you perform stretches before and after scuba diving however so that your joints are warmed up (and down).
Strength Building
As mentioned previously, scuba diving helps to build muscles and bodily strength. This is because as you move around in the water, you face resistance. The water’s resistance helps to make you stronger. In addition to being able to build strength and flexibility, scuba diving also builds endurance. It’s not easy to swim underwater for long periods of time, especially with the resistance that you face from the water. Another fantastic benefit of scuba diving is that scientific research has shown that it can actually lower blood pressure. Scuba diving also has other benefits for your heart, such as helping to lower pulse and building heart strength.
Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises can help to strengthen your lungs and make you more relaxed. When you are scuba diving, you will have to breathe slow and deep. This will help you to conserve and optimize your body’s air consumption. If you breathe too fast, then you will have to come up for air and refill your oxygen tank. Scuba diving instructors will teach you about breathing exercises when you are taking classes, prior to going out diving. In addition to making you more relaxed, breathing exercises can prevent the chances of lung-expansion injuries and mucus build-up.
Improving Confidence
Scuba diving can be a very scary activity, especially if you have a fear of swimming, or of marine life (such as sharks). If you suffer from phobias or confidence issues, then going scuba diving could be worth considering. It takes a lot of inner strength to be able to plunge yourself into the ocean and swim with marine life, and underwater for long periods of time. Regularly doing this will help you to build your confidence in other areas of your life, making you a stronger and more driven person, who’s less likely to give up when the going gets tough.
Socializing
Scuba diving is a social activity. While it is possible to go out scuba diving alone, this is only really a reality for people who are trained, have their own equipment, and who has access to a private boat. For ordinary people, scuba diving is performed as part of a group. This means that by going scuba diving, you are going to have to socialize with other people and make new friends. If you want to get outdoors and socialize more, then scuba diving’s definitely an activity that you should consider.
It’s clear from this post that there are many benefits associated with scuba diving. If you want to build physical and mental strength, then it’s an activity that’s well worth considering. It’s also very affordable and can be performed more or less anywhere, as long as you have the right gear.
