Hardening or, in other words, winter swimming is effective method, which helps improve the health and energy of the whole body. According to experts, hardening brings great benefits to a person. In general, any water procedures are very beneficial for the body, especially swimming. At the same time, tension in the back is relieved, and all parts of the body begin to move.
Scientists have long proven the positive effects of cold on the human body. However, according to doctors, it is necessary to gradually prepare the body for swimming in an ice hole. It is advisable to start preparing in summer period. Effective preparation to swimming in an ice hole is rubdown cold water in the morning, gradually lowering the water temperature. It is necessary to allow the body to slowly get used to the drop in temperature and prepare it for winter swimming.
For rubdown use pieces fabrics from natural materials(linen, cotton) or sponges(natural or rubber). Rubbing begins from the feet, then in a circular motion rub your arms, chest, stomach, back. After three to four weeks of daily rubdowns, you can move on to douches or contrast showers.
Pouring you need to start from the lower parts of the body, gradually moving up. Legs and arms must be warmed up (for example, rubbed) before the procedure. It is not recommended to douse if a person feels cold. It may cause harm blood vessels. Dousing can be replaced with a contrast shower.
Cold and hot shower, as a result of a controlled temperature difference, activates all systems human body. This procedure strengthens the immune system, increases blood circulation, cleanses the body of toxins and improves metabolism.
If you have already prepared yourself and want to plunge into the ice hole, you can do it at Epiphany, January 19. Winter swimming in an ice hole is connected precisely with this church holiday. Once a year, most of the people in the country become walruses for one day. Some plunge into the icy water with joy and delight, and others with fear and shudder. According to Holy Scripture, two thousand years ago on this day, Jesus Christ received Baptism in the waters of the Jordan River. It is believed that it is at Epiphany that people, by plunging into water, wash away all their sins.
The question arises: what effect does swimming in an ice hole have on the body? There is no consensus on this issue. Some experts believe that winter swimming has a positive effect on the body. Others warn of possible health hazards. Undoubtedly, winter swimming has both benefits and harm.
The benefits of winter swimming:
The immune system is strengthened, the body is better able to resist viral and colds;
Blood circulation improves;
Pain in joints, muscles and ligaments goes away; it is possible to get rid of rheumatism;
The condition of asthma patients is alleviated;
The skin becomes smoother and more elastic.
Behind 1-2 minutes stay in the ice hole a person not only does not experience cold, but also feels internal heat (of course, after all, all body systems are aimed at producing energy!). Great The immune system and thermoregulation are trained, and the body prepares for stress. However, if the winter swimming procedure is delayed, then within 5-10 minutes the body will deplete its thermal resources, and dangerous hypothermia will occur.
As a rule, when walruses plunge into an ice hole, they begin to develop endorphins are hormones of happiness. As a result, a person who plunged into an ice hole for the first time does so constantly. According to experienced walruses, as a result of swimming in the ice hole, they got rid of a number of chronic diseases.
Contraindications for swimming in an ice hole
If a person has diseases such as tuberculosis, kidney disease, cardiovascular diseases, allergies to cold, damage to the brain and coronary vessels, pulmonary insufficiency, inflammatory processes, then experts strongly do not recommend immersing in ice water. Doctors strictly prohibit plunging into an ice hole after drinking alcohol. You should also not do this if you have various colds. Pediatricians do not recommend immersing children in ice water. For a growing body, this is severe hormonal stress.
Rules for swimming in an ice hole
But all of the above advantages can only be obtained if you approach winter swimming competently:
Before plunging into the ice hole, you need to prepare: warm up your body with light gymnastics, walking;
You can't plunge headlong into it;
Swimming duration is 1-5 minutes. Beginners can stay in the water for no more than 15 seconds;
After swimming in an ice hole, you must immediately wipe your body dry and dress warmly.
According to experienced walruses, the main principle of such hardening is gradualism, regularity and systematicity. For those who are contraindicated this method hardening, you can use cool water rubdowns, douches and contrast showers. These methods, unlike winter swimming, are absolutely safe. They will only bring benefits to the body.
Happy hardening and good health!
Bathing or even swimming in ice water- a historically established and moderately popular method of winter pastime in some countries (Russia, USA, Czech Republic, Finland and others). Bathing is timed either to coincide with holidays, or on weekends, or is practiced without any special reason, just as fun. Both adherents of such entertainment and outsiders have questions: is it useful, is it harmful, how (safe) is it?
According to the swimmers themselves, diving into the ice hole brings positive emotions and a surge of strength. There are objective reasons for this: the release of endorphins in response to stress, activation of the parasympathetic nervous systems s, accompanied by the release of other biological active substances such as dopamine and serotonin. They are often called “pleasure hormones,” so the emotions of extreme sports enthusiasts are understandable.
From a medical point of view, it is difficult to give unambiguous comments about the benefits and harms of such procedures. Medical speculation on this topic is that the signals that cold receptors receive in ice water are sent to the brain, and it instructs the blood vessels to “push” blood throughout the body and thereby ensures the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the organs and tissues. substances, and in addition promotes more intensive removal of metabolic products from the muscles, in particular lactic acid.
This is what the theory and practice of bathing after physical activity- the body’s recovery supposedly occurs faster. Allegedly - because in the scientific and medical literature there is not a single intelligible explanation why immersion in ice water should be practiced after physical exercise, and not some other procedures (massage, walking or, in general, lying on the sofa with a tablet in hand) . How much worse will the blood deliver the indicated nutrients and oxygen to your organs if you refuse to regularly jump into the ice hole? To find out, you need to conduct comparative studies, and no one has done this yet.
There are only a few scientific works, in which researchers tried to identify benefits or harms ice baths. But most of them came to the following conclusion: in a relatively homogeneous population of volunteers, diving into an ice hole brings neither benefit nor harm. In other cases, scientists said the data was insufficient to draw a firm conclusion or that the data were simply contradictory.
One Australian study compared the effects of immersing oneself in a cold versus a warm bath after intense exercise on the leg muscles. There was no difference, except that those volunteers who immersed themselves in the cold after exercise experienced more soreness in their legs the next day.
However, unfortunately, scientists have identified not only the emergence or intensification pain syndrome in response to swimming in icy water, but also more harmful phenomena: for example, an increased risk of breathing problems and even heart attacks (including so-called “cardiovascular accidents”), due to the same stress that causes in the body excessive cold.
Predict the onset of such side effects“icy” entertainment is impossible (unless in the presence of known risk factors - bronchial asthma, heart failure, previous heart attacks and strokes, and so on), and if it is impossible to predict, then it is hardly worth recommending. Especially if a person finds himself in a place so far from his own natural environment a habitat.
Dmitry Solovyov
I don’t want to disappoint readers, but from a medical point of view, there is no particular point in swimming in icy water in January. We like to think that health problems can be solved in one fell swoop - by jumping into an ice hole, taking a “magic” pill, or slightly changing your diet. IN real life It doesn’t happen that way, and even if you “just” want to lead healthy image life, you need to do a lot of things. For example, maintain an adequate level of physical activity, eat right, visit a doctor periodically and follow his recommendations. It is naive to think that by plunging into an ice hole you can improve your health and do nothing else.
Swimming in the Epiphany ice hole is often confused with hardening, although hardening can only be regular. They cannot be done once a year. Strictly speaking, modern medicine, in principle, does not know how useful hardening is, because there have been no major studies on this topic. However, many doctors believe that short-term and regular exposure to the cold helps the immune system, especially in children, but the benefits of more extreme hardening options (for example, winter swimming) are quite questionable. Personally, I think that for some people who are used to swimming in cold water, know how to calculate their strength and enjoy it, winter swimming is normal. After all, everyone has the right to some kind of hobby. But such extreme behavior has little relation to medicine.
And so - if you decide to swim in an ice hole and at the same time do not have a cold or any other chronic diseases, then it’s up to you. There are not many recommendations here: quickly undress, do not sit in the water for more than a couple of tens of seconds, and then quickly wrap yourself in a towel and get dressed. You should not rub your body with a towel - you can damage the skin. Try to get into the warmth as quickly as possible - you will warm yourself there. No alcohol. No walking barefoot through snowdrifts (treating frostbite is an unpleasant task). Stay away from coughing people around you - After hypothermia, the body is more susceptible to infections.
If something hurts you or you have just recovered, it is better to refrain from such feats, because the consequences can be very different: from pneumonia to kidney disease and even pressure surges. Warm winter should not reassure you - at temperatures around zero it is easier to catch a cold than at minus 20.
According to tradition, at Epiphany, believers plunge into the Jordan - a special ice hole for swimming and blessing of water. If you prepare well for the dive, then no health problems should arise. But if you dive without preparation, you can pay for it the very next day.
They say that in night of Epiphany (from 18 to 19 January) All water in reservoirs supposedly becomes holy. Everyone who plunges headlong into it three times this night will be healthy all year and, perhaps, even be cured of illness. But there are clergy who believe that swimming in an ice hole at Epiphany is just entertainment. Only bathing in water can help wash away sins and improve health. riverJordan. And this does not require any sacrifice, the water there is almost always warm. There is another opinion on this matter: bathing is useful only for those who did fortune telling during Christmas week - swimming in an ice hole saves precisely from this sin. As it were, diving into Jordan It has already become a tradition for our people; from year to year there are more and more people wanting to dive into the hole. But no one has yet proven the ability to heal, the miraculousness of this ritual.
Ancient times cold Literally all diseases were cured. Seven troubles - one answer: ice. For example, ice was applied to the head for cerebral hemorrhages, bruises, contusions, skin diseases were treated with cold compresses, pulmonary hemorrhages were stopped with an ice bag, and excess weight prescribed to swallow a few pieces of ice or drink every day before meals and after eating them cold water. And all this really helped.
Today, doctors also use cold to treat a variety of diseases: from acne to chronic sinusitis. Recently, scientists found that the body of walruses copes with microbes 20% faster than that of ordinary people. But it is important to understand: regular hardening is one thing, and another thing is to plunge once into cold water at Epiphany. This is where there is a catch. Just jumping into icy water out of the blue is very risky. If you immediately plunge into water, then even absolutely healthy people may experience a spasm of the coronary vessels, muscles, skin, and also subcutaneous tissue. Because of this, blood circulation accelerates, the heart begins to beat faster and, in the end, may simply not be able to cope with the increased pressure. And then an angina attack, heart attack, stroke, arrhythmia are possible, and someone’s heart may even stop altogether.
Swimming in an ice hole is strictly contraindicated for cold allergies (usually manifested in the form of urticaria), diseases of the genitourinary system (nephritis, cystitis, inflammation of the appendages), tuberculosis, impaired renal function, epilepsy, diseases of the cardiovascular system (previous myocardial infarction, hypertension ), gastrointestinal tract (peptic ulcer, cholecystitis), people suffering from chronic sinusitis or bronchitis and, of course, during pregnancy. But even completely healthy people (and there are not many of them now) should still consult a doctor before diving and undergo an examination.
Many drag their children into the icy water with them. Doctors advise not to do this under any circumstances. The fact is that young children still have an imperfect thermoregulation system. Hypothermia in icy water can occur within a couple of seconds of being in it, and parents simply will not have time to notice it. The child may get pneumonia or meningitis.
But this does not mean that you should give up swimming in the ice hole altogether. Just evaluate yours sensibly physical strength and approach bathing wisely. A few hours before the dive, you need to eat a hearty meal - this “fuel” will be used to warm the body and help you better withstand the cold. Drinking alcohol is not recommended - it puts additional stress on the heart. Immediately before diving, warm up well: do bends and squats. It is best to enter the water gradually; you can first wash your face, knees and hands with water. It is enough to be in the ice hole for 7-10 seconds, that is, literally dive and immediately emerge. The result should feel like you've been burned by fire. But if you feel chills, then this is a sign that your body has become hypothermic and you need to get to land quickly.
Immediately after you get out of the water, put on a warm hat, woolen socks or felt slippers (rubber or rag slippers immediately freeze), and rub your body well with a terry towel. Be sure to bring comfortable clothes with you - without fasteners, buttons or ties (a regular terry robe will do) so that you can quickly throw it on.
And, finally, the most important thing: you should swim in specially designated places and only where emergency doctors, divers and rescue service specialists are on duty, so that if something happens, there is someone to help you. You need to be especially careful when swimming during a thaw - keep in mind that fragile ice may not withstand the massive crowds of people that are usually celebrated on Epiphany night.
Alina BAVINA, Telenedelya LLC, Moscow (especially for ZN), photo PhotoXPress
Having become a tradition over the centuries, swimming in an ice hole made in a reservoir during the ancient Christian holiday of Epiphany raises many questions among people of different confessions and non-believers. This is truly a way to physically and spiritually cleanse a person, or a beautiful tribute to fashion. What happens at the moment of immersion in an ice bath and who will benefit from such a procedure.
Baptism is on January 19 and the tradition of plunging into an ice font dates back to 988, from the time of the introduction of Kievan Rus Christianity. According to biblical history, Jesus, at his personal request, was baptized on this very day. During the ceremony of John the Baptist, Jesus was in the waters of the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove and a voice from above, proclaiming him the son of God. This event became the basis of the holiday. The word baptism itself, translated from ancient Greek, means direct immersion in water. It is believed that through baptism God made the water holy, that is, having special healing properties. Considering that the water in Old Testament considered the basis of all living things, the importance of this tradition becomes clear. 
After the Divine Liturgy, water is blessed in all churches. At this time of the Blessing of Water, all water elements are also endowed with miraculous qualities. To conduct Epiphany bathing, crowded processions are held in a cross-shaped ice hole, which in Christianity are called Procession of the Cross to the Jordan. It is believed that a body washed with holy water, like a purified soul that has believed in the Savior, will receive health and blessing, and will join the sacrament of the Holy Trinity. In addition to the Christian overtones, the tradition of such bathing has been known since the times of the ancient Scythians and earlier pagan rituals. In this way, newborns were initiated into warriors, healed, and hardened to adapt to the harsh climate. 
On the day of the Epiphany holiday, to make it accessible to everyone, water bodies are specially equipped in accordance with all safety rules; ice holes must be in the form of a cross. After the consecration of the ice hole, people can get water, wash, and the most determined ones can swim. If the body is relatively adapted to cold, then great importance has a mood before swimming. The living structure of water can change under the influence of certain information, so when plunging into an ice hole, you need to tune in only to a positive influence. Directly during a dive, many processes occur at lightning speed in the human body:
Considering the listed advantages of the cold water immersion procedure, we can confidently speak about its benefits. Despite the fact that in principle no special physical preparation is required for such a bath, in some cases there may be a number of difficult moments. Official medicine recommends dipping without fear for middle-aged men and women without complex pathologies. In any case, the sacrament of bathing at Epiphany is deep individual solution each person. 
In addition to the appropriate attitude, such bathing requires adherence to certain rules that help to carry out the ritual correctly and safely. The main point, especially during mass events, is the presence of a specially equipped ice hole. The ice hole should be located at a water depth of no more than 1.8 m, well fenced to avoid accidental falls, and equipped with steps and handrails for descent. Everyone who wants to plunge into the ice hole must have a swimsuit or swimming trunks, a warm robe, a towel, a set of dry clothes, underwear, slippers or woolen socks.
Before starting, it is recommended to warm up slightly, for example by jogging, doing squats or simple exercises. In this case, the body should not be sweaty, but only hot. To prevent a sharp narrowing of the blood vessels in the brain, there is no need to wet your head, but it is better to plunge only up to your neck. You cannot jump into the ice hole; you must begin the dive from your feet. Swimming is not recommended; after plunging three times, it is better to get out immediately and not stay in the water for more than 1 minute. Immediately after bathing, you need to dry yourself with a towel and immediately put on dry underwear and clothes. Often a towel may not even be useful, since the skin dries out instantly. But following the church rules, when swimming in the Epiphany ice hole, you need to plunge headlong three times. In this case, there should be a short sincere prayer addressed to God; according to the Orthodox belief, this charges the water with enormous power. 
It is strictly forbidden to drink alcoholic beverages immediately before or after swimming. Alcohol in the blood has a bad effect on the body's thermoregulation, sometimes with unforeseen consequences. Under its influence, the vessels expand, increasing heat consumption. For some time after consumption, a person may feel a surge of warmth, but then the opposite effect occurs sharply and one can get a serious cold. You should also not smoke, as blood circulation is impaired. Immediately after dipping, it is better to drink a herbal decoction or hot tea. Swimming in a cold ice hole on a full or empty stomach is harmful. 
While the benefits of Epiphany bathing are obvious, the category of contraindications includes the presence of chronic or acute diseases. These include disorders of the cardiovascular, endocrine and nervous systems, as well as all kinds of inflammation of the genitourinary system, nasopharynx, and otitis media. It is not recommended to plunge into an ice hole if you have suffered injuries, encephalitis, epilepsy and other complex pathologies. To avoid harm and receive only benefits, it is recommended to consult a doctor.
