Hardening is the path to health. Oryol State Technical University

The most precious gift that a person receives from nature is health. No wonder people say: “Everything is healthy for a healthy person”! This simple and wise truth should always be remembered, and not only in those moments when “malfunctions” begin in the body and we are forced to turn to doctors, sometimes demanding the impossible from them. No matter how perfect medicine is, it cannot rid everyone of all diseases. Man is the creator of his own health!

Hardening the body is a system of procedures that increase the body's resistance to adverse effects. external environment, develop immunity, improve thermoregulation, strengthen the spirit. Hardening is a kind of training of the body's defenses; it should begin when you are healthy. If during the hardening procedures your temperature begins to rise, then all procedures should be stopped. When hardening, self-control is important, which is carried out taking into account body weight, temperature, pulse, blood pressure, sleep, appetite and general well-being. Better with early age lead an active and healthy lifestyle, toughen up, engage in physical education and sports, observe the rules of personal and public hygiene - in a word, achieve true harmony of health through reasonable means. Hardening is a powerful healing, tonic. With its help you can avoid many diseases, prolong life and long years maintain the ability to work, the ability to enjoy life.

Hardening the body should be carried out systematically, day after day throughout the year, regardless of weather conditions and without long breaks. It is best if the use of hardening procedures is clearly fixed in the daily routine. Then the body develops a certain stereotypical reaction to the applied stimulus. Hardening the body(except for winter swimming) does not cure, but prevents the disease, and this is its most important preventive role. The main thing is that hardening is acceptable for any person, i.e. it can be practiced by people of any age.

When starting hardening, you should adhere to the following principles:
1. It is necessary to get rid of the “microbial nest” in the body in the form of diseased teeth, inflamed tonsils etc.
2. Hardening of the body must be carried out consciously. The success of hardening procedures largely depends on the presence of interest in them, positive psychological mood. It is important that hardening procedures cause positive emotions.
3. Hardening of the body should be carried out systematically, day after day throughout the year, regardless of weather conditions and without long breaks.

4. The strength and duration of action of hardening procedures should be increased gradually. You should not start hardening the body immediately by wiping it with snow or swimming in an ice hole. Such hardening can be harmful to health.
5. When hardening the body, consistency in the procedures is important. Preliminary training of the body with more gentle procedures is necessary. You can start by wiping, foot baths and only then begin dousing, while observing the principle of gradually decreasing temperatures.
6. When hardening the body, it is necessary to take into account individual characteristics and health status. Hardening has strong impact on the body, especially on people starting it for the first time. Therefore, before you start taking hardening procedures, you should consult a doctor.
7. When hardening the body, the most effective is to use a variety of procedures that reflect the entire complex of natural forces of nature (hardening with air; sunbathing; water procedures (rubbing, dousing, showering, swimming in natural reservoirs, pools or sea water); rubbing with snow; walking barefoot; bath or sauna with cold water bathing).
8. Hardening of the body should be carried out using a variety of aids. Exercise, games and sports go well with various types hardening All this increases the body's resistance and does not create conditions for addiction to the same stimulus.

Hardening

A person’s well-being depends mainly on his physical condition. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is necessary for the full and harmonious development of a person. Taking care of your body includes rules of personal hygiene, avoiding the use of drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, healthy and proper nutrition, maintaining your weight at normal levels. It is important for a healthy person to engage in regular exercise and sports. An excellent way to preserve and care for human health is hardening.

What is hardening?

Hardening is an old and proven procedure for strengthening human health. Hardening is based on the effect of cold, heat and sunlight on the human body. Gradually, hardening leads to a person’s adaptation to the external environment. At regular hardening well-being improves, the risk of diseases, especially colds, decreases. Hardening has a beneficial effect on almost all human organs and vital systems.

When practicing hardening, it is important to understand that classes must be continuous and consistent. For example, when hardening by pouring, a gradual decrease in water temperature is important. A sharp transition from warm water to ice water, it is also unacceptable to start hardening immediately with ice water. If you do not systematically practice hardening, its effect decreases or disappears altogether.

The most common type of hardening is walking barefoot. This species has many supporters, as well as opponents. Some scientists claim that walking barefoot, especially on cold surfaces, improves blood circulation to the feet and improves immunity. In classes related to oriental, and not only, martial arts, students train only barefoot. Many pediatricians advise children to walk barefoot on the ground more often. Proponents of walking barefoot have long developed their own hardening system and successfully practice it.

Perhaps the most powerful hardening procedure is winter swimming or swimming in ice water. There is a row for winter swimming medical contraindications and in no case should you start doing it without consulting with medical specialist. Winter swimming is especially contraindicated for children, adolescents and people suffering from diseases of the upper respiratory tract, disease thyroid gland, asthma. Winter swimming must be preceded by long preparation, which consists of dousing cold water With gradual decline water temperature.

When swimming in ice water, a person’s blood circulation increases and pain in muscles and joints goes away. A person engaged in winter swimming is less susceptible to stress; swimming in ice water helps to invigorate the muscles.

After swimming in ice water, to avoid hypothermia and a cold, you need to dress warmly and, if possible, be in a warm place.

And although science has not fully studied the benefits of winter swimming on the human body, today this method of hardening has a huge number of fans. By the way, ice-hole swimmers are called “walruses” only in Russia. In Finland they are called "seals" or "nerpas", and in North America"polar bears".

Bathing or swimming is also a form of hardening. Summer swimming can be done on beaches specially equipped for this. Any body of water is suitable for swimming, be it a river, lake, oxbow lake or pond. Swimming in artificial reservoirs such as pools and baths is also beneficial.

When swimming in natural bodies of water, it is important to follow the rules of safe behavior in the water. When swimming, a person exposes himself to a certain risk, although swimming is not officially extreme entertainment. On the beach you should not swim behind the buoys, hold on to them, or swim far from the shore. Great care should be taken when swimming at night.

Medical experts have calculated that a person who swims twenty minutes a day performs daily norm physical exercise and burns 150 kilocalories.

Among other hardening water procedures procedures such as wiping, dousing and cold and hot shower.

Hardening methods

The most gentle and simple way of hardening is, of course, rubbing. Rubbing is mainly used for children. The hardening method by rubbing can be used already at the age of about three months. Wiping the child's body soft cloth, soaked in water. It is important that the water temperature during the first wipe is not lower than 28 degrees. Then the temperature can be reduced no more often than once every three days and by no more than one degree. The room should be at normal room temperature during wiping. After wiping, you need to dry yourself with a dry, clean towel.

A contrast shower and, in general, a contrast hardening method are associated with alternating exposure of the human body to either hot or cold temperatures. It is not recommended to use the contrast shower hardening method for children under one year of age, since the shower, in addition to the temperature effect, also has mechanical impact on the human body.

To harden with a contrast shower, you can use two showers or one, but with switching the water. The temperature difference with the strongest contrast shower can reach fifteen degrees. Pouring cold water and taking a warm shower are also possible options.

Particular attention in hardening belongs to the Russian bath. The combination of high temperature in the bathhouse with going outside with low temperature in winter. To achieve a greater effect, wiping with snow is possible. The temperature difference during such procedures exceeds 60 degrees.

The above hardening methods will help increase the body’s immunity, especially to colds. But as noted earlier, you should not start hardening without preparation and without consulting a medical specialist. Hardening is more of a training than a treatment. And the hardening process should also be approached carefully and competently. Wrong approach when hardened, it can give the exact opposite of the expected result.

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What types of hardening are there?

There are several types of hardening. Air hardening (aerotherapy) consists of long walks outside and taking air baths. Long stay fresh air improves the body's thermoregulation, and also normalizes the functioning of the body's systems and organs. This type of hardening is the simplest and most accessible. Both in winter and in summer, you should give preference to walks in forests and parks. In summer, the air in these places is very healthy, as plants produce a lot of useful substances. And in winter, the air in forests and parks is very clean and saturated with oxygen.

Sun hardening (heliotherapy) is a fairly serious procedure and therefore requires a very responsible approach. Solar hardening has mass positive aspects, increases the body's resistance, stability of the nervous system, improves blood circulation and functioning muscular system, and also has a tonic effect on all body functions. But here it is very important to follow all the rules of hardening, since improper implementation of this procedure can provoke the development of serious diseases. Therefore, be careful not to cause burns, heatstroke or overheating under any circumstances. Solar hardening should begin gradually, taking into account the general physical state person and his age.

Hardening with water is the most important and very useful look this procedure. Helps improve blood circulation, which begins to move through the systems much more intensely, thereby bringing additional oxygen and beneficial nutrients organs and systems. Water hardening, in turn, is divided into several subtypes:

Rubbing is done with a towel soaked in water. This type is the most gentle and gentle, so its use is allowed even infants. Wipes off first top part body and wipe with a dry towel, then Bottom part, first with a wet towel and then with a dry one;
dousing is more effective procedure. It can be performed as a general douche (whole body) or local (only legs). After dousing, the body must be wiped with a dry towel;
shower is a hardening shower, which can be of two types, a contrast and cold shower;
Therapeutic bathing and winter swimming is the most effective and very popular method of hardening. Such procedures significantly improve the functioning of the heart and lungs. But this hardening requires compliance with all the rules. As for winter swimming, you should start it only after consulting a doctor.

How to temper yourself correctly

If you decide to start hardening, then you need to do this only in healthy condition. If there are any diseases in the body, then you first need a doctor's approval. Hardening is very serious procedure, which requires gradualness, only in this way can it be therapeutic. For example, if you are tempering with water, then you need to start dousing with water at room temperature and gradually reduce it by one to two degrees. The same applies to sun hardening, staying under sun rays You should start with a few minutes and gradually increase your exposure to the sun.

Hardening should be carried out regularly, without taking long breaks. If this happens, what do you need long time If I had to abandon these procedures, then they need to be resumed, starting with gentle procedures. Increases the effectiveness of hardening by combining procedures with physical exercise.

If after hardening you feel unwell, note general weakness and malaise, then you need to abandon this idea. Ideally, hardening procedures should bring joy and vigor to a person.

It is worth noting that when hardening it is necessary to carry out self-monitoring, that is, measure your pulse and blood pressure. Also, one of the main components of hardening is proper nutrition. Try to follow a diet and eat only high-quality and healthy food.

Many people know about the benefits hardening brings to the body. But for some reason not everyone uses this. You can only notice the benefits of hardening over time. It is important to follow the basic rules of this process.

What are we talking about?

Hardening is a method preventive actions, with the help of which a person strengthens his immune system so that the body resists the adverse effects of the environment. If a person hardens, then even strong fluctuations in temperature do not affect the body. If not used in Everyday life dousing with cold water, that is, a chance to become more susceptible various diseases. The body will react to even small changes in temperature.

Also, the benefit of hardening is that the body's endurance increases. Such procedures have a positive effect on the nervous and immune system. Thanks to this, a person becomes stronger. Many doctors believe that hardening is one of the most best options to keep healthy.

Heliotherapy: description, features

The sun, air and water harden the body. Now let's look at the types of hardening. The first type of healing is heliotherapy. This method of hardening has a positive effect on the nervous system, speeds up metabolic processes, improves protective functions and blood circulation, muscle tone strengthens and tones almost all organ function. Heliotherapy involves sunbathing.

This method must be used very carefully. Although it can cause harm. When tanning, the skin can get burned, which is very unpleasant and painful. In addition, you can overheat and get heatstroke, the consequences of which are quite complex. You need to start tempering with the sun gradually. The person's age and health should also be taken into account. Equally important is the weather outside.

Aerotherapy: description

The second type of healing using hardening is aerotherapy, which is carried out with the help of air. This method involves long walks in the fresh air. It is clean air, which may not always be warm, that is most beneficial for the human body.

Hardening is the most accessible method healing of the body, therefore it is necessary to go outside more often and be in the fresh air, in forest plantations, park areas, near reservoirs - where there is clean air. But even in winter, walking is very important. Exactly at winter time The most useful thing to do is to harden yourself over the years.

Water

Water is vital for all living beings. It is this that will help harden your body, make it stronger and more resistant to various irritants.

When a person is doused with cold water, blood circulation is activated. All organs receive more oxygen and nutrients.

The first water hardening procedures must be carried out gradually. You can start by wiping with damp towels. This method is the most gentle and tolerant. By the way, it is used for hardening children.

You can carry out water hardening differently. Pouring is an excellent tonic exercise for the whole body. You can pour over the whole body or lower limbs. It is important to rub yourself well after the procedure. It is also effective to douche using a shower. It's simple and effective method strengthen your body. A contrast shower is very useful.

Gradual and systematic implementation of procedures is the key to success

We have already figured out what hardening is. Where to start it? We'll find out now. Many people would like to start tempering themselves, but do not know how to do it correctly. For any type of hardening, it is very important to follow some rules. Doctors recommend starting hardening gradually, not abruptly. It is necessary to increase the number of procedures each time, as well as the time and their intensity. The first few treatments should be short. In this case, you can use cold water, but slightly cool. The benefit of hardening is to step by step accustom the body to withstand natural conditions.

In addition to the gradual entry into hardening, it is also necessary to take into account systematicity. If you do long breaks in hardening, the body will wean itself from this type of healing. This may cause a decrease protective functions body. A person gets used to hardening in about a month. This period is enough for the body to adapt. If you are forced to take a break, try to keep it to no more than a month.

Hardening: where to start, important points

When choosing a hardening method, it is very important to take into account the individual characteristics of the body. You also need to take into account age and general health. If a child begins to harden, then you should approach this more responsibly.

It is important to take into account a person’s lifestyle, availability certain diseases. In some cases, hardening can only worsen a person’s condition. It would be ideal to complete medical examination. You should not douse with cold water if you have chronic or viral diseases.

When a person begins to engage in health improvement, he does not know any sense of proportion. It seems to him that he is capable of more, but this is a deceptive feeling. Remember that the benefits of hardening are obvious only to healthy people. It is very important to listen to the signals of your body so as not to harm it. But you should ignore her ailments; it is better to consult a doctor immediately.

It is undesirable to focus on only one method of hardening, because it is much more effective to use them all in a comprehensive manner. Go to hiking, take sunbathing, douse yourself with cold water. All this will charge the body with energy and strengthen the immune system.

Doctors insist on the importance physical activity. It is worth paying attention to this, because the effectiveness of health procedures increases many times over if you supplement them with physical exercise.

A couple more rules

During hardening, you need to monitor your well-being very carefully. If before the procedure a person sleeps poorly, loses appetite, becomes irritable and very tired, then his body is not ready for active image life. On such a day, it is better to cancel all health procedures and just gain strength and relax.

When you start doing procedures, set yourself a goal that will motivate you for further achievements. It is very important not only to understand the importance of the actions performed, but also to find joy and satisfaction in them.

Pouring cold water: benefit or harm?

When a person is doused or immersed, the blood begins to move faster, the body finds itself in stressful situation. Blood enters faster internal organs, metabolic processes improve, protective forces are rising. By dousing yourself with cold water, a person makes the body get used to the cold. This has a positive effect on general condition health. Truly, the sun, air and water work wonders!

Hardening with water helps in losing weight. Pouring gives the skin elasticity and even helps to recover after the birth of a child. But it is better for lactating and pregnant women to consult a doctor before starting such a recovery.

We have already found out what the benefits of hardening are. What harm can dousing cause? It has a negative effect when a person is seriously ill chronic diseases, ARVI. Also, dousing is harmful for any heart disease. Such a procedure can aggravate a person’s condition.

It is best to do home hardening. This will allow the person to feel more comfortable and enjoy the procedure. It is much more convenient to carry out any health improvement at home. You need to understand the basic rules of hardening (which we did above), and you can get started. Dousing yourself with water in the morning is very invigorating and gives you a boost of energy for the whole day. In just a month similar procedures you will notice that you have become much more resilient and stronger. Do not neglect sun and air baths. Walk in the fresh air every day, warm your bodies. After all this, the body’s thermoregulation will significantly increase. Hardening will make your body more resistant to temperature changes.

Conclusion

Now you know how hardening is useful and how dousing with cold water occurs. Whether this procedure is beneficial or harmful is difficult to say, because it all depends on the specific case. If possible, it is better to get checked by a doctor. If this is not possible, you just need to listen to the signals of your body. Remember that a healthy lifestyle is the key to a happy and successful life. Health promotion, hardening and proper nutrition are the key to health.