Quenching with cold water

How I overcame fear and began to harden myself and children

I always wanted to harden, but I was afraid. I was mostly not afraid of the cold — it was important for me to do it with health benefits. Because I have heard many cases when people, tempering incorrectly, worsened their health.

And at the same time, hardening was very attractive to me. I have always admired people who are «friends» with the cold — they douse themselves with ice water, swim in a swimwear..

Hardening with cold water has a lot of advantages for the health and beauty of the body:

1. Strengthening immunity — the body copes with bacteria and viruses more easily and faster, more often it is healthy. Increases the efficiency and endurance of the body.
2. Strengthening the walls of blood vessels: rapid temperature changes — «gymnastics» for vessels, their strength and elasticity increase.
3. Strengthening the nervous system: the emotional state stabilizes (hello EQ — emotional intelligence).
4. Improved skin condition — dousing prevents the formation of varicose «stars», prolongs youth, freshness and beauty of the skin.

My hardening story

For the first time I tried to douse myself 10 years ago after courses according to the Norbekov system — I was inspired by the teacher.

For 1,5 months, every morning I warmed myself with a warm shower and, having saturated this warmth, overturned a basin of cold water on myself. Moreover, I was taught to pour water on myself in 3 doses, starting from the legs:

The first third of the water is below the knees,

The second third is at chest level,

The third is on the head.

And I really enjoyed getting wet! After dousing, it became hot, cheerful and good. Thankfully it was summer.

But. I cared about my hair. I was “lucky” with hair — thin and capricious, they taught me how to take care of them and work to achieve the desired length. And washing your hair every day meant saying goodbye to the dream of luxurious hair (which, by the way, I later achieved).

I tried to douse myself in a cap or on my neck — I did not like the effect. I temporarily gave up.

After waiting for the children to be born and the period of breastfeeding to end, I again began to search. I could no longer warm myself under the shower — in the new apartment, the water flows with very little pressure.

Hardening of children

And then I turned up the Hardening Center.

At first, my children “got it” — three times a week I took them there to develop immunity.

I was fascinated by how hardening of children takes place in this center.

First, the children, wearing only shorts and sandals, run around the cool gym and do exercises with a trainer. (At the fitness center, this would be called cardio.)

Then the children run out into the street and there for 3-5 minutes they energetically perform exercises with the trainer. This happens the same way in winter, and in summer, and in the off-season — in beachwear. It is especially beautiful when a crowd of children in shorts and shoes runs out into the fresh snow.

After the street, parents quickly change their children’s shoes into rubber slates and send them to the shower room. In the shower, children are poured with cold water, after which mom or dad carefully wraps the child in a towel (I rub it a little more).

That’s not all. Dressed in normal clothes, the children take turns going to the doctor’s massage.

And now everything☺ Hardening is over, cheers!

The leaders of the center, either out of knowledge or intuitively, use positive reinforcement: cartoons are shown in the “waiting room” (and part-time in the locker room). Children quickly switch from their experiences to entertainment.

Before, I also gave sweets to children after all the procedures, so that it would be fixed in their body: “hardening is good and pleasant.” Now I only do it occasionally.

I am surprised at the changes that happen to each of the children who come. At first, the child resists “I don’t want to, it’s terribly cold,” then he understands: make noise, don’t make noise, the result is the same (doctors and parents are stubborn). And resigned, he begins to love hardening! My kids are happy when we go there.

Tempering children at home

Gradually, we switched to hardening at home — all in the form of a game.

First, cardio training: we «hear» the call of the toys that are asking for help — they were kidnapped by an evil dragon.

Therefore, you need to run through forests and fields (running back and forth along the longest trajectory of the apartment), overcome various dangers (jumping over pillows, walking on your hands, etc.), and then be sure to go through the Magic (ice) waterfall. And then the child acquires super-strength — now he doesn’t care about any dragon. Hooray, the toys are saved!

After dousing, I usually give everyone a small piece of chocolate, and we go to watch cartoons (positive reinforcement).

But what should I do?

I needed to incorporate douches into my life, preferably every day.

The way out was suggested by the doctor from the hardening center, Doctor of Medical Sciences Svetlana Borisovna Korotkova:

— In order to profitably pour oneself, it is necessary that the body uses the stored heat. Heat accumulates in 3 cases:

1) After exercise;

2) After a hot shower;

3) After sleep.

After sleep! This is what you need!

I came up with a plan for myself. I included positive reinforcements so that my body would help me with its desire to get a boost of vivacity and pleasure.

I made my own instructions. You can take it as a basis to create your own pleasant and cheerful morning.

Instructions «my cheerful morning»:

1. Getting out of bed, I immediately put on my slippers and wrap myself in a bathrobe to keep warm.
2. I run to put the kettle on and go to the toilet.
3. Having poured myself aromatic tea at a comfortable temperature, I go to the bathroom with a cup and a telephone.
4. I do 100 small jumps (! — be careful, take care of your joints, read the contraindications!) — to warm up the body even better, start the necessary processes in the body (the hardening doctor confirmed the benefits of morning jumps).
5. I take off my bathrobe, put on my rubber slippers, and go to the bathroom.
6. I pour myself, starting from the legs: up and down in front, up and down in the back — 3-4 times. To distract from the cold, I breathe deeply and often. I imagine that at this moment I am sailing on the fresh sea, I see the dawn (positive reinforcement-1).
7. I turn off the shower and stand on the dry bath mat. I rub with a dry towel.
8. Positive reinforcement-2: enjoy fragrant hot tea (the body perceives tea as a reward after the cold).
9. Positive reinforcement-3: on the phone I transfer a small “reward” for myself-beloved to my personal account (30-50 USD for all sorts of amenities — this is instead of sweets)
10. Thank you and enjoy!

These are fantastic sensations — cheerfulness and joy of victory! And, as a bonus, better health and longer beauty of the body!

Nordic morning program — ice bath

Cartoons about hardening:

1. Smeshariki
2. Luntik