Winter time - beautiful time to improve the health of the body and strengthen the immune system. You are not mistaken. Winter exists not only to get sick, but also to become healthier.
The most popular types of winter hardening are snow hardening (rubbing) and swimming in an ice hole (winter swimming). However, these procedures require preliminary preparation. IN otherwise, hardening can result in colossal stress for the body, instead of healing it.
Where to start winter hardening?
To begin with, take care of the cleanliness and freshness of the air in the room where you live or spend a lot of time. To do this, ventilate at least twice a day: best in the morning, after you wake up, and in the evening before going to bed.
In good ways To prepare yourself for extreme hardening is to take a cool bath or rub down with cold water. It is best to carry out these procedures after a short walk in the fresh air. By hardening in this way, you tone and stimulate the activity of the immune and endocrine systems, and activate metabolism. You feel cheerfulness, freshness and joy. You will get the greatest effect from these procedures by hardening yourself in the morning.
Rubbing with snow
Rubbing with snow is a national way of hardening the peoples of Eastern Europe. IN Ancient Rus' rubbing was considered an obligatory part of the bath ritual. Today, experts say that this method of hardening is very useful for the body and the functioning of all its systems.
Snow hardening is not as severe as water hardening. And here's why: cooling of the body under the influence of snow occurs more slowly and, accordingly, softer than under the influence of cold water.
Thanks to wiping with snow, the body experiences an improvement in the process of thermoregulation, and the process of burning fats and carbohydrates occurs more intensively.
It has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system: with a sharp change in temperature, the vessels become flexible and youthful. The heart becomes more resilient, its power increases several times.
Hardening with snow stimulates the release of endorphins into the blood, due to which you begin to feel euphoria, and your body becomes weightless.
Rubbing rules
Before you start hardening with snow, prepare your body for this: first, walk barefoot in the snow. Any healthy person can afford to walk for 3 minutes in the snow without causing harm to their health.
Gradually this time can be increased to 7-10 minutes. Next, start rubbing snow on parts of your body: neck, shoulders, face.
With sufficient hardening, you can rub the entire body. This is done with circular or streak movements along the surface of the body. As a result of rubbing, the skin acquires a reddish tint and becomes warmer. This is a sign of vasodilation and capillary filling with blood.
Immersion in the snow after a sauna is considered the most beneficial. In a sauna, body temperature rises by 1-2 degrees and the body needs to cool down. The main thing is not to overdo it - the duration of the snow bath should not exceed 20-30 seconds. The best place for rubdowns is the countryside: the air and fallen snow there are much cleaner than in the city.
After drying, return to the sauna or bathhouse. Don't dry yourself.
Melted snow will have a healing effect on your skin.
Swimming in an ice hole Hardening in ice water can bring invaluable benefits to the body. Based on the experience of those hardening, we can conclude that winter swimming not only increases resistance to colds, but also cures many diseases. Winter swimming eliminates existing diseases or leads to their noticeable weakening. A year or two after the ice-ice hardening procedures, people stopped complaining about their previous ailments and felt much younger than their age. hardening, be sure to consult your doctor.
Swimming in an ice hole is contraindicated for those who have problems with the heart, circulatory system, or severe asthma. The reason is that during sudden cooling, the heart experiences severe stress and the airways compress, blood pressure rises, and the pulse quickens.
Bathing rules
Before plunging into ice water, thoroughly warm up your muscles.
To do this, you can take a fifteen-minute jog. Then rinse your hands, feet, and chest with cold water. After this, plunge into the hole up to your neck.
Immersing your head is not recommended - this increases heat loss.
Beginners are not recommended to spend more than 15 seconds in the water. This time is enough to awaken the body's hidden reserves and its defenses.
After swimming, you should thoroughly dry your body with a dry towel and dress warmly.
Well-seasoned people who have experience swimming in ice holes can stay in cold water for up to two minutes. Even during this time, their body does not have time to cool down.
Moreover, instead of cold they feel heat. However, overestimating your strength (being in cold water for about 10 minutes) can result in a threat to the entire body.
So, 15 seconds for the first year of hardening will be enough. In the second or third year, increase the duration of bathing to 1 minute, in the third year - up to 1.5 minutes, etc.
The main rule is your personal setting for hardening. It is important that you realize that winter swimming makes you healthier. This way you contribute to the release of endorphin into the body, the hormone of happiness, thanks to which you feel emotional uplift, optimism and joy. Perhaps this is the secret of hardening, thanks to which people not only heal themselves, but also successfully cope with life’s difficulties. You shouldn’t immediately get into a cold shower, pour a bucket of ice water on yourself right on the snow in the yard, or dive into an ice hole. Such experiments can end badly. Elena Koroleva, respiratory organs, nervous system and skin diseases. Cold water is an irritant that can cause palpitations in heart patients, exacerbation of the disease in asthmatics and a nervous attack in epilepsy, psychosis and hysteria. Hypotonics, hypertensives and patients with kidney diseases should also receive prior approval from specialists. In general, hardening is contraindicated during exacerbation of any chronic diseases, colds, acute respiratory infections and the presence of inflammatory processes in the body. Don’t experiment with your health!”
The attending physician can give some recommendations, taking into account the characteristics of your health, and tell you how to properly harden yourself at home. Hardening procedures should begin at calm state when there is no stress and overwork in life. In other words, the nervous system must be in order. It is also advisable to exclude all bad habits, because smoking and drinking alcohol are incompatible with hardening.
Some tips for beginners
There are two main rules - gradualism and regularity. There is no need to suddenly change your lifestyle. If you've been wrapping yourself up all the time and sneezing from any draft, you won't be able to wake up like a walrus one morning, and no one is asking you to. Start small - walk around your apartment barefoot for at least 5-10 minutes a day, and not only on carpets, but also on cool floor coverings. Gradually increase this time to 40 minutes, and then start dousing your feet. And there is no need to rush here - first dip your feet in a basin of cool water, then gradually lower its temperature and increase the time of foot baths. After a while, you will enjoy the ice water and be able to keep your feet in the basin for three minutes or even more. You can place two basins side by side - with hot and ice water, arranging contrast baths. Also try to wash your face first with cool and then with cold water - if you do this in the morning, then good spirits and excellent tone throughout the day are guaranteed! Already at this stage of hardening, the immune system will become stronger, and you will stop reacting with colds to drafts, provided that hardening continues every day, and not from time to time. And most importantly, don’t give up hardening, because then you’ll have to start all over again. Unfortunately, the body very quickly returns to its original state and again begins to succumb to various diseases.
Pouring rules
When your feet have become accustomed to the cold and temperature contrasts, you can start dousing, but again not immediately. Many hardening experts recommend rubbing the body with a towel soaked in cool and then cold water for two weeks. At the same time, you should not have any dermatological problems - rashes, eczema, wounds and pustules. The duration of the procedure should be increased gradually, as should the temperature of the water, and the total preparation for dousing should not be less than two weeks.
How to start pouring yourself? In the evening, fill the bucket with cold water so that by morning it warms up to room temperature. Get into the bath or shower, pour water over your hands and feet, then rub yourself well with a towel. After two weeks, you can already douse yourself completely, starting with your feet and gradually lowering the temperature of the water - this, as you already understand, general rule for all procedures. Soon you will not need to cool the water in the bucket overnight, but use a home thermometer to regulate the temperature of the water, adding hot water to the bucket if necessary. Some lower the temperature by a degree per week, others by 2 degrees, but in this matter you need to listen to yourself and monitor your well-being, remembering the Russian proverb - the quieter you go, the further you will go. By the way, it is better for women to use a bucket with a volume of no more than 8-10 liters; men can also take larger buckets. After dousing, it is recommended to dry a little in the fresh air; besides, air baths are very useful.
How to take a contrast shower correctly
Contrast showers are more suitable for constantly busy modern people. Agree, it’s easier to stand in the shower than to collect water in a bucket and rub yourself with a towel. The contrast shower scheme is simple - 10-30 seconds of hot water and 10-30 seconds of cold water. The duration of each phase increases gradually, for example, two weeks for 10 seconds, two weeks for 15 seconds. The temperature of cool water also gradually decreases - it’s better to start with 30 degrees, and then bring it to 15, and hot water can be left at 40-45 degrees.
The benefit of a contrast shower is that it improves blood circulation and ensures rapid blood flow to organs, strengthens the heart and blood vessels, increases the body's defenses and speeds up metabolism. Hot water expands blood vessels, and cold water contracts them, and such hardening is very useful for strengthening blood vessels under short-term exposure. The body also learns to resist low temperatures, so it is no longer problematic to get sick, as it was before. However, you should not take a cold shower for too long, since prolonged cooling does not activate protective functions, but, on the contrary, depresses it, as a result you can become hypothermic and catch a cold.
Winter extreme: unusual methods of hardening
Swimming in an ice hole and walking barefoot in the snow seem unusual only modern people. Immersion in ice water in Rus' was part of pagan military rites, and the Slavs adopted this custom from the ancient Scythians, who immersed newborns in ice water in order to accustom them from birth to harsh climatic conditions. The tradition of jumping into a snowdrift after a hot bath is still alive, and even in city baths there is a pool with cool water for this purpose. Many people are keen on winter swimming, claiming that swimming in an ice hole in winter lifts their spirits, relieves apathy, blues and many diseases.
Nina Ermilova
Chairman of the hardening club
“Swimming in the ice hole gives me health and excellent well-being. IN at a young age I suffered two heart attacks, so 30 years ago I started hardening and now I can calmly swim across the Kola Bay in Murmansk. There are already 150 “walruses” in our club, and everyone is very happy with life!”
Of course, it is strictly forbidden to immediately dive into an ice hole - you need to go through the entire hardening cycle and only then try to shower yourself outside in winter after the doctor’s permission. If you have been practicing air baths at home for a long time and don’t know how to start hardening yourself in the fresh air in winter, try air baths on the balcony. Start with one minute, gradually increase the time, and very soon you will want to go outside with a bucket. All procedures should bring pleasure and comfort, so if you feel cold and unpleasant, it means you have run ahead a little and violated the rule of gradualness. Go back a little, because there is nowhere to rush...
Bath - hot hardening method
“The bathhouse brings great benefits,” says a specialist in folk medicine Maxim Kodintsev. — High temperature and humidity in the steam room improves the functioning of the respiratory system, and due to the fact that the breathing rate increases, the bronchi expand and ventilation of the lungs improves. In addition, the heart works more actively, the pulse quickens, blood circulation increases and the body's thermoregulation system normalizes. The high temperature in the steam room, according to ancient doctors, is the cleansing force that expels all diseases. The bath is good for the skin, heart, musculoskeletal system, digestive organs and nervous system, but for some diseases it is not indicated, so prior consultation with a doctor is necessary. Heart patients and hypertensive patients should beware of prolonged exposure high temperatures and avoid too sharp contrasts, so jumping into an ice hole after a steam room is not an activity for everyone.”
Winter hardening has a long history - the positive effect of cold water on the human body was noticed many centuries ago. Cheerfulness and great mood, the amazing feeling of warmth and comfort experienced by a person who has just emerged from a swimming pool, the sea or a small lake is difficult to describe in words. But these are just some of the benefits of winter swimming, which hide invaluable health benefits. The immune system, having experienced mild stress from immersion in ice water, begins to adequately respond to hypothermia, which is so common in the winter, and numerous viral diseases that await us in the cold will not disrupt daily plans and will not become a reason for long-term and expensive treatment .
Winter hardening will be no less useful for the younger generation. The child's body, with its developing immunity, responds well to short-term exposure to ice water. Its results will be excellent appetite, activity, good health, which will not let you down even during epidemics of winter colds and flu. Children of those adults who pay Special attention hardening, rarely miss school and, according to teachers, demonstrate the ability to quick memorization material and study well. Therefore, if your child clearly needs help, is somewhat behind in school and is constantly sick, it may be worth having a serious conversation with your pediatrician about starting a course of hardening procedures.
A little medical knowledge for parents of future "walruses"
The mechanism of action of ice water on humans has now been studied well enough to allow doctors to talk about its exceptional usefulness. First of all, it should be noted that a sharp change in temperature environment forces the body to mobilize all its strength to avoid harm, for health and well-being. Blood circulation becomes more active, including peripheral vessels, which are often characterized by congestion, the heart begins to work faster, breathing becomes more frequent and deeper. The simultaneous and coordinated work of all other internal regulatory systems of the body is observed, even if, under normal conditions, they work at half capacity. Eventually, internal organs and tissues receive more nutrients, are enriched with oxygen, and the immune system is trained to respond to adverse conditions and protect the body from their negative consequences.
Similar internal changes cannot but affect a person’s mood. The lightness, positive and joyful mood that a supporter of winter swimming feels also has the most positive effect on health, practically unknown to those who constantly wrap themselves in warm clothes and do not want to go outside again if the mercury on the thermometer freezes at levels below zero. Small children are no exception - even the most capricious baby, who has experienced a slight shock from a short immersion in cold water, quickly calms down and falls asleep in a warm blanket, without experiencing the slightest feeling of discomfort. As for his developing immunity, he gets excellent training, acquiring the ability to confidently withstand cold weather and viruses that usually attack a weakened and heat-loving body.
Precautionary measures when carrying out winter hardening procedures for children
To ensure that activities with your child, aimed at strengthening him, bring him benefit and do not cause a serious illness, use the following advice from experts:
Give up the idea of quickly mastering the difficult science of hardening - you need to get used to cold water gradually;
- If a child has recently been ill, classes should be postponed until his or her complete recovery, when the body is fully restored;
- Check the schedule of hardening classes with your pediatrician, who will tell you how to gradually reduce the water temperature, taking into account the general condition of the child;
- Do not allow the baby to remain in the cold for a long time, after bathing - you must immediately change him into clean, dry clothes;
- If activities do not bring joy to the child, they should be abandoned - perhaps his temporary heat-loving behavior is caused by age characteristics body, and later, having matured a little, he himself will be happy to continue his studies.
We teach you how to meet and make friends.
Start with learning how to approach other children and start a conversation. Show your child how it's done. Choose the most sociable and friendly child in the kindergarten group or in the yard. Approach with a smile and say: “Hello, my name is Petya. Can I play with you?
It is a mistake to think that hardening in the summer energizes the child with health for the whole year, and therefore in winter you can relax and do nothing. The procedures provide long-term effects only when repeated regularly. Therefore, it is advisable to conduct classes all year round, taking into account seasonal features.
Let's toughen up in the summer
The warm season is ideal for starting health activities and provides a wide range of opportunities to use water, air, sun and earth to strengthen the child’s immunity. Hardening children in the summer can be done in many ways. Let's list the main ones.
- Walking in the fresh air is the simplest and most necessary type of hardening, which is suitable for children from birth and has no restrictions or contraindications. On hot days, it is better to walk in the morning and evening or under the dense shade of trees.
- Walking barefoot stimulates many of the nerve endings in the foot. In addition, this is an excellent prevention of flat feet. You can walk barefoot on sand, grass, pebbles, and earth.
- Swimming in open water is not only surprisingly beneficial for a child’s body, but is also a fun activity, which all kids adore.
- Water procedures in the fresh air must be included in the hardening of preschool children in the summer. If there is no body of water nearby, you can take a cool shower, douse yourself with water or wipe yourself with a damp towel.
- Among other things, hardening preschoolers in the summer should include proper nutrition. And this means as many vitamins as possible in the form of fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits.
And if it’s frosty outside...
Many parents, having heard the phrase “hardening in winter,” imagine swimming in an ice hole and walking naked in the snow. It is absolutely not necessary to resort to such extreme procedures in order to maintain the health of the child during the cold season.
It is important to understand that wellness procedures should not cause stress, discomfort and negative emotions in the baby. Therefore, it is worth adopting the softest and safest methods.
- And again walks in the fresh air - better hardening children in winter. Do not wrap your child too warmly, give him the opportunity to run around, have fun, play active games. Such a pastime will fill the baby with positive emotions and saturate his blood with oxygen. If possible, leave your child's face and hands exposed to cold air.
- Pouring water and contrast showers should not become a child’s habit even in winter, because for bath procedures the time of year does not matter.
- Create a contrasting atmosphere in the room: open the windows in one room and let in frosty air, leave the other well warmed up. Alternating visits to different rooms will be an excellent form of air hardening.
- Manipulations with snow are suitable for fairly seasoned children. You can walk on it barefoot for a minute and rub your arms and legs with it. But remember that this is only possible with children who are already well acquainted with other types of hardening and perceive cold well.
A hardened child tolerates temperature changes better
The article describes how to do hardening at home. It describes what the procedure for hardening children is, why it is needed and what its role is in the life of a child.
Each parent wants to ensure that their child never gets sick. Therefore, they resort to the hardening procedure from the very birth of the baby, as it helps strengthen the immune system and general state child.
It is worth noting that hardening includes three main components - air, sun and water. Therefore, the main methods of hardening are taking air and sun baths, as well as dousing and wiping with water. More seasoned children are bathed in open water.
Hardening a child at home with the help of air includes daily ventilation of the room, taking air baths, and also taking walks in absolutely any weather.
This means that you need to ventilate the room every day so that the child can breathe fresh air during play and sleep. You shouldn’t be afraid of your child catching a cold, the main thing is to avoid drafts, then the baby will always be cheerful, in addition, the tone of the brain vessels will be activated.
As for taking air baths, you need to leave the child naked as often as possible. From the moment of birth, you need to keep the baby undressed for 2 minutes, gradually you need to increase this period, bringing the duration to an hour. Let him wave his arms and legs freely, do not wrap him in diapers or put on a large number of things even in winter weather, because the child will feel comfortable even when the thermometer shows 18 degrees.
Don't be afraid to take walks during rain or frost. After all, a child comes into this world with a poor thermoregulation mechanism. With constant heat, his body begins to atrophy and will gradually relax the immune system. This threatens numerous viruses and diseases. Therefore, any weather will be beneficial for the child, the main thing is to keep track of time; two hours a day is enough for a child to walk.
Hardening children with sunbathing is also beneficial, since when the child’s skin is exposed to sunlight, the body produces vitamin D, which has the best effect on the baby’s skeletal system. The procedure should begin with an interval of half a minute, and gradually increase to 5 minutes. The baby's head must be covered with a Panama hat, and clothes must be used only from natural materials - cotton or linen.
IN summer time Parents should try to get the child up early, play with him, and when the sun is actively burning, put him to bed. As you get older, you shouldn't overuse it. solar activity, you need to make sure that there is no overheating, and at the first sign of it, take him to the shade and offer him a drink of water.
Hardening children at home using water procedures is mandatory. A newborn baby is washed and bathed with water; these simple procedures are the initial level of hardening. When swimming, you need to lower the temperature from +34 by half a degree every day. This procedure will ensure that the thermoregulation mechanism begins to work, activating the functioning of the nominal system. After two weeks, the water temperature should be about +24 degrees. This is the first stage of hardening, and the parents are great if they patiently and persistently completed it.
When the first stage is completed successfully, you can move on to the second - wiping. It should be carried out between 2 and 4 weeks of age. When it was successful, you can safely move on to dousing. It is worth noting that many parents are very fond of this method. You need to start it from the feet, pouring the temperature +28 on the legs. Only from 3-4 days can you gradually pour over the entire body. You need to reduce your temperature by half a degree per day. It is important to follow these recommendations and perform the procedures daily so that the body can get used to the changes.
If children are often sick, an excellent hardening method is contrast dousing and foot baths. The method is that the child’s legs are first lowered into water whose temperature is +38, and then into water where it is +34. Every day you need to increase the gap between cold and hot water. Cold water should ultimately be +28 degrees, and for children over 3 years old, the permissible temperature is +16 degrees. The child will certainly enjoy immersing his feet in either cold or hot water. It should be noted that the legs should only be kept in cold water for 20-30 seconds, and in hot water – 3-4 minutes.
Older children can be offered a contrast shower, in which warm and cold rain alternates. Just first you need to prepare cold water separately so as not to overdo it with the tap.
Hardening children in winter means walking in the snow with bare feet in winter, as well as swimming in an ice hole. This method is one of the most intensive hardening methods. You need to approach it responsibly, preparing carefully. Not many parents decide to take such a step; only those who themselves lead completely are ready for it. healthy image life, and they themselves carry out the same procedures. It is worth noting that before you decide to release your baby naked into the snow, you need to study a lot of literature so that the preparation is colossal. In addition, classes must be regular and systematic.
Hardening a child at home must be carried out in order to strengthen nervous system, develop the muscle and bone system, and also activate metabolism.
Hardening a 3-year-old child at home will significantly increase the child’s resistance to changes in high and low temperatures, thereby preventing various diseases. When carrying out hardening procedures, you can adhere to the following rules:
It is necessary to carry out procedures regularly so that the body does not fail;
The exposure time must be increased gradually, otherwise, if you immediately pour cold water on the child, he will get sick, since the body is not accustomed to such a temperature;
The child’s mood during hardening should be good, since the procedure will not benefit a crying or sad child. It is also advisable to carry it out in the form of a game, so the child will perceive it as a fairy-tale action.
You need to harden your child from birth; you shouldn’t wait until he grows up.
Under no circumstances should the procedure be carried out when the child is cold and trembling. A portion of cold water will further worsen the effect.
Parents must choose the right clothes for the baby and his shoes for walking and wearing at home. It is important to ensure that the child does not overheat or become hypothermic.
It is advisable to complement various hardening procedures with massage and physical activity, then the child will never get sick.
Under no circumstances should you smoke in the room where the child is.
Parents should know that hardening with cold water will only have an effect when cold water is poured over a warm child.
IN preschool age You also need to continue to harden the child, since this is the age before going to school. It is easier for those parents who hardened their child from the first days of life. They will not miss classes due to various illnesses such as a runny nose or sore throat. But all is not lost. Even if you start hardening your child at this age, you can undoubtedly catch up and achieve excellent results.
It is worth noting that adults can also carry out the hardening procedure together with the child, because, as you know, children really like to imitate adults. Therefore, it is better to do morning exercises together. As practice shows, children who perform at least three times a week various exercises outdoors, they suffer less from acute respiratory diseases.
You also need to teach your child to walk. You can go with the whole family for walks in the park, out of town, and so on, then the child will get a lot of impressions, and the family will become stronger from spending time together. In the summer, you need to actively go for walks on a bicycle, and in the winter, ski or sled. This will perfectly strengthen the child’s immunity and also significantly improve his mood.
As a result, we can add that you need to work with the child from birth, and devote maximum time to hardening procedures. Only then will these procedures become familiar to the child.
