The main secret of the health of Russian heroes was regular visits to the bathhouse, especially during winter, which ended with wiping with snow or swimming in an ice hole. The combination of hot steam and ice water gave an amazing result: excellent body condition and absence of illnesses all year round.
A good alternative to the heroic hardening method is a shower with alternate use of hot and cold water. All you need is knowledge of how to take a contrast shower correctly. This method is easy to carry out at home.
The benefits of a contrast shower
How is a contrast shower useful? This question worries many who worry about their health. This hardening method does not cause any pleasant sensations in the first days. But the benefits of it are so great that the result comes before everything else. You will go to great lengths for the sake of health and a strong body, as well as excellent well-being.
A proper contrast shower strengthens and improves the immune system, has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin, perfectly moisturizing and cleansing it, and improves blood flow.
In addition, the systematic use of this procedure has a remarkable effect on the condition of the body; in general, it hardens, increases resistance to colds, invigorates and charges it with positive energy. Frequent use of this type of shower helps strengthen the nervous system, improve metabolism, eliminate heart arrhythmia, and increase muscle mass.
The result of such procedures is a healthy, strong, cleansed and rejuvenated body with elastic and elastic skin.
Hot shower after workout
Hypothesis
: Hot water is beneficial after an intense fitness session. It will relax the muscles, prevent soreness and allow the body to recover faster. In addition, this water procedure is very pleasant. And in response to pleasure, the level of oxytocin in the blood increases, the athlete feels calm and peaceful.
Science experiment
: In December 2014, a group of scientists from the University of Eastern Finland conducted a large-scale study to determine the effect of heating the body immediately after intense exercise.
The results were disappointing: 80% of men who regularly take hot showers have serious problems with the reproductive system: their sperm motility is two times lower than normal.
Moreover, laboratory tests have confirmed that glycogen synthesis practically stops at temperatures above +30 0C. Simply put: the process of muscle recovery is inhibited.
Conclusion
: After an intense workout, the athlete's body temperature is elevated, as is the heart rate. The most reasonable thing in this situation is to let the body gradually come to its senses. A hot shower will only stimulate the heart even more, forcing it to literally work for wear and tear. This is a huge stress for the body and a big chance of getting a stroke sooner or later.
And yet there are benefits from a hot shower! It removes toxins from the body, speeds up metabolism, and reduces pain in muscles and joints. Hot water is great for relaxing and relieving tension.
But the best time for such water procedures is a few minutes before training. A hot shower in this case will increase the mobility of the joints and will demonstrate the same effect as a good warm-up. But you can go to the shower after training in order to thoroughly warm up no earlier than an hour after completing classes.
Fans of hot baths and saunas are even less fortunate: sports doctors generally do not recommend visiting steam rooms on the day of training. But if it so happens, the duration of your stay in the sauna should not exceed 10-12 minutes. Moreover, in the first 2 hours after training, entering a bathhouse or sauna is strictly prohibited!
How to properly take a contrast shower to harden the body?
This procedure requires a responsible approach. Sometimes even the most common violations of the rules can lead to significant health problems. To know how to take a contrast shower correctly, you need to consider the following recommendations before starting the procedures. The main features of hardening:
- the ideal time of use is morning (there are no contraindications for use in the evening, but it is advisable to do this at least three hours before bedtime and finish with dousing with warm water);
- before the procedure, it is recommended to do light exercises to warm up the body;
- calm down and tune in well, take a hard towel and start hardening;
- It is not necessary to douse the head, but start the procedure only from top to bottom;
- If you have never taken a contrast shower before, then in the first stages you can wipe it down with cold water.
Emphasis when dousing with cold water
It's easy to imagine warm or hot water pouring on you, relaxing you. It is much more difficult, but also MUCH more effective, to perform a similar technique under extremely icy water. Imagine how the tone of your body increases, and you literally begin to burst with energy.
If you have seen some people dousing themselves with cold water on the street, you have noticed that sometimes they scream. Especially men. Each of us, men, when performing such an action, especially on the street, especially in winter, feels at least like Tarzan. After you wet yourself, you want to punch your chest, break a block of ice, or perform a feat
