A lot of people like a morning shower, but it can be much more useful if you sometimes take its contrasting variety. Surprisingly, just alternating cold and hot water prevents many diseases and even helps to lose weight.
What underlies the amazing benefits of a contrast shower
The multifaceted use of a contrast shower is based on those simple and at the same time complex changes that occur with the human body under the influence of high and low temperatures (heat accelerates all processes, cold slows down).
Plus, the alternation of opposite temperatures is of great importance.
The main thing is that the water should be just hot, not warm, but cold - it should remind you of ice, and not be room temperature.
Something similar was also known in antiquity, when, for example, after a bath, they were dipped in an ice-hole or wiped off with snow. Contrast douches were known even in Medieval Europe, before the baths underwent a massive closure.
Quite a lot is said about how strong the pressure of the water should be and in what the direction of its jets should be to the body, but, in fact, this does not affect the main thing, for which athletes and fans of a healthy lifestyle value the contrast shower so much, all those who want to strengthen their health without drugs, extra time and effort.
So, under a contrast shower with the body, in particular, the following occurs:
· Blood circulation is enhanced, and this applies to the whole body from the feet to the brain, which is accompanied by an increase in the strength and elasticity of blood vessels and capillaries, in which, in addition, stagnation of blood and thrombosis are prevented;
· Improves the work of the heart by carefully training it to instantly change the rhythm and stress caused by temperature spikes;
· Metabolism is normalized, again due to temperature “stress”, in which the body is simply forced to adapt to miniature extreme situations over and over again, which is expressed in the activation of energy production, the synthesis of specific hormones and much more.
Under what circumstances will the contrast shower benefit?
If you start taking a contrast shower daily, then the first changes at the level of stable improvement in well-being and a surge of vigor will be noticeable after 3-4 days.
Very quickly the feelings of weakness and muscle pain recede, prolonged walking or physical activity is not accompanied by apathetic fatigue and aching throughout the body.
Modern studies have confirmed that a contrast shower:
· Strengthens the immune system as a whole and reduces the likelihood of catching an infection like flu or even exotic fever;
· Improves thermoregulation, which leads to a reduced risk of getting a sunstroke in the summer, and at another time to catch a cold, stepping into a puddle;
· Helps to cleanse the body of residual chemical elements that poison it, which remain after taking many antibiotics;
· Improves the functioning of internal organs;
· Treats chronic headaches;
· Facilitates the acclimatization and restructuring of the biological clock for a new sleep-wake schedule, so that a contrast shower can be useful even on vacation;
· Improves tissue regeneration, from healing of scratches to bone fusion;
· Improves the state of the nervous system, including normalizing sleep, increasing stress resistance and raising mood immediately after a shower.
A contrast shower is also useful for the beauty of the body, if only because normal metabolism and active blood circulation (especially in the epidermis) greatly contribute to any program to reduce weight and give the body the desired shape.
Plus, the direct massage effect of the water pressure, coupled with its different temperature, quite powerfully contributes to the breakdown of fats in problem areas (thighs, sides).
Under hot water, the pores of the skin expand, and under cold water they narrow and thus purify at a deep level, and in addition, a contrast shower:
· Tightens the skin and rejuvenates it;
· Smoothes out fine wrinkles if you carefully direct it to the face (sometimes cosmetologists also recommend immediately wiping your face with a cube of ice immediately after showering, not just from clean water, but from green tea or chamomile tea);
· Normalizes the sebaceous glands.
The effectiveness of many anti-cellulite creams will increase if you use them after a contrast shower (and supplement their application by wrapping).
How to take a contrast shower with benefit
First of all, it is worth noting that a contrast shower is effective only if it is regularly taken for a certain time - from a week to a month.
The exact duration of the course of water procedures is determined individually and it is very important to try not to miss a day.
Reasonable reasons for the omission can be considered, except that, any disease or temporary serious deterioration in well-being.
And do not give up this soul even after a month - you can just take it already only 1-3 times a week.
If desired, the course of the daily contrast shower can be repeated after 2-3 months.
The optimal time for a contrasting shower is considered to be morning, about 30 minutes after waking up, at that very interval when the body needs, if not even desperate, maximum “shake-up”, activation of its main functions.
However, a contrast shower can be taken at any convenient time during the day or even in the evening, but only not later than 4 hours before bedtime, otherwise there will be problems with falling asleep.
Despite the fact that the contrast shower restores strength and invigorates remarkably, it is undesirable to take it after intense physical exertion - the body needs a little time to relax and rest.
But it is very useful, especially in the mornings, when this soul is preceded by a 10-minute warm-up. Not a full-fledged fitness training, namely exercises for easy stretching, body training before the upcoming loads.
The specific effects of the contrast shower on the body as a whole and on the skin in particular, are the basis of the rule not to go outside for 1-2 hours, it is better to spend this time at home, for something not too stressful.
You can eat and drink 1-1.5 hours after a contrast shower and it is desirable that it be something easily digestible and nutritious, for example, cereal porridge, protein omelet, cottage cheese casserole, vegetable salad plus baked low-fat meat. It will be very useful to drink a cup of hot milk or herbal tea, a glass of freshly squeezed juice or smoothie.
If a contrast shower is taken after a meal, then the interval separating these two actions should be at least 2-3 hours.
As for the recommendations regarding the reception of the contrast shower, they can be reduced to the following:
· If you need to wash - gels and other products are used under an ordinary shower before you start taking a contrast;
· Contrast shower should start with warm, comfortable water;
· Then it is gradually raised to hot and first changed to the opposite;
· Each time a different temperature is applied to the body for equal periods of time (from 30 seconds to 3 minutes) or they hold longer hot water (because the body needs more time to warm up than cooling);
· It is recommended to switch water between temperatures 5-10 times;
· The lower and upper temperature thresholds are determined by individual sensitivity and state of health;
· When cold water is pouring, it’s not necessary to stand and endure - it’s more beneficial to move, as the body tells you on an instinctive level, for example, you can shove and move from one foot to another;
· So that temperature changes are perceived brighter, switching the water cold-hot and vice versa, you should direct the shower away from you;
· A contrast shower should affect the whole body, some even like to pour on their faces, but pouring contrasts on their heads is not recommended to anyone;
· The last pouring must be cold.
After a shower, you can not dress, but take a quarter of an hour to dry naturally, walk around, rubbing your body with your palms to speed up drying and improve blood circulation.
But if the towel is to taste, then it should be terry, rather rough and should be rubbed immediately after the shower, quite intensively, until the skin reddened.
In what cases will there be harm from a contrast shower
The best time for accustoming oneself to a contrasting soul is considered summer, while in other seasons and especially in winter, the body is less inclined to perceive the introduction of tempering procedures into its everyday life.
You should not accustom yourself to this useful habit during a period of serious illness or rehabilitation after them or surgical operations - all the resources, the body’s forces are devoted to its restoration, it simply won’t perceive water contrasts fully, and in the worst case, it will react with a general deterioration and a decrease in immunity .
And it is also important to note such a peculiarity - if a person who is used to a contrasting soul is sick, say, with acute respiratory infections or a cold, then with a mild course of the disease it is not necessary to refuse such water procedures, they will not only not harm, but even accelerate recovery.
But there are cases regarded exclusively as contraindications to the contrasting soul:
· Malignant neoplasms and tumors of unknown etiology (the cause of which is unknown);
· Inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system (especially in the acute stage);
· Critical women's days;
Thrombophlebitis;
· Tendency to jumps (a sharp decrease and increase) in blood pressure;
· The presence of kidney stones and bladder;
Cerebrovascular accident;
· Serious diseases of the respiratory system (often bronchitis and always pneumonia);
· Heart disease (in particular - involving a risk of heart attack.
During pregnancy (especially in the later stages), a contrast shower without harm is allowed with the lowest temperature drops and only with the permission of the doctor who observes the woman during this period.
It is also worth noting that a contrast shower is, in principle, not suitable for everyone, and this is not even a contraindication, it’s just that some people react extremely negatively to temperature extremes, someone may have an allergy to cold.
In such cases, harm from the contrast shower is inevitable, the body, how much you do not accustom it, will only experience stress, which, naturally, will affect not only it in general, but also damage the nervous system.
Thus, it is sometimes wiser to abandon the contrast shower and choose for yourself some activity that is also useful, but much less harmful.
