Hardening of the body is a natural technique for healthy and happy longevity! What happens when you pour cold water on your body? Why is it effective for boosting immunity? What can be achieved by hardening

On our skin is great amount the so-called "cold receptors", irritating which you can affect the entire body. If you carry out hardening procedures correctly, you will help strengthen the immune system and improve thermoregulation (the body's ability to maintain a constant temperature at various conditions external environment). In addition, hardening stimulates metabolic processes in your body, strengthens nervous system, tones the heart and blood vessels, eliminates arrhythmia. Finally, hardening promotes weight loss, improves skin tone and gives the body a charge of vivacity.

To start - simple rules hardening of the body, which everyone should know about. If you decide to douse yourself with cold water (or choose other types of hardening - we'll talk about them below), keep in mind:

1. You can start tempering only when you are absolutely healthy.

Colds and viral diseases(for example, acute respiratory infections, SARS, influenza), festering wounds on the skin will have to be cured prior to the hardening procedures. Also, hardening of the body is contraindicated for those who suffer from increased eye pressure- with a temperature difference, the pressure can become even higher, which will provoke retinal detachment. Hypertensive patients, hypotensive patients and those who suffer from kidney diseases should consult a therapist before proceeding with the procedures. Ischemic disease hearts, heart failure, tachycardia - diseases in which hardening of the body is strictly prohibited.

2. Start hardening gradually to relieve the body of stress

If your body is not distinguished by good health, start strengthening it by yourself. in a simple way- accustom yourself to washing with cold water (do it gradually - let the water be at first room temperature 20-22°C, then every day lower it by about a degree). Eventually, you'll get used to washing your face with cold tap water and be able to move on to the next step without negative consequences for the body.

3. Carry out hardening procedures regularly, systematically, without interruptions

If you have already decided, then temper yourself daily, in any weather and in any conditions. Even on a trip or hike, you must continue what you started, and what kind of procedure it will be - walking barefoot or wiping with a towel - decide for yourself. Keep in mind that hardening can cause a runny nose, but this is not a reason to stop the procedure. An exception may be temperature rise.

Varieties of hardening procedures

Let's put aside such extreme procedures as winter swimming and talk about procedures that are easy to perform and accessible to everyone.

1. Air baths

Air hardening should be started in a well-ventilated room at a temperature not lower than 15-16°C. On the initial stage the session should last 3 minutes (over time, you will increase it to 5 minutes). After undressing, do some vigorous "warming" exercises (walking in place, squats, push-ups - whatever your heart desires). For taking baths outdoors You can start at least after a month of such preparation.

If you start to harden now, then by the summer you will be able to switch to air baths on the street - it is recommended to start taking them at a temperature of 20-22 ° C. The first session - no more than 15 minutes (and only if you have prepared the body with winter home workouts), subsequent air baths can be longer (add 1-2 minutes every day).

In the cold season, sessions in the air (on the balcony, for example) can be carried out only after a year of preliminary preparation (start from 1 minute and gradually increase the “dose” to 15 minutes).

2. Rubbing

Rubbing is useful for everyone who has no contraindications and - especially - violations of the skin. The procedure consists in vigorously rubbing the body with a towel dipped in water. Rub the neck, chest and back in succession with a wet towel for 2 minutes until redness and warmth, then pat them dry. Repeat the procedure with the hips and legs.

First moisten the towel with water, the temperature of which is 33-34°C, gradually (every 10 days) lowering the temperature by 5°C, so you bring it to 18-20°C. Having fixed the result within 2-3 months, you can proceed to lower the degree of water to cold - also once every 10 days, continue to lower it by 5 ° C.

3. Pouring

The easiest way for beginners is partial pouring. Best time for the procedure - morning. I recommend preparing water in the evening: take a bucket of cold tap water (it will warm up to room temperature overnight). In the morning, pour several times over your arms, legs and neck and rub them dry with a towel. After 2 weeks of daily dousing, you can start dousing the whole body.

With regard to temperature, the effectiveness of hardening increases as the contrast between body temperature and water temperature increases. Every 10 days, as with rubdowns, lower the water temperature by 5°C. Make sure that the air temperature in the room is not lower than 20 ° C - this way you will avoid hypothermia.

4. Contrast shower

The contrast effect of water strengthens the heart and blood vessels, starts metabolic processes in the body due to the rapid flow of blood to the organs. Do not linger for a long time on individual parts of the body, successively pour a stream of water from the shower over yourself. The simplest and most understandable scheme of the existing procedure, in my opinion, is this: 10-30 seconds - hot shower, 10-30 seconds - cold shower, repeat the cycle three times.

Start with 10 seconds, after 2 weeks increase the time to 20 seconds, after another 2 weeks - bring it to 30 seconds. Water temperature in the first 2-3 weeks: hot - 40-45°C, cold - 28-30°C. You can then lower the temperature of the cold water to 15-20°C.

5. Barefoot in the cold

Stop hardening is a method accessible to everyone. Pour water at room temperature (20-22 ° C) on the bottom of the bath, stand in it for 2-3 minutes and alternately step from foot to foot. Lower the water temperature by 1°C every 2-3 days. Gradually, you "reach" the temperature of cold water from the tap.

A nice bonus - this way of hardening the body not only improves immunity, but also serves as a prevention of flat feet and hyperhidrosis ( excessive sweating) stop.

Hello friends! Today I decided to talk about hardening the body as a whole, and willpower in particular 🙂

This morning, as always, pouring a bowl of ice water over myself, I felt an incredible buzz from this procedure. Immediately came the drive, the desire active movement and a feeling of “common movement” and joy from life! Well, you can’t get high alone, happiness must be shared!

I remember myself 2 years ago - then, not only to pour cold water on, but even just to force myself to take a shower in the morning after sleep, it was beyond my strength, and it was unthinkable for me ... I always, as it seemed to me then, was " merzlyachka", and loved the water, only swimming in a warm river or in the warm sea in the summer, when it's hot and the sun is shining ...

But life (more precisely, the sores that I earned by the age of 45) made me take up healing and strengthening the immune system. With the "light hand" of Alexei Mamatov, after his educational and inspiring video lessons, I began to do a daily dousing with cold water and a contrast, and then an ice shower.

I must say that on the wave of enthusiasm, my transition from the usual lazy morning to the invigorating morning bath with cold water was very quick and short. I just started with a contrast shower, then I began to add an ice shower for a minute, then I just switched to dousing from the pelvis (which for some reason I like more in terms of sensations).

There are also other stages that I keep “in reserve”, but which I have not yet reached different reasons — immersion in an ice bath(it is practiced daily and highly recommended by Dr. Bubnovsky) and winter swimming. The first is inconvenient for me because of purely domestic problems. The second is too extreme for now, and again, there is no ice hole within walking distance to turn this into a daily procedure ...

But for now, to be honest, the usual dousing is enough for me ice water. I get my effects from this a hundredfold and I am very happy about it!

Let's talk a little about what gives the body hardening and how it affects human health.

Of course, the term "hardening" has more general concept than just "pouring water". We also harden when we dress a little lighter than we are used to, what is called “not according to the weather”, when we go home half-dressed and do not wrap ourselves in unnecessary rags, when the windows of our apartment are open almost at any time of the day and at any time of the year, when we we walk in the air, regardless of the weather, not afraid of wind, cold, rain, or heat.

What about our immunity?

natural immunity, means of our defense, gives a quick immune response to any viral or other attack. If the immune system is weakened, the answer will also be indistinct and weak, naturally, we get sick and get sick for a long time and hard ...

When are we more likely to get sick? In the so-called "cold seasons" - in winter, in early spring and late autumn. That is, exactly when the body most often experiences a temperature imbalance - either warming up, then cold, then wind, etc. An organism not accustomed to temperature changes is weakened by these external factors and ... "picks up the virus", gets sick. The body, which is regularly trained to withstand these changes, is "hardened" - it calmly fights any infection in its normal operating mode.

Tempering, we strengthen our immunity, making the body immune to temperature changes.

Actually, for this you need to temper, because modern man created for himself too hothouse conditions of life. Take life for example. ordinary person in nature 100 years ago. Constant contact with the external environment and, mind you, not always “warm and fluffy”!

And in winter, in any frost and wind, and in summer - at the very extreme heat, a person was forced to constantly be in the air, moved a lot, was engaged physical work, all the time was in contact with wildlife in all its diverse manifestations ...

And today's average resident of the city sometimes does not even go out into the street for the whole day even once! Yes, and going out into the street, he will look at the thermometer ten times, change his warm hat to “very warm” so that his head does not freeze until he reaches the car ... Well, everything is clear here, I think there is nothing to explain .... Therefore, it is not surprising that we suffer from the slightest drafts, we catch bronchitis from wet feet, and with an open window we can no longer do without a handkerchief ...

Therefore, the benefits of hardening cannot be overestimated! It's simple - if you want to get sick less, temper yourself with everyone accessible ways! One of these methods is dousing with cold water.

What happens when you pour cold water on your body? Why is it effective for boosting immunity?

When we douse ourselves with very cold water (and as it turned out, the water is warmer than 12 degrees - it no longer has any healing properties for us, it is cold-icy water that we need to pour over!), Our body instantly receives a command from the brain “Immediately warm up!”. And the temperature for a very short moment rises to almost 42 degrees! This temperature allows you to destroy almost any virus or infection, and our tissues are not harmed.

AT preventive purposes, to harden the body, such dousing should be carried out in the morning and evening. But in medicinal purposes when the viruses have already attacked the body - you can pour yourself every 3 hours.

Adherents of the teachings of the famous Porfiry Ivanov(who claimed and proved by his own example that any disease can be cured with water and cold), they never wipe themselves with a towel after dousing.

They argue that during ablution, the structure of water changes, the water, as it were, "tunes" to a specific person and his "sores", acquiring a special healing power just for him. Therefore, after dousing, it is important not to wipe the water from the skin, but to allow it to dry. naturally, water will be absorbed through the pores and we will get an additional healing effect.

We are not talking about winter swimming and hour-long barefoot races in snowdrifts - this is already a kind of sport and has nothing to do with hardening directly. This is, so to speak, the "major league" ...

To restore and maintain health ice douches and regular cold showers are enough. It would seem that this can be finished, because everything is clear here - “dig deeper, throw further ..” If it weren’t for people weakened by diseases and not children.

Hardening for these two categories cannot be put on the general flow and adjusted to general recommendations.

Hardening of children and people with weakened immune systems. How right?

For weakened immunity sudden exposure to cold water can lead to inflammation of the kidneys, Bladder, to exacerbate chronic diseases and to a general deterioration in health, to the opposite of the expected result ...

About children, too, a special conversation

Newborn babies do not need any hardening at all. It’s just that initially they need to create such living conditions where contrasting temperatures will not be something supernatural, but will simply become the norm of their life. This is NOT wrapping babies in 33 blankets, NOT pulling hats and socks on them, sleeping in a cool ventilated room, playing with water, daily bathing and dousing in a playful way.

Science says that a newborn can adapt to any conditions of existence (of course, within reasonable limits!), That's how nature arranged it. You will wrap up and protect from the slightest breeze - it will grow weak and painful. You will easily dress and make friends with water and cold - it will be strong and hardy.

But what about children older than a year who already have certain habits to a constant temperature, in which the natural mechanism of adaptation to drastic changes environment? If a child is often sick, mothers are completely afraid to temper him. Indeed, it’s scary ... It’s scary only when there is no clear methodology for GRADUAL accustoming the baby to cold and water!

We get used gradually

There is also such a technique - a technique for gradually accustoming the body of a child (or any adult with a weakened immune system, or simply a person who is afraid of the cold) to the hardening procedure. To make it “not stressful”, gradually, not to harm, but for pleasure. And where there is pleasure, there will be benefit!

So what do we need. Take a hard towel, you can use a soft natural washcloth (soft for a washcloth, but hard enough for a towel). Prepare water, for starters - just a couple of degrees cooler than body temperature.

Our task is to divide all the time of our adaptation to cold and hardening into 3-day stages. Each new stage, we will simply slightly reduce the temperature of the water and slightly increase the area of ​​​​impact. Everything is very simple.

• Stage 1 - from 1 to 3 days- Water is about 34 degrees Celsius, we moisten the towel, wring it out and begin to rub the reflexogenic zones - palms on both sides and feet on both sides. On each side we do 10-12 rubbing movements, quite energetic. Then, also, but slightly weaker in effect, we wipe the face, ears, neck, and back of the head. So we do all three days - in the morning and in the evening.
• Stage 2 - from 4 to 6 days- The water temperature is 33 degrees. We already wipe the legs to the knee, and the hands to the elbows. We wipe the whole head, including hairy part. Let's not forget the neck.
• Stage 3 - from 7 to 9 days- The temperature is 32 degrees. We completely wipe our arms to the shoulders and legs to the groin.
• Stage 4 - from 10 to 12 days— The temperature is 31 degrees. Add the lower back and buttocks to the rubdown area.
• Stage 5 - from 13 to 15 days- The temperature is 30 degrees. To all the previous we add the stomach and inguinal zone.
• Stage 6 - from 16 to 18 days— The water temperature is 29 degrees. Now we wipe the whole body!

By now you should be well prepared for the cold and cold water douches. But if 6 stages are not enough, continue at the same pace, lowering the water by one degree every three days. You will feel that your body is responding well to cold water and exposure to air. When you can comfortably wipe yourself with cold water, you can move on to dousing.

Save the contrast shower

If you are still afraid - connect a contrast shower - warming yourself up under a hot stream of water for one minute, then easily switch to cold (at first it just feels cool) water - also for one minute. So you can alternate up to 5 minutes.

Another nuance - when dousing all experienced comrades insist on dousing the head. Maybe for a man this is an insignificant nuance, but for a woman - daily problems with drying hair and hair, so if you are a woman and you have no time to mess with your hair every time, deviate slightly from the "canons" - nothing bad will happen.

Although they claim that dousing effect(or diving into cold bath) with the head - almost 2 times enhances the healing effect! In general, see for yourself what you need ...

And here is another interesting approach to hardening

— I strongly advise everyone to take a look, especially those who are very afraid of cold water, but still want to start tempering!

I will give a little explanation on this video. Aleksey does not mention this here, but it is important to say why exactly he advises using the Lyapko rug (and other similar products with needles) for people who do not tolerate cold water and cold in general.

Everyone probably already knows that our feet (and our palms) have biologically active points and zones associated with all our organs. Including with organs hormonal system. Namely, these organs that produce hormones are also responsible for our energy potential.

When energy flows freely through the body, we are warm. When its flows are exhausted, we freeze even in relatively warm weather.

By stimulating our feet (and also palms!) with a needle mat, we gradually align the energy flow and heat transfer in our body.

Hardening and excellent strengthening of the immune system - this is only part of the beneficial properties that cold bath. It has a great effect on the skin, easily making it supple and smooth. With the help of this procedure, the body becomes less susceptible to various viral diseases and infections.

Correct Application

Despite the simplicity and accessibility of this method to effectively help the body, this should be done with extreme caution. Instead of hardening the body or losing weight, you can get a lot of problems that will be impossible to solve without medical intervention. It is best to take such baths in the morning, then an excellent cheerful mood will last for the whole day. In winter, you need to do this a little more often than in summer. Don't jump right into ice water, not everyone will be able to decide on this, and the body must get used to such a procedure.

Before the session, it is recommended to do a little gymnastics, or at least jump and do a few squats. The body will warm up a little, hardening or the process of losing weight will occur with maximum benefit. That is why athletes are recommended ice baths at the end of a grueling workout. After a heavy physical labor It is also advised to relax and unwind in such a bath. With bruises and stretch marks, cold water can create a real miracle - the pain will certainly subside.

If you are only interested in cold water as a way to lose weight, do not rely on such a miracle. To do this, you need to at least revise your diet and add small workouts. If time does not allow you to seriously engage in sports, then you need to do a few minutes after breakfast. gymnastic exercises. Very soon you will see that the frequency of such procedures give excellent results for weight loss.

When immersed in a cold bath, the body will feel slight discomfort, but it should pass quickly if you do not have any health problems. You can add a little warm water this will help get rid of the chills. Such a bath will also positively affect the condition of the whole body after a hard workout, the muscles will be able to completely relax, blood circulation will accelerate. Sitting in the water is strictly prohibited for more than 10 minutes. After the bath, you can rinse under a cool shower and be sure to thoroughly rub the body with a hard towel. It is strongly not recommended to walk on the street immediately after the procedure. It is necessary to wait several hours, regardless of whether it is warm or cold outside. Even in the house, beware of drafts.

It is recommended to take a bath while sitting, in no case should the level of cold water rise above the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe heart. Also, with increasing discomfort, dizziness or deterioration of well-being, it is necessary to urgently stop the procedure. Your body may not be ready for such stress and this will negatively affect your health. Start hardening with warmer water, or cold rubdowns.

Ice bath with medicinal herbs

Such a bath will perfectly raise the immune system and have a beneficial effect on the entire body as a whole. Cold fragrant water will calm the nerves, improve skin tone, relieve pain after a workout, make the hardening of the body pleasant, and is also great for losing weight.

For cooking healing decoction you need to take 50 gr. medicinal chamomile, 150 gr. nettle leaves, 100 gr. dry flowers of viburnum, 20 gr. calendula and 100 gr. currant leaves. Pour this mixture with cold water and put on fire. After boiling, boil for 5 minutes over low heat. Remove, cool and strain through several layers of gauze. Pour into bath and top up with cold water the right amount. You can freeze such a decoction in ice molds and add it each time during the procedure. You will get a double benefit - the water will cool as much as possible and become truly healing.

bath with magnesia

Magnesia is often used to remove excess fluid from the body. This kind of salt can be bought at any pharmacy, it is inexpensive, but its help for hardening the body or losing weight is very high.

• To prepare a bath, you will need three types of salt - kitchen, sea and magnesia.
• Mix them in such proportions - 1 kg of simple salt, 0.5 kg of sea salt and 150 gr. magnesia.
• dissolve them into a small amount warm water, stirring until the crystals are completely dissolved.
• Then add cold water.

Take such a bath for about a quarter of an hour, rinse a little warm water and thoroughly rub the whole body terry towel. Before going to bed, you can apply an anti-cellulite cream, or another means for losing weight.

If your body is prone to colds, this method will have a great effect on hardening. After regular treatments, you will see and feel the effective effects saline solutions to your health. Magnesia is included in medical preparations helping to film pain. Therefore, for athletes after a long hard workout, it will be useful to take such a bath.

Bath with honey

O magical help natural honey in the composition different means for weight loss has been known for quite a long time. After training, many doctors advise to relieve fatigue precisely by exposure to this product. Hardening of the body is also impossible without such beneficial substance. As a result of taking a bath with natural honey body fat in problem areas it begins to melt at an incredible speed, immunity to cold viruses is developed, the whole body becomes healthy and energetic.

To prepare such a healing bath, you need to combine 2 liters of fat milk and a glass of honey. Heat the mixture in a water bath until a homogeneous thick mass is obtained. Pour into the bath and fill it to the required volume with very cold water. You can sit in such a healing solution for about 10-15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and apply on the body. nutritious cream. It is advisable to take a bath before going to bed in order to immediately crawl under the covers.

Do not forget that many people are allergic to honey, so such a bath is categorically not recommended for them. Even if you haven't seen any discomfort from this product earlier, if you experience any incomprehensible discomfort during the procedure, get out immediately and rinse thoroughly large quantity warm water. Hardening with honey will be more effective if after a bath for a few minutes, finishing the procedure under a cold stream.

Contraindications for use

If you decide to use such a pleasant and wonderful method for hardening or losing weight, it is worth considering that there are also some contraindications here. Ice baths are strictly not recommended in such cases:

1. the presence of any malignant tumors;
2. hypertonic disease;
3. cardiovascular diseases;
4. damage to the skin;
5. Chronical bronchitis;
6. pregnancy or lactation period;
7. colds.

Baths using cold water should be taken periodically, alternating different components. You can do cold procedures for two days, and then allow the body to rest for the same time. If training in the gym is very difficult, and sweat is plentiful, it is recommended to first lie down in a warm bath for half an hour. Start hardening gradually, smoothly moving from cool water to ice. You will soon notice that this great way affect your health, and completely free and very effective. Go to the gym for training, harden your body, take cold water baths, as a result you will get healthy body and a stunning toned figure!

The familiar word "hardening" carries with it deep meaning. In the medical sense, hardening measures imply a set of specific procedures that actively stimulate natural immunity, increase resistance to all unfavorable factors habitats, improve thermoregulation and form vitality. In simple words, hardening means the natural training of the body's protective barrier with the help of natural factors. Hardening gives a person a complete physical and spiritual balance, increases all the potentials of the body.
Without implying it, we train our body by visiting a bathhouse, swimming in ponds or walking on fresh air. But in order to call these seemingly ordinary actions true hardening, certain principles must be strictly observed:

1. Before proceeding with the hardening itself, you need to make sure that the body is absolutely ready for this. This implies that there should not be acute diseases and exacerbated chronic diseases (in some of which hardening is prohibited or limited). It is necessary to sanitize all infectious foci in the body (teeth with caries, inflamed tonsils etc.).
2. In addition to physical readiness, there must be a clear and motivated psychological attitude, i.e. awareness that everything is done for the benefit of one's own health and strong confidence in the success of these events. And only a positive attitude!
3. Hardening is a system that is implemented continuously, i.e. daily. It should be understood that in order to achieve excellent health indicators, one should work long and hard, although it is difficult to call it work - after all, all the techniques are so pleasant and do not require much effort on oneself. good reasons for temporary interruption of hardening procedures are health problems.
4. The strength and duration of hardening procedures increase day by day, but smoothly, without extreme actions. This is a very important rule. Many, having felt a significant surge of strength and vigor after 3-4 hardening procedures, are ready to dive into the hole the next day. You will have to pay for such “impulses” with your own health. Everything should increase moderately and gradually, and nothing else.
5. When hardening, a reasonable sequence of procedures is also important. You should start the hardening training of the body with soft and gentle methods, and then move on to more serious effects. For example, start hardening with water with foot baths and smoothly move on to dousing, first local, then full-fledged general.
6. No matter how well the hardening procedures are perceived, one should still take into account individual reactions person and health status. Hardening at the first stages is a kind of shake-up of the body, and during this period various dormant sores can come out. Therefore, having decided to harden, in any case, you should consult a doctor.
7. In addition to hardening, it is necessary to use physical exercises, active games and sports. All this strengthens the results achieved and helps to fully train your body.

Methods for hardening the body

The natural resistance of the body must be formed to all natural factors without exception.
The main systems and methods of hardening (as the impact on the body increases):

1. Air baths. The technique is used for medicinal purposes and preventive measures. It is based on the effect of the natural air environment on open skin.

The system is phased, begins with hardening indoors at a temperature range of 15 - 16 ° C with a time interval of 3-5 minutes. After 4-5 days, you can start a ten-minute hardening effect on the skin in the open air, but at t not less than 20 - 22 ° C. In the future, the time spent outdoors gradually increases. This method is optimal for untrained people.

Hardening with cold air masses (from 4 to 13 ° C) can only be used by trained, well-hardened people. Start exposure from a couple of minutes and gradually bring this time to 10 minutes, but no more.

Air baths train the thermoregulation system, normalize and optimize the functionality of the heart and blood vessels, respiratory system, digestion and have a beneficial effect on the state of mental balance.

2. Sunbathing. The methodology is positive impact body in direct sunlight. More effective results gives the simultaneous application of hardening by the sun and air.

The sun's rays are quite aggressive natural factor which may cause burns and heat or sunstroke. Therefore, the following are very important: the time of the procedure (morning between 9-11 am or evening between 17-19 hours) and the duration of exposure (start from 3-4 minutes and increase to 1 hour, gradually adding a few minutes). The head and cornea of ​​the eyes should be protected from direct sunlight. The last meal before tanning should be at least an hour and a half before sun exposure. When tanning, the sun should “look” at your feet, you should not stand or sit, it is better to lie down.

Solar infrared light has an active thermal action. Sweating and evaporation from the skin of released moisture increase, subcutaneous vessels expand, and general blood flow increases. The body actively produces vitamin D, which normalizes and activates metabolic processes and is involved in the formation of highly active products of protein metabolism. As a result of this, the blood composition improves, and the overall resistance to diseases of any etiology increases.

3. Hardening with water. The most common among the inhabitants and loved by many techniques. Proceed to water hardening best in morning time, after charging. The water temperature starts at 37°C natural for the skin, then gradually decreases by 1-2 degrees every day. For everybody water way there is a temperature limit, which we will discuss below.

Under the influence of water, the vessels initially narrow, the skin turns pale, and blood flows to the internal organs. Then the functioning of the nervous and cardio- vascular systems, the general metabolism is accelerated, which leads to the reverse transition of blood from the internal organs to the skin. Those. water comprehensively trains the entire body, tones and strengthens blood vessels.

There are several directions water system hardening, which can be combined.

a) Local water procedures - the hardening effect of water on the feet and throat.

Foot washing can be done daily. The procedure is carried out before bedtime. To begin with, the water used should have t 26 - 28 ° C, then it decreases to 12 - 15 ° C, within a few weeks. After the procedure, the feet are thoroughly rubbed until visible redness.

Gargling is a procedure that should begin the morning and end the evening. Initially, cool water should be 23 - 25 ° C, weekly (not daily!) The temperature is reduced by a degree and brought to 5 - 10 ° C.

b) Rubbing - very mild in action water treatment which has no contraindications. AT cool water lower a sponge or towel and wipe the skin. The body is wiped from top to bottom, after the procedure, the skin is rubbed with a towel to redness. The duration of exposure is about 5 minutes.

c) Pouring is the next stage of the water hardening system. They start with water at about + 30 ° C, gradually reduce t to + 15 ° C and below. Rubbing is also carried out after the procedure. skin surface towel to hyperemia.

d) Shower is a very effective water procedure. They start from t +30 - 32 ° C and last about a minute. Gradually reduce t to + 15 ° C and increase the procedure time to 2-3 minutes. If the body accepts the ongoing hardening with a shower, they switch to a temperature contrast, alternating water 35 - 40 ° C with water 13 - 20 ° C 2-3 times for three minutes.

e) Bathing in warm time year in a natural open reservoir, starting at 18 - 20 ° C water temperature and 14 - 15 ° C air temperature.

f) Swimming in an ice-hole is the most powerful method available only to the most hardened people. This most powerful health-improving technique belong to the ancient methods of prevention and treatment of many diseases. Really, earlier people were healthier both in body and soul, and swimming in the hole itself was not such a curiosity as it is now. On the contrary, this healing ritual was performed by many, from young to old.
The medical history of this method, like hardening, is relatively young, dating back to the late 1800s. Today, traditionally, everyone strives to experience these unique sensations. Orthodox person on the great day of the Baptism of the Lord.

FROM medical point vision, swimming in an ice hole is an acute stress with a short-term effect. There is a so-called "dance of the vessels" and the redistribution of blood. First, the vessels lying on the surface narrow and give their blood "to save" the internal organs. Then this same blood internal organs give back, and the vessels again rapidly dilate. A huge amount of hormones is released into the blood: adrenaline and endorphins. There is a general stimulation of the body, all systems and organs begin to work more intensively and correctly. Activated protective function developed persistent insensitivity to the effects of disease-causing agents. Emotionally, a person feels indescribably light and joyful. Many say that having experienced swimming in the hole, they began a different life! Bathing in an ice-hole relieves pain in the shoulders, back, joints, relieves insomnia, improves central and peripheral blood circulation and increases cold resistance.

The path to hardening in the hole is long. A person must overcome all of the above methods of hardening, then switch to dousing with ice water, and only then gets acquainted with the hole. You should not engage in this type of water exposure on your own and alone, control by professional "walruses" is required.

Naturally, this procedure requires a state full health and psychological readiness. Rules for immersion in an ice hole - gradual dipping with a minimum of time in the water (starts from a few seconds and carefully increases to several minutes). It is very important to wipe yourself dry after dipping, dress warmly (but not hot) and move actively. A cup herbal tea will further emphasize the charm of this procedure!

In addition to the listed common methods, hardening includes walking barefoot, a bath, wiping with snow, sleeping in the open air, and others.

Walking barefoot is a hardening method available to every person. They start walking in the warm season and, with good tolerance, continue all year round. The sensations of walking in the snow are so contrasting that it is difficult to describe them, in a word - they cause children's delight in adults! It is important to maintain a balance of walking time: with a decrease in outdoor temperature, the duration of exposure is reduced. And only after getting used to the cold (1.5-2 weeks) slowly increase this time. It is better to walk in a certain place, for example, on the ground with grass.

A kind of barefoot walking, or rather, a more serious version of such hardening is barefooting. This technique means constantly walking barefoot, even in Everyday life. Barefooting is common in Western countries, where walking barefoot is officially allowed by the authorities. We also use a softer version of barefooting - walking without shoes in nature.
On the feet is the most a large number of biologically active points. They are actively stimulated when walking barefoot and help to normalize the activity of many organs and body systems. The body becomes resistant to colds, immunity is strengthened.

Bath. Bath helps to achieve correct reaction vascular bed on the impact of the external environment. The body quickly adapts to frequently changing environmental conditions, especially to high and low temperatures. Decreases the likelihood of colds, the heart and blood vessels are toned, a stable psyche is formed.
But it should be understood that the bath gives a load and is of a training nature. The approach to bath hardening is the same as to other methods: a smooth increase in the time of exposure to heat on the body.
The first acquaintance with a steam room should be in healthy condition, outside physical activity and an hour or two after eating. It is recommended to take a bath in the evening hours, so that after pleasant procedures could go to sleep. You should start with 1-2 minutes of being in the steam room, after which you need to take a warm shower and relax. Gradually, the time is increased to a three-four-minute visit to the steam room, and the t of the shower water is reduced to 20-25 ° C. The most optimal is a three-time visit to the steam room, but with a mandatory rest between visits. Trained people can take a contrast shower or swim in a cool and even cold pool. But even here there is a rule - the colder the water, the less time you can stay in it.

Wiping with snow. Perform this invigorating and useful procedure allowed only completely healthy people after preliminary long hardening cold water. Ideal weather: no wind and temperature around 0°C. Rubbing is carried out from the periphery (hands and feet) to the center. You should not wipe your head and ears, but your face is a must. It is enough to walk over the body 1-2 times, the duration of the procedure: 1-2 minutes.
Therapeutic effect of snow rubdown: stimulated defensive forces body, especially in the fight against colds.

Sleeping in the open air refers to passive hardening techniques. The main rule is the absence of drafts. Daytime and night sleep can be arranged in a bedroom with open windows, on a balcony or loggia, on a veranda. Many are interested, is it possible to sleep on the street? If it is summer time, there is an equipped place, protected from wind and precipitation - then you can. But in the off-season and especially in winter, it is better not to do such extreme actions, because. in a dream, a person’s thermoregulation is imperfect, the body cools down very quickly. And sleeping in a padded jacket and felt boots is very uncomfortable, and there will be absolutely no benefit from such a dream.

Fresh, constantly circulating air is an excellent therapeutic and preventive factor in itself. All microbes and viruses floating in the air are neutralized, and the blood is saturated with oxygen. The result is a fresh and rested appearance after sleep, strong immunity and excellent health.

The positive effect of all the listed hardening procedures on the body has been proven for centuries. An invaluable mechanism for adapting the body to all environmental factors is launched, due to which resistance to various diseases, a person becomes healthier, more durable and happier!

Prepared by: Anastasia Kuzheleva

If you are tired of getting sick every time the weather changes, start tempering your body. This will help not only strengthen the immune system, but also improve metabolism, which contributes to weight loss, strengthen the nervous system, heart and blood vessels. But do not immediately jump into the hole. How to temper properly - in our article.

Before listing all the safe hardening methods, remember the following:
Do not rush to do everything at once - otherwise it will follow reverse effect: you will get sick. Choose a few of the following items and gradually add the rest to them in turn.
You should start hardening only after making sure that you are absolutely healthy.
If you feel that you are getting sick, turn on a more gentle hardening mode, or temporarily refuse the procedures that made you feel worse.
Thermoregulation in children is weaker than in adults. Before you start hardening your baby, it is better to consult with your doctor.

1. Walking barefoot

To prepare your body for hardening, start walking around the apartment without slippers and in the lightest possible clothes. Yes, home sweaters, leggings and terry dressing gowns put away on the topmost shelf.

2. Sleep with an open window

Make it a habit to sleep with the window open in winter and completely in summer open window. This not only hardens the body, but also has a beneficial effect on sleep. In a long unventilated room accumulates carbon dioxide, inhaling it, there is a feeling of fatigue, people begin to yawn. Sleep in such a room is disturbing - most often nightmares.

3. Washing with cold water

You need to accustom your body to cold water from a small point - start washing yourself in the mornings and evenings with cold water. The rule applies in all seasons.

4. Towel rubdown

To start hardening, wiping with a towel is one of the most safe ways improve thermoregulation, i.e. help maintain constant temperature bodies in different climates.
Rubdowns are beneficial to everyone, except for people with diseases or skin disorders.
What do we have to do? Wet a towel with water at a temperature of 35 degrees and rub the whole body to redness. It takes less than two minutes. Gradually lower the temperature of the water by one degree. After a month, you can wipe yourself with a cold wet towel.

5. Air baths

Air has a positive effect on blood vessels and improves blood pressure. You can take air baths both at home and on the street.
Houses: open all the windows in the apartment, creating a draft, and undress. Close the windows after 5 minutes and open them again after 10 minutes.
On the street: it is most useful to take air baths in motion, if it is warm outside - put on a minimum of clothes and go out for a walk. In the cold season - dress so as not to freeze. It should be remembered that you can easily get sick if you walk in low temperature and high humidity. Do not harden outdoors in case of rain, fog and strong winds.

6. Pouring

It is worth starting to pour over individual parts of the body at room temperature. The best time for pouring is in the morning. Gradually move on to dousing the whole body. If this task is up to you, gradually lower the temperature of the water. So, after a few months, you will begin to douse yourself with cold water. In order not to chill the body, take a warm shower before dousing. If the terrain allows you, go outside to pour yourself, of course, in the summer. Pouring on the street in winter is equivalent to diving into an ice hole - it is reasonable only after several years of hardening.

7. Contrast shower

A contrast shower will speed up metabolic processes and improve work of cardio-vascular system. The main rules of a contrast shower are to spray the whole body with a stream of water and not delay the switching of hot and cold water. Start with a few cycles of 30 seconds hot water- 10 seconds warm - 5 seconds cold water. Remove after a week middle part cycle, leaving only hot and cold water. After a week, complicate the task - 20 seconds of hot water - 10 seconds of cold. In a month you will be able to take a contrast shower 20-30 seconds of hot water, 20-30 seconds of cold.

8. Hardening feet

Tempering the feet is useful for both general strengthening immunity, and for the prevention of flat feet or hyperhidrosis - excessive sweating. Fill the tub ankle-deep with water at room temperature and walk around in it for a few minutes. Gradually lower the temperature by 5 degrees.

9. Bath

Bath, sauna - are also good source hardening. After the bath, you can plunge into cold water, douse yourself with cold water or jump into the snow. remember, that sharp drops temperatures for an unprepared organism are dangerous. If you have just begun to harden, the item “cold after the bath” is no longer needed. Take a warm shower.

10. Bathing and winter swimming

Swimming in the river in the summer is also one of the ways to temper. Rarely, when the water in the rivers of central Russia warms up by more than 25 degrees. If you have been hardening for more than a year, try to swim for a few minutes or at least briefly go into cold water during the rest of the year. And for baptism, plunge into the hole.