Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Fit for Scuba?

This article was inspired by Stevie Armstrong, my Divemaster.

When I started diving, almost a year ago, I was a heavy girl.  I tipped the scales at 220 and was pretty out of shape.  Sure, I tried that running program that gets you off the couch.  And I can be good at diets for about a week or so at a time.  But, nothing has been as constant as scuba.

Just putting on equipment is a workout when you are out of shape.  Hauling that same equipment to the shore, or edge of the pool seems like a feat for Hercules.  Once in the water, though, the gear becomes almost weightless.  Your movement gets slower and more fluid.  You're now really only working your legs, as an amateur.  This is just after my Open Water certification.

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Going through the Advanced certification did not seem to tax me any extra.  My buddy would lift the tank for me to strap into, I would use a steady surface to put on my fins, and once in the water, the only thing that plagued me was calf cramps.  And boy, were they bad!  While developing my open water skills, I learned that core muscles helped keep you in the right position, and they should be working during your dives.  Here's the end of Advanced.
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Rescue class was rude awakening to what is really required, physically, from a diver.  Getting my divemaster, who is a petite young lady, out of the pool nearly had me on the victim end of the spectrum.  Having to tread/swim and get my instructor out of his gear, as well as my own, had me winded for a while after the end off the exercise.  This was about the time I noticed a change in my physique.  My clothes had started to fit a little loosely.  I was less hot and sweaty in air conditioned environments.  This is right before Rescue certification.

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If Rescue was a rude awakening, Divemaster has been a 5 alarm fire, so far.  The physical tests have been intimidating for me, being so out of shape.  Since Rescue, I have been lifting, core building, and working on the elliptical.  Admittedly, not religiously, but preparing equipment for class, loading and unloading the truck, and lifting tanks for students on a semi regular basis has replaced much of my at home workouts.

I earned that 21 of 25 points, but that makes me a "B" student.  All in all, an impressive score, all things considered.  I would like to keep training and, at the end of Divemaster, time myself on those skills again.  I would be interested to see if I am able to do better on the free swim, which I earned a 3 on, the snorkel (4), and tow (4). My never ending quest for perfection.

Diving has toned my muscles, and helped shed some pounds.  I am now only 15 pounds from the "ideal" weight all those charts seem to indicate I should be at, for my height and weight.  Now, only 95's make me wince when I lift them. What's really important to me is that I feel comfortable in my own skin.  Being around my dive crew sure would give me a complex, since they are very fit and athletic, but I am my own seashell.  I am who I am and I only change because I want to.  My most recent photo from this weekend:
And just for fun:


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