Fitness & Diving
It?s a no-brainer that physical fitness and diving of any kind go together. Diving is a physically demanding activity. Not only are you putting your body through a resistance workout (drag) when diving, but internally, your body goes through changes as well. For example, the efficiency of gas release during deco is affected by your body fat. The more the fat, the more difficult it is to off-gas nitrogen or helium. Other benefits of physical fitness are reduced gas consumption rates (which equals longer dives), less fatigue, and easier fitting into your wetsuit.
In the technical diving world, whether it be cave diving, open water mixed gas diving, or mixed gas diving in caves/wrecks, physical fitness becomes even more of a concern. Not only are you putting your body through the normal stuff that recreational divers do, but now you are carrying more gear (above and below water), staying down for longer periods of time, getting into required decompression, and even off-gassing exotic gasses like helium. So your body needs to be in good physical condition. Besides, wouldn?t it be cool-looking if all the technical divers were muscle-bound? It would play up the ?bad-ass? persona that technical divers tend to have.
Obviously, physical fitness involves diet and exercise. I?m not going to go into a lot of nutrition or workout ideas here because I don?t know a whole heck of a lot about either. But I can tell you what I?ve been doing.
I work out as many days as possible each week at my local gym. It usually ends up being between 4 or 5 sessions per week. I do cardio (treadmill) & abdominal exercises in EVERY workout. I found that using a treadmill works better than actual walking outside because you can?t cheat yourself if the treadmill?s belt is moving at a constant speed. I have started doing 1 hour per workout on the treadmill. In addition, I workout upper body one day and lower body the next (weight lifting). I keep alternating between these two. I never workout lower and upper body within 24 hours of having worked that portion earlier. The typical amount of time I spend at the gym is 2 hours per session. I will either go at 5 AM or 6:30 PM depending on what my day?s schedule looks like. I?ve found that there is almost never a time that something comes up at 5 AM which prevents me from working out. I can?t say the same for 6:30 PM. I workout alone. I find that I can get the job done quicker than if tempted to stand around and chat. Then again, who wants to chat at 5 AM? Not me. I?m not a morning person. The most difficult part of a morning workout is getting out of bed. If you can accomplish that, then the workout is easy. Plus, it?s finished for the day.
There are several things I do to keep me motivated to make each workout. First, I make it a spiritual issue. The Bible says in Romans 8 that the flesh is lazy, sinful, and weak. Paul states that he constantly beats his body (the flesh) into submission. So when I don?t ?feel? like working out, I call it ?killing the flesh? and I go anyway. Second, while I am there, I don?t rush around trying to get the workout done. I finish whenever I get finished. I tell myself THIS is where I want to be for the time spent RIGHT NOW. Third, I absolutely hate the treadmill. But I found a way to pass the time. I get a book (often dive related) that I want to read. This way, I kill two birds with one stone. I?ve completed more than one book this way. Many treadmills have TV?s now, but that?s just as much a waste of brain time as watching it at home. I?d rather use that time accomplishing something else too like learning. Fourth, I consider working out an extension of diving. So it's a way to extend the actual diving day to more of a lifestyle than just a hobbie. It's a way to do a little something each day that relates to diving (for days when I can't dive).
Some people say a routine workout is boring. And it probably is. They say they?d rather have an active lifestyle and do different activities. But, in my opinion, an actual workout routine is the only way to ensure your workout is consistent. I often see teams of women walking around the neighborhood. I just shake my head thinking, ?Man, you are wasting your time.? They usually spend more time talking at a strolling pace than they do walking. I suggest getting into a gym where they can start you off with a complete routine and get serious about fitness. If you want to socialize, then join Kiwanis too.
Regarding diet ? This is where I have a lot of trouble. I love Mountain Dew and any fattening food you can think of. The problem with any one strict diet is that it prevents you from enjoying the small things in life. I?m talking here about the unexpected invitation to go to lunch with someone, or an upcoming party. I found that restricting my consumption of fatty foods, etc to those ?special? occasions is a way to watching what you eat, but not having to forego life?s pleasures either. I try to be more disciplined during the week and enjoy myself a little more on the weekend. Add this approach to working out, and you get a better chance of keeping your weight and physical fitness under control.
There?s nothing mentioned here that?s Earth-shattering or new. But I did want to mention it and what I try to do because fitness is an important part of enjoying the sport of diving.