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The first two steps in getting certified in scuba diving is to make sure that you are a reasonably proficient swimmer and you get medical clearance from your doctor to take up the sport. As for the swimming, you dont have to master every type of stroke. Scuba certification only requires that you are able to swim about 200 yards using any stroke you want and to be able to float or tread on water for about 10 minutes. If you are in good general health and are comfortable in the water, then you should be able to scuba dive without any problems.

There are about 1,900 professional scuba dive centers in north america alone and your local ones should definitely be checked out. Most will run basic certification programs on a regular basis. These centers or shops should be listed in the yellow pages and you can also check with websites of some of the major scuba diving certification agencies such as PADI or NAUI as they will also have listings. Sometimes scuba diving courses are offered at universities too.

Make sure that the course you are interested in taking as well as its instructor are certified with one of the major scuba diving training agencies. This will ensure that you get proper, safe training for both the technical background knowledge and practical skills required for certification as a scuba diver. You also want to end up with an internationally recognized certification card if you want to go scuba diving at various locations around the world.

Some vacation resorts offer resort courses lasting a day or two which offer beginners some very basic training in order to try out scuba diving. These are not certification programs. full certification programs involve classroom work, exams, practical skills sessions at a pool and usually about four open water dives in the sea (lake or ocean). The duration of the classroom work and pool sessions vary from a very intensive weekend (with advance reading) to once a week over several weeks. The open water dives will usually take two more days. Dive centers located in the tropics also offer basic certification programs that last several days to a week. Although the intensive weekend programs are quite feasible, many feel that basic scuba diving courses spread out over a few weeks will help beginners learn the skills better. Scuba diving does involve new skills and to learn them all during one full weekend may be too much for some people.

As for which scuba diving certification training agency is the best, there isnt any one recognized organization that is better than another. PADI is the most popular in the world but not necessarily better than NAUI or SSI. NAUI course are often more technical in the classroom than those offered by PADI but both will adequately train you to be a scuba diver. The more important factor would be the individual instructor and your own effort during training/studying. In fact, many scuba diving instructors have certifications from several training agencies.

For people living in the more northern regions, there are a few possible routes to take in order to obtain certification. One can travel down south to the tropics and do the entire basic certification course down there in warm weather. However, this will take up a good portion of a vacation since reading, classroom, pool sessions and open water dives all must be done during that time period. A second option is to take the entire course including the open water dives back in home territory. This usually offers beginners the most time since courses can be spread out over a few weeks. However, the water up north is not as warm as in the tropics and the scuba diving could be seasonal. A third option is to take all the classroom and pool sessions back home and then go down south to do the open water dives in warm waters. Many people have taken this route. Your instructor back home will give you a referral letter to bring down to an instructor located down south who will oversee your open water dives. This is a good combination of taking ample time back home to practice the skills in the pool plus getting the classroom work out of the way followed by having nice warm water to dive in for the open water dives. One thing to be aware of if considering this option is to make sure that your travel to the tropics for your open water dives is not too delayed after finishing up with your pool sessions at home. If too much time has elapsed, one could easily forget the skills learned in the pool by the time a vacation comes along.

The underwater world has so much to offer and only a small percentage of the worlds population will ever have the privilege to see it in person rather than on television. Become one of these individuals who will have the honor of exploring the oceans by getting certified in scuba diving.

Clint Leung is a NAUI certified Master and Rescue Scuba Diver. He is also owner of Free Spirit Activewear http://www.FreeSpiritActivewear.com, an online retailer/designer specializing in premium quality scuba diving activewear. Also numerous articles on scuba diving.

posted by 55208  # 3:37 PM 0 comments

Thanks to decades of dedication by teachers who have brought environmental topics into the classroom, todays students are more educated about ecology and the natural world than ever before. And now, thanks to Hurricane Katrina, the hurricane and resulting flood that devastated a large part of the Gulf Coast in the summer of 2005, environmental issues have hit the front pages of newspapers and prime time TV newscasts. The environment is big news. And for a lot of kids, its scary news.

global warming; polar bears facing extinction; colonies of bees dying all over the U.S.: these and other stories on TV have the potential of upsetting school-aged children. For teachers, this can be a big problem, or it can be an opportunity to engage children, to inform them of the problems and their possible solutions, and to excite children about scientific topics and procedures.

Luckily, written and video material abounds that teaches children about science and the natural world. books, magazines, and DVDs are available that cover every conceivable topic. Teachers guides are available for many of the periodicals, offering suggestions for incorporating the material into the class curriculum. Much of this material is geared toward current environmental concerns.

Yes, the environment is a big, scary news story right now. But with the right material and a creative approach, teachers can redirect their students fears to learning, to scientific knowledge and to developing an activist approach to the world that may send some of these young people into the direction of solving many of these serious worldwide problems.

Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire. She has written numerous articles for local and regional newspapers and for a number of Internet websites, including Tips and Topics.

http://www.cobblestonepub.com/books/

posted by 55208  # 6:06 AM 0 comments

Many individuals in dallas, Houston and other places around texas don't know that they may be slowly working toward a permanent, chronic disease -- diabetes. Untreated, diabetes can lead to heart and blood pressure problems, dependence on insulin shots, blindness, neuropathy and an early death. Here are nine risks for you to evaluate:

1. Watching two plus hours of TV daily.
Increases your risk: 14%
How: More hours in front of the tube equals less activity.
The fix: Limit TV time to 10 hours a week and get off the couch and move around. Take a walk. Go for a swim. Enjoy life outdoors.

2. Drinking one soda dailyif at all.
Increases your risk: 83%
How: Soda adds extra and empty calories, which can easily lead to weight gain. Most non-diet pops are full of sugar. More than you'll probably add to your coffee.
The fix: Switch to water, diet soda, or even better, unsweetened tea, which actually protects against disease. Green teas are gaining in popularity because of their health benefits.

3. Skipping breakfast.
Increases your risk: almost 50%
How: Not having that morning meal increases the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin, making you hungrier and, as a result, you're actually more likely to eat more.
The fix: Eat high-fiber cereal with low-fat milk and one-half cup of fruit in the morning. One study of people with prediabetes found that eating high-fiber cereals made their cells respond better to insulin. Consuming dairy products may also cut the risk for insulin resistance by 72%.

4. Major depression
Increases your risk: 23%
How: Depression may alter body chemistry in a way that makes us more prone to developing diabetes.
The fix: exercise. Even taking a walk, just 30 minutes, three times a week, has been shown to improve symptoms of depression.

5. A large waist line, even if you are of a normal weight.
Increases your risk: 330%
How: Fat in the abdomen produces compounds that make cells insulin-resistant. women should keep their waist size below 35 inches and 40 inches for men.
The fix: A half-hour to one hour of cardio, three to five times a week.

6. Waking up in the middle of the night.
Increases your risk: 98%
How: Middle-of-the-night awakenings means you're not getting enough sleep, making you more prone to developing insulin resistance, leading to diabetes.
The fix: No caffeine in the late afternoon and evening. No TV and alcohol right before bed. Try yoga or meditation to relax.

7. Consuming fast food more than twice weekly.
Increases your risk: 100%
How: Individuals who eat burgers, fries and soda more than twice a week put on 10 extra pounds and were twice as likely to become resistant to insulin.
The fix: Stay away from fast food dining. And if you have to eat it, satisfy cravings with smaller portions.

8. High stress.
Increases your risk: 184%
How: Constant high stress can interfere with your ability to make insulin and process glucose.
The fix: Allow 10-15 minutes a day to relax. Try yoga or meditation.

9. Consuming lots of processed meats.
Increases your risk: 43%
How: These meats, like hotdogs, bacon and salami, are loaded with preservatives that may destroy insulin-producing cells in your pancreas.
The fix: Cut back on these meats or eliminate them from your diet altogether. A recent Harvard University study found that women who ate these meats less than once a week had the lowest risk. If you need to satisfy a craving, try preservative-free brands.

It's important to take care of yourself; from what you eat to how active you are on a daily basis. And how you treat your body when youre young will certainly affect your health when you get older. Eventually, it will also affect your wallet as well. If you're a young individual who likes to maintain a healthy condition, you should take a look at the revolutionary, comprehensive and highly affordable individual health insurance solutions created by Precedent specifically for you.

For more information, visit us at our website, http://www.precedent.com We offer a unique and innovative suite of individual health insurance solutions, including highly competitive HSA-qualified plans and an unparalleled real-time application and acceptance experience.

Precedent puts a new spin on health insurance. learn more at http://www.precedent.com

posted by 55208  # 12:05 AM 0 comments