With summer being closer and closer, almost everyone has some sort of a fitness plan in mind to lose weight and gain more muscle. If you’re one of them, but are unsure whether the gym is the right choice for you – worry not – there is the perfect alternative that a lot of people are leaning towards more and more lately: diving.
You’ve probably heard that swimming is a full-body-exercise type of activity. Well, diving takes it even further and adds even more health benefits to it. Developing greater flexibility and strength, being a great stress reliever, improving blood circulation as well as reducing blood circulation are only one of the many benefits that come with it. But just like with any other sport, you need to be well prepared upfront to truly enjoy diving. Meaning, you’ll need to arm yourself with the right equipment.
Your safest bet is to browse the internet and buy diving gear online from the comfort of your home as you can find great deals at competitive prices and have your purchase delivered right at your doorstep. Once you have all the diving essentials such as fins, a mask, an oxygen tank and a swimsuit from your chosen diving gear online vendor, you’re more or less ready to start your adventure. Besides fun times, you’ll also enjoy other perks that come with diving. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Flexibility and Strength
Your muscles work harder when diving than they do while performing some other activities. This is so due to the resistance that water and the current provide. The more you swim and dive, the more your muscles will lengthen, develop flexibility and endurance, thus, you’ll develop more strength.
Breathing
While diving, your breathing is deep and slow, which is crucial when optimizing and conserving your air consumption. Therefore, when under water, you breath in and out slower which reduces your heart rate and promotes calmness. Steady breathing also reduces the risks of lung-expansion and reduces the building up of mucus.
Low Blood Pressure
When you first dive into the water, your heart rate might spike and your blood pressure will probably rise slightly. This will come as a result of adrenaline, excitement or even due to the cold water. When your body is immersed in cold waters, the blood vessels on the surface tend to constrict to conserve heat for the internal organs, which causes the heart to race. However, once you warm up, the heart rate reduces and so does blood pressure. The deep and slow breathing techniques will help you lower the blood pressure even further and keep yourself calmer while diving.
Relieve Stress
As aforementioned, the slow breathing induces a state of calmness, and combined with the enjoyment of the underwater surroundings, it can be a great stress reliever. All everyday problems are left at the surface of the water and you can enjoy a careless, stress-free dive. This helps promote healthy mental attitude, helping you deal with problems in a rational and calm way, significantly reducing feelings of depression.