Daycare muscle shoals al: Child Care Centers and Preschools in Muscle Shoals AL

A wide variety of options is available for low-income childcare. Many stay-at-home moms also run small day care businesses in which they discount their services. There is a way to make working and taking care of your children affordable.

Technical Assistance – Don’t Be In The Dark About Child Care 

Below you can find an overview of technical assistance resources available to child care programs statewide. If you’re a child care provider interested in becoming licensed, then we can assist you in the process! Through one-on-one communication, we will help connect you to local resources, such as your regional Child Care Quality Enhancement Agency. For assistance, you can email alabamachildcarefacts.com or call (866) 711-4025 toll-free.

DHR Licensing

DHR’s Office of Child Care Licensing will provide a packet of information to child care centers interested in obtaining a DHR license, which includes a copy of the Minimum Standards for Day Care Centers and Nighttime Centers and an application for a DHR license. The office is available to answer questions and provide clarification on the licensing process and DHR Child Care Consultants can provide Minimum Standards training upon request. Contact: (334) 242-1425 or (866) 528-1694 or by email at [email protected]

Training & Technical Assistance

DHR’s Regional Quality Enhancement Agencies provide a variety of trainings to staff and directors of child care centers, including training for child care staff to obtain the required 12-clock hours of training in child care and development listed in the Minimum Standards for Day Care Centers and Nighttime Centers. Often the agencies will post a training calendar online, but you can also request one.

• Child Care Central – Huntsville serves Colbert, Cullman, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan, and Winston County. Contact: (256) 551-7016
• Child Care Central – Talladega serves Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Etowah, Randolph, St. Clair, and Talladega County. Contact: (256) 362-3852
• Child Development Resources – Tuscaloosa serves Bibb, Choctaw, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Marengo, Marion, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, and Tuscaloosa County. Contact: (205) 348-2650 or (800) 791-5437
• Childcare Resources – Birmingham serves Blount, Jefferson, Shelby, and Walker County. Contact: (205) 945-0018 or (800) 822-2734
• Child Care Resource Center – Opelika serves Chambers, Lee, Macon, Russell, and Tallapoosa County. Contact: (334) 749-8400 or (800) 238-0872
• Childcare Resource Network – Fort Payne serves Cherokee, DeKalb, Jackson, and Marshall County. Contact (256) 845-8238
• Family Guidance Center of Alabama – Dothan serves Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva,   Henry, Houston, and Pike County. Contact: (334) 712-7777
• Family Guidance Center of Alabama – Montgomery serves Autauga, Bullock, Butler, Chilton, Dallas, Elmore, Lowndes, Montgomery, and Wilcox County. Contact: (334) 270-4100 ext. 289
• Gulf Regional Early Childhood Services – Mobile serves Baldwin, Clark, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe, and Washington County. Contact: (251) 473-1060 or (800) 276-2134

Alabama Department of Public Health’s Healthy Child Care Alabama provides a variety of free health & safety classes to licensed and exempt child care centers statewide, including free First Aid & CPR training. There are 12 regional Nurse Health Consultants available to provide the trainings. Click here to access their contact information.

UCP Child Care Enhancement with a Purpose provides specialized training and technical assistance to child care providers caring for children with special needs. Contact: (256) 859-4900 or by email at [email protected]

Lending Libraries  

DHR’s Regional Quality Enhancement Agencies have lending libraries with resources for child care centers, including books, videos, and other classroom resources.

• Child Care Central – Huntsville has a resource center in Huntsville, Muscle Shoals, North Tanner, and Hanceville. Contact: Huntsville center at (256) 551-7016, Muscle Shoals center at (256) 375-4974, North Tanner center at (256) 282-9453, and Hanceville center at (256) 375-4974
• Child Care Central – Talladega has a resource center in Calhoun, Talladega, Anniston, and Gadsden. Contact: Talladega center at (256) 362-1390, Anniston center at (256) 835-3151, and Gadsden center at (256) 439-6800
• Childcare Resources – Birmingham has an Early Learning Resource Library and Van. Contact: Betty Abbott at (205) 945-0018 ext. 315
• Child Care Resource Center – Opelika has a lending library/resource room. Contact: Belinda Paul by phone at (334) 749-8400 or by email at [email protected]
• Childcare Resource Network – Fort Payne has a lending library in Fort Payne and Guntersville. Contact: Fort Payne library at (256) 845-8238 and Guntersville library at (256) 582-8806
• Family Guidance Center of Alabama – Dothan has a resource lending library. Contact: (334) 712-7777 or (800) 290-0933
• Family Guidance Center of Alabama – Montgomery has a resource lending library. Contact: (334) 270-4100 or (800) 499-6597
• Gulf Regional Early Childhood Services – Mobile has The Resource Place. Contact: (251) 473-1060 or (800)276-2134

Scholarships

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® ALABAMA provides scholarships to staff working in licensed child care centers to assist them in obtaining a CDA (Child Development Associate), Associate Degree in Child Development and Early Care and Education, or Bachelor Degree in Child Development and Early Care and Education. Contact: (866) 711-4025 or by email at [email protected]

Leadership in Child Care Scholarship program provides financial assistance to qualified child care professionals working in child care centers to obtain a Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential, Short-Term Certificate, Certificate, or Associate in Applied Science/Technology Degree in Child Development/Early Care and Education studies from an institution in the Alabama Community College System. Contact: Virginia Frazer by phone at (334) 293-4552 or by email at [email protected]

We strengthen the children’s tongue or about the benefits of articulatory gymnastics.

Our children now talk less, they listen more and look at TV screens and monitors. And talking in early childhood is very useful! Not only speech develops, but also the muscles of the tongue, lips, cheeks are strengthened. For the organs of articulation, training is just as important as for the legs and arms. In a sedentary child, the muscles are weak and sluggish. They always start talking with a baby with the sounds: “ah-ah”, “oo-oo”, “ay”, “agu”, “ghouls-ghouls”, “poke-poke-poke”. These first sound complexes are the first articulatory gymnastics. It is not for nothing that the child is also allowed to lick various objects: toys, spoons, saucers, chew rubber nipples, teethers. This strengthens the muscles of the jaw, cheeks, tongue (when licking, the upper rise of the tongue is formed). Most modern kids by the age of five have “porridge in the mouth”, because the tongue “dangles”, the cheeks are sunken, and the lips are tense and a little spastic. Simple exercises will help strengthen or relax the muscles of the articulatory apparatus. Here are a few simple exercises.

Lip exercises.

If the baby’s lips are clamped, tense, the best exercise is

“Smile”. You just need to stretch your lips in a smile, you can with the sound: “ee-ee” and hold for 3-5 seconds, while the teeth are on top of each other in the position “Fence”.

“Tube” — lips are stretched forward, it is possible with the sound “uuuuuu”, while the movement of the lips forward is developed and fixed. You can accompany the exercise with a poem:

The little elephant’s proboscis is pulling,

He’s about to get a banana,

Fold the lips into a tube

And show the little elephant.

And then alternately

“Smile” – “Tube ” with the sounds “iu-iu-iu”. This strengthens the lateral muscles of the mouth, it is important that the shoulders and neck are not tense.

To strengthen the circular muscle of the mouth and activate the upper lip, it is good to do the exercise

Exercises for the cheeks.

“Cheeks frozen” — rub the cheeks with circular movements of the fingers, knead the muscles of the cheeks.

“Hamster” – alternately inflate and deflate the cheeks, alternate tension-relaxation, accompany the exercise with a poem: we will help.

Nut or Candy »we imitate with the tongue that we are sucking a candy, resting the tongue alternately on the left, then on the right cheek. This exercise is good for strengthening the buccal muscle and in the future for setting the sound [p] . When using a poem, you can also fix the orientation in space – right-left:

Squirrel clicks nuts,

Thoroughly, without haste,

We rest the tongue

Left, right, on the barrel.

Language exercises.

Exercises for strengthening and relaxing the muscles of the tongue are perhaps the most important in speech therapy practice, since the tongue is involved in the production of many sounds. If the child’s tongue is tense, then the best exercise to relax is “We will punish the naughty tongue.” To do this, you need to open your mouth, stick out your tongue and, slapping it with your lips, move it forward and backward with the sound: “pah-pah-pah”. It is also good to bite the tip of the tongue with the teeth with the sound: “ta-ta-ta”.

To strengthen a flaccid, weakly muscled tongue, use the following exercises:

“Shovel” – holding a tense tongue spread on the lower lip for a count of five. At the same time, it is important that the mouth is wide open, the lips are in a smile, the lower lip does not support the tongue and that it does not deviate to the side.

“Needle” – keeping the tongue sharp. You should open your mouth, stretch the sharp tongue forward, the lips are slightly stretched, the tongue does not bend up or down. Hold the pose for a count of five.

“Watch” – this exercise develops the mobility of the tongue, and also teaches how to sharpen it. Open your mouth, stick out the tongue and swing it from side to side from the right corner of the lips to the left, while the tongue should not bend and touch the lips, it is important to ensure that the lower jaw remains motionless.

“Swing” – an exercise to strengthen the muscles of the tongue for the upper lift. At the top of the tongue, we form many sounds: [p], [p’], [l], [l’], [d], [d’], [t], [t’], [w], [g], [u], [ h]. Usually sonorous and hissing sounds are absent in the child’s speech, the reason for this may be weakened muscles of the tongue. The essence of the “Swing” exercise is to lift the tongue up and down with your mouth open, imitating the movements of a swing. At the same time, the accuracy and activity of the tip of the tongue develops, the ability to quickly change its position, it is necessary to ensure that the lower jaw and lips remain motionless, the tongue is wide, and the lower lip does not help support the tongue. You can also use a nursery rhyme:

Above the oak, above the spruce

On the swing we took off

“Delicious Jam” – the exercise is aimed at strengthening and upper lifting the tip of the tongue. This exercise is good to use when preparing for the production of the sound [w], , since the movement of the front of the tongue forward and upward is close to the shape of the cup, which the tongue acquires when pronouncing this sound. At the same time, it is important to ensure that only the tongue works, so that the lower lip and jaw do not help it, the tongue should remain wide, and its lateral edges touch the corners of the lips.

Tongue Brush – this exercise is aimed at activating the tip of the tongue, both for the upper lift and its flexibility in the lower position. We imitate brushing the teeth with the tongue, while the mouth is wide open, the lower jaw is motionless, the tongue should be wide and move from the bottom up. First, brush the lower teeth on one side and the other, then from the molars to the center of the upper teeth on both sides, it is important that the tip of the tongue reaches the gums. The exercise is useful when staging sounds [w], [p], [l], [u].

“Malyar” – movements with the tip of the tongue across the palate, as if we are painting the “ceiling” in the mouth, the mouth is wide open. The exercise strengthens the muscles of the tongue for the upper lift, it is especially good to use when setting the sound [r].

“Pussy laps milk” — moving the tongue back and forth, when moving into the oral cavity, the lateral edges of the tongue are slightly bent, as if forming a ladle. This exercise trains the ability to quickly change the position of the tongue, strengthens its lateral muscles, stretches the hyoid ligament (bridle).

“Horse” – clicking the tongue like a horse. The exercise stretches the hyoid ligament well, strengthens the upper rise of the tongue, and is used when setting the sound [p]. It is very important that the mouth is open and the lower jaw remains motionless.

“Woodpecker” is one of the important exercises for setting the sound [r]. The mouth is wide open, tapping the tip of the tongue behind the upper teeth along the alveoli with the sound: “d-d-d-d”. The sound [d], in general, is fundamental for setting [p], as it helps to keep the tongue up for a long time. First we pronounce “d-d-d” in slow motion, then we speed up the pace and pronounce it more intensely and clearly. When performing this exercise, it is very important to ensure that the mouth is open all the time, only the tongue works, the lower jaw is motionless, the lips are in a smile, the tip of the tongue should not tuck in, and the nature of the sound should be in the form of a clear blow, not squelching. This is one of the most difficult exercises, so it should be performed after fixing all of the above. Since it is necessary that the muscles of the mouth and lips are well strengthened, the mouth must be able to stay open for a long time motionless, the tongue can easily rise upwards, the lower jaw should stand in one place and not interfere.

All these simple exercises can be started with the baby from the age of 1 in a playful way, imitating the movements of various objects and animals, accompanied by songs, nursery rhymes, claps. At the same time, it is important to first show the movement yourself, so that the child fixes it visually. So, you can have fun and usefully spend time with your beloved child, and by the age of five have good sound pronunciation of even the most complex groups of sounds, because articulatory gymnastics is one of the most important components of speech therapy work.

30 best diction exercises

A person is not born with the ability to speak, much less to do it correctly and clearly. If a child has problems with the pronunciation of individual sounds, articulation gymnastics can help him. This is a set of exercises aimed at correcting these difficulties. In what cases is it sufficient, and when is a more serious approach required? What exercises of articulation gymnastics can you do at home yourself? Speech therapist Olesya Yugova tells.

Olesya Yugova, speech therapist, Associate Professor of the Department of Speech Therapy, Moscow City Pedagogical University, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences

What is articulation gymnastics

Children of the first years of life very often distort sounds that are difficult to pronounce, because their speech organs are still developing. There are practically no babies who immediately speak perfectly clearly.

For a clear pronunciation of sounds, correct articulatory motility is necessary, that is, the coordinated activity of the organs of the speech apparatus. If there are any problems in articulatory motor skills, they will always be reflected in sound pronunciation.

When talking, we use about a hundred muscles, including the muscles of the neck, chest, face, tongue, soft palate. Many more neurons are used to control all these muscles than walking and running. Articulatory gymnastics is aimed at those organs in which there are muscles: tongue, lips (circular muscle of the mouth), facial muscles. But first of all, it is intended for the language. The tongue is the main organ of speech, and the development and strengthening of its muscles will help to pronounce all sounds more accurately and clearly.

Types of articulatory gymnastics

Such gymnastics can be active and passive. Most often, when talking about articulatory gymnastics, they mean its active form : the one that the child performs on his own. It is suitable in cases where articulatory motility is not impaired, but simply needs to be improved and practiced for individual movements.

But there are also more serious situations, such as dysarthria, when the pronunciation side of speech is impaired as a result of damage to the nervous system, and the mobility of the speech organs is limited. In this case, it is extremely difficult or impossible for children to perform such gymnastics on their own. After all, their speech organs are not ready for this.

passive gymnastics is used here: an adult with his own hands or with the help of devices – probes, spatulas, brushes – performs the movements and postures that we would like to receive. For example, very often children with motor disorders cannot lift their tongue up. Naturally, in this case, they cannot clearly pronounce the sounds that require this movement. And by itself, this problem is unlikely to disappear, serious work is needed on this.

I would also like to dwell on such a problem as a short hyoid frenulum. It can also be the cause of limited tongue mobility. It can be stretched a little through exercises, but if it is too short, then to normalize the sound pronunciation, it remains only to cut it.

What gymnastics does your child need? Pay attention to the following signs:

• the child cannot stick out and fix the tongue on request,

• can only partially stick it out and quickly pulls it back, ,

• when the tongue is raised, the lower jaw rises along with it,

• The sticky tongue begins to tremble or deviate to the side,

• There is abundant salivation,

• The child frantically pronounces several groups of sounds at once (hissing, whistling, sonorous),

• violated the pronunciation not only agreed, not only the pronunciation of the agreement, not only the agreements were pronounced but also vowel sounds (the pronunciation is averaged, there is no clear difference between the sounds).

If several of the listed signs are observed, then, most likely, the child, in addition to consulting a specialist, needs passive gymnastics and speech therapy massage. In combination, they will prepare the baby’s speech apparatus for active articulatory gymnastics, make it possible to produce sounds.

It is better to learn about passive gymnastics from a speech therapist during a consultation. The fact is that violations can be different, there are no universal exercises that would suit everyone. Only a specialist can explain which methods will be most effective in each case.

General principles of articulation gymnastics

Regularity. This means that there will be more benefit from daily five-minute classes than from hourly gymnastics once a week.

Play uniform . Articulation gymnastics can be not only useful, but also a fun activity for the baby.

Visibility. The more analyzers (sight, hearing, touch) are connected when performing exercises, the more effective gymnastics. How to achieve visibility? You can use a mirror in which the child will see his reflection. The adult himself, sitting opposite the baby, can act as a model for performing movements. Use pictures, videos with other children doing this gymnastics. Find out by experience what suits your child more, what motivates him more.

Convenience. Gymnastics should be done in a comfortable position: the back is relaxed, the hands lie calmly, the head has support. The child should be comfortable.

Gradual complication. Try the easiest exercises first, gradually increasing the difficulty. Each time, enter no more than one new exercise, and only if all the previous ones have already been worked out well.

Appropriateness . If the child copes with all the exercises very easily, it is worth considering whether he needs this gymnastics at all. After all, the main task of these exercises is to learn how to do what is not very good at the moment.

Correct attitude. It should not be regarded as a panacea, it is only one of the methods.

Gymnastics techniques

You can easily master these active gymnastics exercises, aimed at statics or dynamics. Each pose is held for 5-7 seconds, repeated several times.

Pipe. Lips should be folded into a tube and pulled forward as far as possible.

Fence. We explain that you need to smile in such a way as to show your teeth.

Alternating exercises “Pipe” and “Fence” .

Rabbit. It is necessary to lift the upper lip to slightly open the incisors.

“Evil Horse” . It is necessary to depict the snorting of a horse. Forcefully exhale air through the mouth without opening it. At the same time, the lips will begin to vibrate.

Piglet. It is necessary to stretch the lips with a tube, and then with closed lips rotate in a circle in different directions.

Horse. The child should click his tongue, sounding the clatter of hooves.

“Fungus”. The tongue is firmly applied (attached to the palate) and held in this position.

Accordion . Keeping the tongue in the “fungus” position, you need to open / close your mouth several times.

Pop the balloon. The cheeks are puffed out, then the child should tap them lightly to release the air.

Hamster. First, both cheeks are inflated, then the right and left alternately.

Fish. The cheeks are retracted and held in this position.

Spatula. The relaxed tongue should be placed on the lower lip (not protruding).

Needle. Narrow tongue protrudes as far as possible.

Watch. Open your mouth slightly and alternately touch the left and right corners of your mouth with the tip of your tongue.

Cup. With your mouth wide open, hold the tongue up.

Focus. Raise the tongue to the “cup” position and gently blow on the tip of the nose. You can put a piece of cotton on the tip of your nose.

Tasty jam. The upper lip is licked with a wide tongue (you can lick real jam).

Painter. We draw the tongue across the sky in the direction from front to back (from the teeth to the throat). You can tell the child that the tongue is a paint brush that paints the sky.

“Brushing your teeth” . The tip of the tongue should be drawn along the upper and then along the lower teeth from one edge to the other.

Monkey. Open your mouth slightly and place your tongue between your lower lip and lower teeth. The lips are close together.

Bulldog. From the “monkey” position, move the tongue to a position between the upper lip and upper teeth. Lips close.

Circle. Mouth closed. The tongue moves from the inside, smoothly outlining a circle with the tip of the tongue.

“Sail”. The end of the tongue rests on the upper teeth and is held in this position.

Swing. The mouth opens and the tongue moves up and down alternately.

“Drummer”. Smile, open your mouth, put your tongue behind your upper teeth, loudly, distinctly, repeat many times: “D-D-D-”. Gradually speed up the pace, do not bring your teeth together.

Knead dough. The tongue rests on the lower lip (as in the “scapula”), while the mouth opens and closes, the lips slap on the tongue.

“Let’s bite the tongue.” Smile, open your mouth, bite the tip and center of your tongue.

“Where’s the candy?”. It is necessary to tightly close the mouth, with the tip of the tongue pressing first on one, then on the other cheek from the inside.

“Turkey” (“Chatterbox”). Smile, show teeth, open your mouth, put a wide tongue on the upper lip and make quick movements with the tip of the tongue along the upper lip back and forth, trying not to tear the tongue from the upper lip.

“Steamboat is humming”. When smiling, you need to bite your tongue and pronounce “y” for a long time.

Do these exercises regularly, but without making them a chore for the child, and you will definitely see progress! And do not forget about other methods of speech development.

See also:

Why is it so important to read aloud to a child

How to teach a child to pronounce complex sounds without the help of a speech therapist

13 classic games for the development of speech com

development tips

Muscle weakness – treatment, symptoms, causes, diagnosis

The causes of muscle weakness are many and there are a wide range of conditions that can cause muscle weakness. These can be both well-known diseases and rather rare conditions. Muscle weakness can be reversible and persistent. However, in most cases, muscle weakness can be treated with exercise, physiotherapy, and acupuncture.

Muscle weakness is a fairly common complaint, but the word weakness has a wide range of meanings, including fatigue, decreased muscle strength, and the inability of the muscles to work at all. There is an even wider range of possible causes.

The term muscle weakness can be used to describe several different conditions.

Primary or true muscle weakness

This muscle weakness manifests itself as an inability to perform the movement that a person wants to perform with the muscles on the first try. There is an objective decrease in muscle strength and strength does not increase regardless of effort. That is, the muscle does not work properly – this is abnormal.

When this type of muscle weakness occurs, the muscles appear to have fallen asleep, smaller in volume. This can happen, for example, after a stroke. The same visual picture occurs with muscular dystrophy. Both conditions lead to weakening of the muscles that cannot perform the usual load. And this is a real change in muscle strength.

Muscle fatigue

Fatigue is sometimes called asthenia. This is the feeling of tiredness or exhaustion that a person feels when the muscles are used. The muscles don’t really get weaker, they can still do their job, but doing muscle work takes a lot of effort. This type of muscle weakness is often seen in people with chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep disorders, depression, and chronic heart, lung, and kidney disease. This may be due to a decrease in the rate at which the muscles can receive the required amount of energy.

Muscle fatigue

In some cases, muscle fatigue mainly has increased fatigue – the muscle starts to work, but quickly gets tired and takes more time to restore function. Fatigue is often associated with muscle fatigue, but this is most noticeable in rare conditions such as myasthenia gravis and myotonic dystrophy.

The difference between these three types of muscle weakness is often not obvious and a patient may have more than one type of weakness at once. Also, one kind of weakness can alternate with another kind of weakness. But with a careful approach to diagnosis, the doctor manages to determine the main type of muscle weakness, since certain diseases are characterized by one or another type of muscle weakness.

The main causes of muscle weakness

Lack of adequate physical activity – inactive (sedentary) lifestyle.

Lack of muscle exercise is one of the most common causes of muscle weakness. If the muscles are not used, then the muscle fibers in the muscles are partly replaced by fat. And over time, the muscles weaken: the muscles become less dense and more flabby. And although muscle fibers do not lose their strength, but their number decreases, and they are not reduced as effectively. And the person feels that they have become smaller in volume. When you try to perform certain movements, fatigue sets in faster. The condition is reversible with reasonable regular exercise. But as we age, this condition becomes more pronounced.

Maximum muscle strength and a short period of recovery after exercise is observed at the age of 20-30 years. That is why most great athletes achieve high results at this age. However, strengthening muscles through regular exercise can be done at any age. Many successful distance runners have been in their 40s. Muscle tolerance during a long activity, such as a marathon, remains high for longer than during a powerful, short burst of activity, such as a sprint.

It is always good when a person has sufficient physical activity at any age. However, recovery from muscle and tendon injuries is slower with age. At whatever age a person decides to improve their physical fitness, a reasonable training regimen is important. And it is better to coordinate training with a specialist (instructor or exercise therapy doctor).

Aging

As we age, muscles lose strength and mass and become weaker. While most people accept this as a natural consequence of age – especially if the age is decent, however, the inability to do what was possible at a younger age often brings discomfort. However, exercise is still beneficial in old age, and safe exercise can increase muscle strength. But the recovery time after an injury is much longer in old age, as involutional changes in metabolism occur and bone fragility increases.

Infections

Infections and diseases are among the most common causes of temporary muscle fatigue. This occurs due to inflammatory processes in the muscles. And sometimes, even if the infectious disease has regressed, the restoration of muscle strength can take a long period of time. Sometimes this can cause chronic fatigue syndrome. Any disease with fever and inflammation of the muscles can be a trigger for chronic fatigue syndrome. However, some diseases are more likely to cause this syndrome. These include the flu, Epstein-Barr virus, HIV, Lyme disease, and hepatitis C. Other less common causes are tuberculosis, malaria, syphilis, polio, and dengue fever.

Pregnancy

During and immediately after pregnancy, high levels of steroids in the blood, combined with iron deficiency, can cause muscle fatigue. This is a completely normal muscle reaction to pregnancy, however, certain gymnastics can and should be carried out, but significant physical exertion should be excluded. In addition, in pregnant women, due to a violation of biomechanics, pain in the lower back often occurs.

Chronic diseases

Many chronic diseases cause muscle weakness. In some cases, this is due to a reduction in the flow of blood and nutrients to the muscles.

Peripheral vascular disease is caused by narrowing of the arteries, usually due to cholesterol deposits, and is triggered by poor diet and smoking. The supply of blood to the muscles is reduced, and this becomes especially noticeable during exercise, when the blood flow cannot cope with the needs of the muscles. Pain is often more characteristic of peripheral vascular disease than muscle weakness.

Diabetes – This disease can lead to muscle weakness and loss of fitness. High blood sugar puts the muscles at a disadvantage, their functioning is impaired. In addition, as diabetes progresses, there is a disturbance in the structure of the peripheral nerves (polyneuropathy), which in turn impairs the normal innervation of the muscles and leads to muscle weakness. In addition to the nerves, diabetes causes damage to the arteries, which also leads to poor blood supply to the muscles and weakness. Heart disease, especially heart failure, can lead to impaired blood supply to the muscles due to a decrease in myocardial contractility and actively working muscles do not receive enough blood (oxygen and nutrients) at the peak of the load and this can lead to rapid muscle fatigue.

Chronic lung diseases , such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), reduce the body’s ability to consume oxygen. Muscles require a fast supply of oxygen from the blood, especially during exercise. Decreased oxygen consumption leads to muscle fatigue. Over time, chronic lung disease can lead to muscle atrophy, although this mostly happens in advanced cases when blood oxygen levels begin to drop.

Chronic kidney disease can lead to an imbalance of minerals and salts in the body, and may also affect the level of calcium and vitamin D. Kidney disease also causes the accumulation of toxic substances (toxins) in the blood, as a violation of the excretory function of the kidneys reduces their excretion from the body. These changes can lead to both true muscle weakness and muscle fatigue.

Anemia – is a lack of red blood cells. There are many causes of anemia, including poor nutrition, blood loss, pregnancy, genetic diseases, infections, and cancer. This reduces the ability of the blood to carry oxygen to the muscles in order for the muscles to contract fully. Anemia often develops rather slowly, so that by the time of diagnosis, muscle weakness and shortness of breath are already noted.

Diseases of the central nervous system

Anxiety: general fatigue can be caused by anxiety. This is due to the increased activity of the adrenaline system in the body.

Depression: general fatigue can also be caused by depression.

Anxiety and depression are conditions that tend to cause feelings of tiredness and “fatigue” rather than true weakness.

Chronic pain – general effect on energy levels can lead to muscle weakness. As with anxiety, chronic pain stimulates the release of chemicals (hormones) in the body that respond to pain and injury. These chemicals lead to feelings of tiredness or fatigue. With chronic pain, muscle weakness can also occur, as the muscles cannot be used due to pain and discomfort.

Muscle injuries due to trauma

There are many factors that lead to direct muscle damage. The most obvious are injuries or injuries such as sports injuries, sprains and dislocations. Performing exercises without “warming up” and stretching the muscles is a common cause of muscle damage. With any muscle injury, bleeding occurs from damaged muscle fibers within the muscle, followed by swelling and inflammation. This makes the muscles less strong and also painful when performing movements. The main symptom is localized pain, but later on weakness may appear.

Medicines

Many medicines can cause muscle weakness and muscle damage as a side effect or allergic reaction. It usually starts out as fatigue. But damage can progress if medication is not stopped. The most commonly reported medications are statins, some antibiotics (including ciprofloxacin and penicillin), and anti-inflammatory pain medications (such as naproxen and diclofenac).

Long-term use of oral steroids also causes muscle weakness and atrophy. This is an expected side effect of steroids with long-term use and therefore doctors try to reduce the duration of steroid use. Less commonly used medications that can cause muscle weakness and muscle damage include:

• Certain cardiac drugs (eg amiodarone).
• Chemotherapy drugs.
• HIV drugs.
• Interferons.
• Medicines used to treat overactive thyroid.

Other substances.

Long-term use of alcohol can lead to weakness of the shoulder and hip muscles.

Smoking can indirectly weaken muscles. Smoking causes narrowing of the arteries, which leads to peripheral vascular disease.

Cocaine abuse causes marked muscle weakness, as do other drugs.

Sleep disorders

Problems that disrupt or reduce the duration of sleep, leading to muscle fatigue, muscle fatigue. These disorders may include: insomnia, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, restless leg syndrome, shift work, and having young children who stay awake at night.

Other causes of muscle weakness

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

This condition is sometimes associated with some viral infections such as Epstein-Barr virus and influenza, but the genesis of this condition is not fully understood. Muscles are not inflamed, but get tired very quickly. Patients often feel the need for greater effort to perform muscle activities that they previously performed easily.

In chronic fatigue syndrome, muscles that are not collapsed and may have normal strength when tested. This is reassuring, as it means that the chances of recovery and full functional recovery are very high. CFS also causes psychological fatigue when performing intellectual activities, such as long reading and communication also becomes tiring. Patients often show signs of depression and sleep disturbances.

Fibromyalgia

This condition is similar in symptoms to chronic fatigue syndrome. However, in fibromyalgia, the muscles become tender to the touch and tire very quickly. Muscles in fibromyalgia do not collapse and remain strong on formal muscle testing. Patients tend to complain more of pain than fatigue or weakness.

Thyroid dysfunction (hypothyroidism)

In this condition, the lack of thyroid hormones leads to general fatigue. And if hypothyroidism is not treated, then muscle degeneration and hypotrophy may develop over time. Such changes can be serious and in some cases irreversible. Hypothyroidism is a common disease, but, as a rule, with timely selection of treatment, muscle problems can be avoided.

Lack of fluid in the body (dehydration) and electrolyte imbalance.

Problems with the normal balance of salts in the body, including as a result of dehydration, can cause muscle fatigue. Muscle problems can only be very serious in extreme cases, such as dehydration during a marathon. Muscles work worse when there is an imbalance of electrolytes in the blood.

Diseases accompanied by muscle inflammation

Inflammatory muscle diseases typically develop in the elderly and include both polymyalgia and polymyositis and dermatomyositis. Some of these conditions are well corrected by taking steroids (which have to be taken for many months before the therapeutic effect appears). Unfortunately, long-term use of steroids themselves can cause muscle loss and weakness.

Systemic inflammatory diseases such as SLE and rheumatoid arthritis often cause muscle weakness. In a small percentage of cases, rheumatoid arthritis, muscle weakness and fatigue may be the only symptoms of the disease for a significant amount of time.

Cancer

Cancer and other cancers can cause direct muscle damage, but having cancer anywhere in the body can also cause generalized muscle fatigue. In the advanced stages of cancer, body weight loss also leads to true muscle weakness. Muscle weakness is usually not the first sign of cancer and occurs more often in the later stages of cancer.

Neurological conditions resulting in muscle damage .

Diseases affecting the nerves usually result in true muscle weakness. This is because if the nerve of the muscle fiber stops working properly, the muscle fiber cannot contract and, as a result of the lack of movement, the muscle will atrophy. Neurological diseases: Muscle weakness can be caused by cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke and cerebral hemorrhages or spinal cord injuries. Muscles that become partially or completely paralyzed lose their normal strength and eventually atrophy. In some cases, muscle changes are significant and recovery is very slow or function cannot be restored.

Diseases of the spine: when the nerves are damaged (compressed at the exit of the spine by a herniation, protrusion or osteophyte), muscle weakness may occur. When a nerve is compressed, conduction and motor disturbances occur in the zone of innervation of the root, and muscle weakness develops only in muscles innervated by certain nerves that have undergone compression

Other nervous diseases :

Multiple sclerosis – caused by damage to nerves in the brain and spinal cord and can lead to sudden paralysis. With multiple sclerosis, partial restoration of functions is possible with adequate treatment.

Guillain-Barré syndrome is an acute autoimmune inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy, manifested by flaccid paresis, sensory disturbances, autonomic disorders, caused by a viral infection

Parkinson’s disease: this is a progressive disease of the central nervous system, both the motor sphere and the intellectual and emotional sphere. It mainly affects people over the age of 60 and in addition to muscle weakness, Parkinson’s patients experience tremors and muscle stiffness. They often have difficulty starting and stopping movement, and are often depressed.

Rare causes of muscle weakness

Genetic diseases affecting muscles

Muscular dystrophies – hereditary diseases that affect muscles are quite rare. The most famous such disease is Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This disease occurs in children and leads to a gradual loss of muscle strength.

Some rare muscular dystrophies may debut in adulthood, including Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome, and Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy syndrome. They also cause a gradual loss of muscle strength and often these conditions can lead to disability and wheelchair confinement.

Sarcoidosis – is a rare disease in which clusters of cells (granulomas) form in the skin, lungs, and soft tissues, including muscles. The condition may heal on its own after a few years.

Amyloidosis – is also a rare disease in which there is an accumulation (deposits) of an abnormal protein (amyloid) throughout the body, including in the muscles and kidneys.

Other rare causes: Direct muscle damage can occur in rare hereditary metabolic diseases. Examples include: glycogen storage diseases and, even more rarely, mitochondrial diseases, which occur when the energy systems within muscle cells do not work properly.

Myotonic dystrophy – is a rare genetic muscle disease in which the muscles tire quickly. Myotonic dystrophy is passed on from generation to generation, and, as a rule, with each subsequent generation, the manifestations of the disease become more pronounced.

Motor neuron disease is a progressive nerve disease that affects all parts of the body. Most forms of motor neuron disease begin in the distal extremities and gradually involve all the muscles of the body. The disease progresses over months or years, and patients rapidly develop severe muscle weakness and muscle atrophy.

Motor neuron disease is most common in men over 50, but there have been many notable exceptions to this rule, including famous astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. There are many different forms of motor neuron disease, but no successful treatment has yet been developed.

Myasthenia gravis: – is a rare muscle disease in which the muscles tire quickly and take a long time to recover from contractile function. Muscle dysfunction may be so severe that patients cannot even hold their eyelids and speech becomes slurred.

Poisons – poisonous substances also often cause muscle weakness and paralysis due to the effect on the nerves. Examples are phosphates and botulinum toxin. In case of exposure to phosphates, weakness and paralysis may be persistent.

Addison’s disease

Addison’s disease is a rare disorder in which the adrenal glands become underactive, leading to a lack of steroids in the blood and an imbalance of blood electrolytes. The disease usually develops gradually. Patients may notice a change in skin color (tanning) due to skin pigmentation. There may be weight loss. Muscle fatigue can be mild and is often an early symptom. The disease is often difficult to diagnose and special examinations are required to diagnose this disease. Other rare hormonal causes of muscle weakness include acromegaly (an overproduction of growth hormone), an underactive pituitary gland (hypopituitarism), and severe vitamin D deficiency.

Diagnosis of muscle weakness and treatment

If you have muscle weakness, you should consult a doctor who will be primarily interested in answering the following questions:

• How did muscle weakness appear and when?
• Is there any dynamics of muscle weakness, both increase and decrease?
• Has there been a change in general well-being, weight loss, or recent travel abroad?
• What medications is the patient taking and has anyone in the patient’s family had muscle problems?

The physician will also need to examine the patient to determine which muscles are affected by weakness and whether the patient has actual or suspected muscle weakness. The doctor will check to see if there are signs of the muscles becoming softer to the touch (which could be a sign of inflammation) or if the muscles are tiring too quickly.

The doctor should then check the nerve conduction to determine if there is a conduction disorder from the nerves to the muscles. In addition, the doctor may need to check the central nervous system, including balance and coordination, and may order laboratory tests to determine changes in hormone levels, electrolytes, and other indicators.

If this does not allow determining the cause of muscle weakness, then other diagnostic methods can be prescribed:

• Neurophysiological studies (ENMG, EMG).
• Muscle biopsy to determine the presence of morphological changes in the muscles
• Scanning tissues using CT (MSCT) or MRI in parts of the body that can affect muscle strength and function.

The combination of medical history, symptoms, physical examination data and the results of laboratory and instrumental research methods allows in most cases to find out the true cause of muscle weakness and determine the necessary treatment tactics. Depending on the genesis of muscle weakness (infectious, traumatic, neurological, metabolic drug, etc.), the treatment should be pathogenetic. Treatment can be either conservative or surgical.

33 useful wall bars exercises to show to children

Even the most useful thing in the world will be just decoration if you don’t know how to use it correctly. Let’s talk about the best exercises of varying difficulty that your children can perform on the Swedish wall.

Even simple climbing on the Swedish wall helps relieve stress, get rid of muscle clamps that appear from sitting still at a desk.
or in front of a computer. Regular exercises that the child performs on the wall stimulate his immunity, as well as
development of physical and intellectual abilities. Separately, it is worth mentioning that climbing up and down the stairs strengthens the arch of the foot, which prevents flat feet.

Depending on the purpose for which it is used, the wall will become a strength or stretching trainer, an excuse for morning exercises, or a way to relax before bed. The main thing is to show the child (you can by personal example) how to use it with benefit and pleasure.

Nuance: all the walls are useful, but the more modern and safe option is installed in your house, the calmer you are for a child, even a small one and not prepared for serious training. If, however, complete with a wall you get a variety of shells: rope ladders, ropes, rings, horizontal bars, slides, swings – it will be more fun and interesting for a child to do exercises.

On our website you can buy an excellent Swedish wall for a child, which will meet all safety standards and requirements, while it will perfectly fit into your apartment, will look appropriate and aesthetically pleasing.

Morning Exercises

• Mini Pull-ups : rest your feet on the base of the wall, place your arms on the bar at shoulder level and straighten them completely. Then we pull ourselves close to it, while the grip can be changed, for example, put your hands narrower or wider, grab the crossbars not from above, but from below – this will help to use all the small muscles of the hands. We perform mini-pull-ups 10-15 times.
• Foot warm-up : stand on the lower bar, hold hands at a comfortable height. We cross our feet for a minute, as when walking in place. Then we move the feet forward / backward – from toes to heels.
• Inclinations to the wall : put your left hand on the bar of the Swedish wall at shoulder level or slightly lower and stand sideways to it. Then we tilt the body to the left, while trying to reach the crossbars with a straight right hand, but we do not turn the body. We perform 10 times, and then repeat 10 more times – already for the right side of the body.
• Bar Squats : Stand with your feet on the bottom step of the wall bar, grab the bar at chest level with your hands and squat 10-15 times.

Before and after morning exercises, invite the child to hang on the crossbar or horizontal bar (if any) for at least 20-30 seconds. The exercise seems simple and even boring, because you do not need to do anything – but it is one of the most useful for straightening the spine, as well as strengthening the muscles of the back, shoulders and arms. Gradually increase the length of the hang. The ability to hold out for 5 minutes is aerobatics!

Exercises for a healthy back and good posture

Children sit at their desks a lot, not controlling the correct position of the back. In addition, a “duty” tilt to the screen of a tablet or smartphone can lead to muscle clamps in the neck and even to a curvature of the spine. The Swedish wall of the house is the key to a healthy back.

• Stand with your back to the wall, breathe evenly and calmly, focus on how each bar touches your back.
• We hang on the crossbar, which is convenient in height, for a minute. If it takes longer, great!
• Hanging on the rings (if any) – this kind of hang adds variety to the usual training program and involves muscles that do not work when hanging on a fixed bar.
• We carry out the bar. To do this, we cling our legs to the first or second crossbar, put our hands on the floor or on the mat – and stand still for at least 20-30 seconds. Correct execution technique is important:
  make sure that the child’s lower back does not bend down, and the pelvis does not go up. The correct plank is straight.
• We hang facing the Swedish wall and tear off the pelvis and straight legs from it. We fix the “vertical boat” for 1-2 seconds, then return to the starting position. We repeat 5-7 times.
• We stand facing the wall, put our feet near the lower crossbar, grab our hands at waist level or slightly lower. Then we lean forward, taking the body and pelvis back, and keeping the back straight. We fix the position at the extreme point for 2-3 seconds, then return to the original vertical position. We repeat 5-7 times.

Strength Exercises

Home workouts on the Swedish wall can be a backup option and an alternative to sports sections in case of self-isolation, quarantine at school, or a break for the holidays. And, of course, regular exercise at home will improve your child’s physical education scores over time.

• We stand with our backs to the Swedish wall. Grab a bar high enough so that your feet don’t touch the floor and hang on your hands. Slowly, without jerking, we raise the legs bent at the knees perpendicular to the body. We repeat 10-15 times.
• The starting position is the same, we raise straight legs 8-10 times.
• The starting position is the same, in turn we pull the knees to the opposite shoulders. Repeat 8-10 times on each side.
• The starting position is the same, in turn we raise the legs straight legs to the sides – 10-15 times on each side.
• We turn to face the wall, grab our hands high, hang down and then bend both legs at the knees, trying to touch the buttocks. We repeat 10-15 times.
• We stand with the right side against the wall, put the straight right leg on the crossbar at the level of the pelvis or slightly lower (the higher the crossbar, the higher the load, so choose the height taking into account the physical fitness of the child). We squat on the left leg 5-7 times. Then we turn left side and squat on the right leg. It is important to properly distribute the load: it should not lie on the knee joints, so make sure that the child keeps his back straight and while squatting, the pelvis is pulled back, and the knee does not go far forward.
• We do lunges: we stand with our backs to the Swedish wall, we step with our right foot far forward (the angle at the knee is 90 degrees), then we make a lunge with our left foot. Repeat 5-7 times on each leg.
• We lay down on the mat perpendicular to the wall, fasten the legs to the lower bar, perform 10-15 twists for the press.

Endurance exercises

• For children up to 3-4 years old: ascent to the very top of the Swedish wall, then descent. We repeat 3-5 times.
• For children 4-6 years old: climb to the very top of the rope ladder (if available), then descend. We repeat 3-5 times.
• For children over 7 years: rope climb (if available). We repeat 1-2 times.

Exercises for the development of flexibility

• We stand facing the Swedish wall at a distance of an outstretched leg, put the right foot on the crossbar and lean towards it with the body. We repeat 3-5 times. We perform in 2 sets: first with a round back, then with a straight one.
• We perform the “pendulum”: we hang on our hands with our backs to the wall, we swing our legs from side to side, while holding them together. The amplitude should not be large. Make sure that the movements of the child are not sharp, impetuous.
• We make a “bridge”: we stand with our backs to the Swedish wall at a distance of 2 steps, grab the bar with one hand, “step” lower with the other – and so on until the stretch is enough. Do not rush to perform a full-fledged bridge, wait until the child’s muscles are stretched and strengthened, and he himself will not experience fear, hanging in an unusual position for himself.
• We stand at arm’s length facing the wall and grab the crossbar with both hands. Legs together. Keeping your arms straight, lean forward, then bend your legs slightly in turn.

Game exercises for the smallest

• “Monkey is naughty” : hang on the crossbar, hold with both hands for 10-15 seconds, then “step” (let go of one or the other hand for a while, while the parent insures against fall). Repeat “steps” 3-4 times for each hand.
• “The clock is ticking” : we perform the “pendulum” exercise – we swing slightly from side to side, holding with both hands. Legs together and straight.
• “The fish swims” : hang on the crossbar or horizontal bar (if any) and make rotational movements with the legs. 2-3 circles clockwise, then 2-3 circles – against it.
• Grass Grows : hang on the bar and pull up to it (at the same time, the parent insures and slightly pushes the child up). We repeat 2-3 times.
• Roly-Poly is training : doing squats near the Swedish wall. We stand facing her, holding our hands at waist level. We repeat 5-6 times.
• “Cosmonaut climbs into a rocket” : climb the rope ladder. We repeat 1-2 times.
• “Pirates Attack” : Climb up the rope (with the help of a parent) or swing on it, holding on tightly with your hands.
• “Swallow flies” : stand with your feet on the lower crossbar facing the Swedish wall. Keep your hands at chest level. Raise your head up, arch your back and take your straight right leg back as far as possible. We fix the position for 1-2 seconds, then raise the left leg.

On our site you can buy an excellent Swedish wall for a child, which will meet all safety standards and requirements, while it will perfectly fit into your apartment, will look appropriate and aesthetically pleasing.

Safety

When working with a child on the Swedish wall, follow simple rules.

1. Consult your pediatrician before purchasing a wall bar and before starting home workouts. Even such a useful sports simulator has contraindications.
2. Be sure to warm up before doing the exercises: perform rotational movements of the head, shoulders, arms, hands. Rotate your feet. Get up on your toes and get down. Make 2-3 tilts of the body in each direction.
3. Take care of a soft landing: lay a high-quality, dense mat near the wall bars.
4. Complicate the exercises and increase the number of approaches gradually. At the same time, follow the correct technique for performing the exercise.
5. Finish your workouts with a little stretching (see section above) otherwise your child will have sore muscles the next day and will not want to repeat the “unpleasant” experience.
6. Do not force! There will be little benefit from exercises “through I don’t want to”.
7. Do not exercise immediately after eating. Wait at least 30-40 minutes.
8. Do not exercise on the Swedish wall if the child is overexcited: concentration will decrease and the risk of injury will increase.
9. Stop exercising if you feel unwell.
10. Insure your child: a baby up to 4-5 years old – all the time, an older child – on difficult exercises and when climbing to a height.

Read 👀 online 📲 Jormundur

14. The sin of fatherhood

Once upon a time there lived a glorious warrior in the northern coastal kingdom. His ancestors were not distinguished by blue blood, but belonged to one of the eminent Norwegian families. By his mature years, the inhabitants of Nidaros, which is at the mouth of the Nida, a brave and enterprising husband was elected a hövding, that is, a local leader. The ruler disposed of the affairs of his people according to his mind and conscience, he taxed the tillers, fishermen, hunters and cattle breeders, and with the proceeds he built a prosperous city in his fjord.

When Jarl Hladir, to whom Nidaros also belongs, set out on a campaign, Hövding removed his shield and ax from the wall. The warrior handled weapons as skillfully as with trading letters and laws, therefore he was valued no less in raids than on land. But it was scary for the heading to leave his native Nidaros to bond proteges. Many landowners looked at his tall house and wide courtyard, where many thralls worked.

In the raids, the leader became so rich that he desired to see in his possessions a noble, reasonable wife who would look after the household in his absence. Then the handsome and not yet old heading began to search all over Hladir for a worthy party. And the jarl there, very conveniently, had an older sister, the beautiful Guthrum, in the care of. The late father, sung by the sagas, did not have time to marry her off, and in the family the poor thing began to be called an old maid behind her back.

Having wooed Guthrum, the ruler of Nidaros immediately received a turn from the gate. It was not for nothing that the Jarl’s sister was called the obstinate proud woman, because the hövding, who fell in love in earnest, sought her hand for almost a year. When either common sense or a warm heart made the ice melt, the young people played such a wedding, which had not happened in all of Hladir.

Guthrum, not getting younger with age, began to dream of a child. The jarl also remembered his sister, every time he spoke with his brother and relative about the future heir. But how passionately he disliked heading his wife, time passed, but it was not possible to conceive.

There lived a seer near Trondheims Fjord, who was not exactly famous for his divination, but out of curiosity and hopelessness, the people went to him, repaying him with food and rarely with coins. The prophetess built himself a modest dugout on a picturesque quiet coast, where he scattered bones and runes on a large flat stone in front of gullible guests and, by and large, did not know grief and poverty. And yet life from day to day became not a joy, but a burden. Petty human worries and superstitions hardened the heart, participation was replaced by contempt, but more than all fortune tellers, he was disappointed in himself. How truthfully he did not guess people’s thoughts and how he did not grimace, the spirits of nature, and even more so the aces, never spoke to him – they were not even a light breath of a candle.

When the seer was almost convinced that he was deaf to the words of the gods and seriously doubted their existence, there was a persistent knock on the door of the dugout. On the advice of his people, Hövding came to the fortune-teller for the last help. He promised him a generous reward and honorable friendship, if only Guthrum would finally become heavy. Listening to the entreaties, tears and promises, the seer fell into deep thought. If the wife has not been able to bear it by any means, giving heading hope is only a test of time. The sorcerer spread the bones and gave the petitioner the whole truth as if in spirit. Guthrum is barren, but it’s not too late to find a second wife, younger and good if she has a child from her first husband.

At first, fierce anger overcame the warrior: he did not want to hear about Guthrum’s betrayal. Month after month, the couple did not unstick from each other, trying to conceive, but the seer did wait for his own, and the leader’s hands dropped. At the instigation of the sorcerer, he got married a second time, bringing a divorced young woman with a baby in a basket into the house. Guthrum could not stand the betrayal, and soon the jarl took his sister to the old father’s house.

Days passed, the head of the gloomy heading gradually turned gray, and the second wife carelessly nursed the child, slowly informing about the new heir. Then the seer again heard a knock in his dugout. The warrior shed tears more bitterly than before: his beloved Guthrum left him, and the jarl and the townspeople say that their chosen one is as fruitful as a field in the middle of a fierce winter. Spreading out the runes, the prophet became thoughtful and proposed the following scenario: the heading will call a young combatant, better than a father of many children, to his chambers, and lie down with him and his wife on the same bed. Then the wife will become pregnant from someone else’s seed, and the legal husband will be considered the father.

The warrior was more angry than before: the doors flew out of their hinges when he left the dugout. But there was nothing to be done: having clenched his teeth, the heading carried out the order exactly, and bought the silence of the combatant with a high rank and a donated share of the land. In the spring, the leader went on a long campaign, and when he returned, he exclaimed with joy, because his young wife with a round belly was walking. Until she was born, the future father decided not to leave Nidaros, and until winter the family lived happily ever after.

Good luck also came to the seer, for whom the benefactor rebuilt a large stone house and brought thralls there, plus puffy tyrs to boot. On the sacred holiday of Yule, when the frosts were so bitter that the banks of the fjord were covered with a crust of ice, the wife of the hövding went into labor. The midwives clapped their hands and sang songs, because an old belief promises great happiness and good luck to a child born on Yule. Father, with the nearest bondsmen and retinue, hastened to feast, and in the crowded house from dawn to dusk cider was poured and sagas sounded. After a sleepless night, the sun rose, but the children’s squeak from the passage did not reach.

While the owner was warding off a severe hangover with another glass of mash, a sad shooting gallery descended on his drinking buddies. When the last sheet in the house was saturated with blood, with an inconceivable effort, the mother vomited the child out of herself, but it was already dead. It was rumored that in front of the midwives the woman in labor cursed both the negligent husband and the vigilante who dishonored her, only her grief passed along with bodily wounds, and the scars on the heart of the hövding did not heal.

For the third time the seer heard a faint knock at his door. The daughter of his second wife was already growing up, and the steward took two children from friendly families for upbringing, who became brave devoted warriors under his command, but none of them was a real heir. The jarl and his companions laughed at him, the spouses despised him, and the leader himself was ready to drown himself in a bowl of ale.

The soothsayer did not scatter runes and bones. Everything that there is a human will, they have tried. Only the will of the gods remained, but wise over the years, he remained deaf to them. The two men were silent for a long time, sitting at the wide stone table. What is the purpose of someone like him, the seer asked himself, why did the aces give him such a worthless life? The soothsayer gave himself the answer: he swore to hevding to search until, by hook or by crook, he finds a way to prolong his family.

As soon as the petitioner left, the sorcerer ordered the thralls to collect food for seven days in advance and deliver the cart to the mountains on the nearby Fosen Peninsula. There he settled in a deep dark cave near a waterfall, where he warmed himself only with skins and bread mash. He spent many days and nights in pitch darkness, without making a fire, listening to the measured sound of water and his own echo. He devoted all his time to meditation and prayer to the Ases. If the ears do not listen to the gods, and the eyes do not see, then let him become deaf from the roar of the waterfall and blind from the eternal darkness.

The clock was flowing along with drops crashing to the ground. After some eternity, the hermit lost track of time, his body was overcome by weakness and aches. It seemed that even outside the cave the whole world had dissolved into an impenetrable abyss. The blind man ceased to feel his flesh, even to think of himself as a bodily entity, dissociated from the unified mind of being. He was afraid of what lies beyond the world of the living. Rushed to the exit, but did not find it.

Then, in a mad turmoil of feelings, the sorcerer heard voices. Hundreds, maybe thousands of women whispered incoherently: the ear snatched fragmentary phrases from the choir, but the mind did not catch the essence. It seemed that during the painful years of silence, the words fell like a waterfall on the soothsayer, and he screamed, begging the spirits to take pity.

The voices faded into one, loud and clear. Trembling and disintegrating with multiple echoes, he turned to the petitioner with the question: who speaks with the goddess? But the witch no longer knew who he was. The voice said: the seer has only to be born and fulfill his destiny. And it is to bring heading not one, but a great many descendants.

Then the soul of the petitioner rejoiced: what should he do? The goddess ordered to gather a large army and sail south with it. There to fight – a lot and mercilessly, taking captives as slaves, but even more willing – to kill for the glory of the gods. Losing men must be put on fire, because they do not honor the aesir and are not worthy to bear their will in Midgard. The seer will bring a bloody harvest of babies and small children to the goddess, so that she becomes their mother. Hövding and his people will recompense the loss of their wives by becoming the fathers of new offspring. Only when the sacrifice is sufficient, the leader will return home with the long-awaited heir.

But how long will the Normans fight in foreign lands? How many ears of corn must be cut in a bloody harvest? A whole field, the goddess replied. And even it will not be enough if the seer does not lay down fate for a just cause.

The voice asked the last question: is the petitioner ready to bear this burden? The witch doubted. In the soul, animal fear argued with the greatest pride: at last the gods despised him, chose him for a great cause!

The answer was obvious. The servant of the Ases came out of the cave no longer as a peasant fortune-teller, but as a personal priest of the hövding, with whom he went on the next campaign. The mentor’s passion and unyielding faith turned his soldiers into fierce reapers of the goddess. The ruler of Nidaros disappeared in raids more and more often, he brought more and more good things, and soon the troops under his command began to be feared and glorified throughout Hladir.

Then Hövding’s brother-in-law, who wrested power over Norway from the hands of his rivals, named his sister’s husband Jarl. Soon Guthrum saw dressed matchmakers with gifts from the windows of her parents’ house. The husband rebuilt their old nest even more beautiful and spacious, and the household could not wait for the rightful mistress to return to them. Yes, and the Jarl himself yearned with all his heart for the one he wanted to make a mother and loved more than life.

Guthrum loved him too. But only the kind and wise warrior he was many years ago. The beautiful Guthrum preferred the life of an old maid in a decaying house, like herself, to the child-killer and rapist. Gundred had no choice but to continue his eternal campaign.

In those days the Jarl could not have imagined how far the path would lead him. And the army of the Hladir Vikings found themselves in the very heart of Al-Andalus, where, along with murmuring fountains, secret conspiracies flowed from mouth to mouth. They met, like rivers flowing into the sea, under the shadow of the caliph’s reception hall. Al-Hakam spoke with his subjects and overseas guests in the bright daylight falling from the large barred windows on the east side. The walls of the huge hall in blue, burgundy and gold are entirely lined with mosaics and gold, all kinds of ornaments intertwined with the ligature of the lines of the Koran. Rare valuable gifts from all over the world were also adapted as decorations. In the corners, Greek amphorae rise on stone pedestals, the floor is covered with finely woven carpets, flowers, sheathed trophy weapons and other curiosities are hung.

Under a canopy of a stone portico, surrounded by marble columns and a balustrade on the sides, al-Hakam sits on a throne. Everything around him shines with gold and silks. The throne itself is not a massive armchair of northern kings, but a soft wide sofa with comfortable pillows. The frame of the sofa is forged from gilded ribbed metal, the footboard is closed to the floor and smoothly passes into a completely straight back and armrests. At the head of the metal is drawn out in a pyramid, and strict lines give way to sinuous ones.

The Caliph’s first morning visitor was his wife, who returned to her eternal appearance of Jafar wrapped in dark clothes. Al-Hakam received Subh reluctantly and yawned widely, but her determination was unshakable.

“My husband, the jarl, and his people whom you sheltered with such cordiality are not who they say they are,” Aurora’s voice rang out against the spacious walls of the hall. “My sources have reported in detail the atrocities of these barbarians in Galicia.

– What are you doing? – the ruler propped his bearded cheek with his fist, looking askance at the pecking guards-spearmen. Christians got what they deserved. Have you forgotten how they treat us and the Jews?

– Gundred mows down peaceful peasants indiscriminately! The priest of Lundvar advised him to put to the sword not only adult men, but all children – even babies! These shaitans rape widows so that they give birth to sons, but women are so heartbroken that they do not want such a life!

Al-Hakam straightened up on his throne, his guards opened their eyes, staring at Subh.

— Probably, your unknown sources embellish the truth. ..

— The Prophet taught us to take care of widows, since they have been deprived of their husbands and fathers. Spare and love children as if they were your own. My husband, you anger Allah! Aurora’s brown eyes flashed above the black mask.

“Wait, isn’t that ugly eunuch that Gundred gave us telling you lies? al-Hakam perked up.

— So you don’t believe me? – the woman proudly looked at the stone faces of her husband and his servants. — Let it. I’ll be back very soon, and you won’t like my evidence.

Having risen with the first roosters, Lundvar allowed himself to take a nap for a couple of hours. Although the luxurious chambers of the Alcazar are conducive to relaxation and pleasure, the priest listened to the rattling of every thread in the web of rumors and conspiracies with which he entwined himself. Very soon, the search led to two guards of the royal casemates. He invited them to the tower, reserved by Jafar especially for Gundred and his retinue. Having passed the numerous nooks and crannies of the fortress, the Saracens, with the permission of the gatekeepers, set foot on the territory of the caliph’s guests. The jarl himself and his warriors slept peacefully after drinking at the tournament. Passing the snoring bodies with broken dishes and leftovers scattered around them, the Moors entered the bedroom of Lundvar, bright and tidy.

The priest looked up from the large window, behind which the edge of the city opens from a height and the area in front of the tower, where the guards scurry around. First of all, the scammers were promised a generous payment in order to untie their tongues. Since the case, apparently, concerned the Normans, the Arabs told that a fair-haired northern woman had dropped in on them the day before. She chatted, made her drunk, and even stole the keys from innocent guards. She also asked with interest where the prisoner given by Jarl Jafar was being held.

Enlisting support, Lundvar ordered the caliph’s servants to wait for their reward. The picture of events began to take shape. The priest suspected that Korrian had not been allowed to die of hunger and thirst by his berserker friends, but it was Thordis and no other. There is a conspiracy with a traitor! The servant of the Aesir put on his robes, his hand rested on a snake-headed staff, and the high doors of the chambers swung open, letting the owner into the corridors of the tower.

A couple of awakened Normans sobered up quickly when Lundvar told everyone to get everyone up and call for an urgent meeting in the great hall on the first floor. The castle slaves also came running, hastily cleaning up all the bedlam and opening the shutters. Before the drunken stench had faded, the priest appeared before a crowd of sleepy, rumpled bastards.

– Which of you has seen Thordis or know where she might be? Lundvar asked loudly. The Vikings closed their eyes, silently exchanging glances. — What about Toki and Esbern? Think drunk! – slowly walked along the gathering, the staff beat off an alarming knock.

— What did they do wrong? shouted one of the warriors.

– I’m afraid all three have conspired with the traitor Korrian. Yesterday, during the fighting, they entered the prison to rescue him. Of course, they knew that if they failed, the caliph would behead us all.

The whispers in the crowd turned into an indignant hubbub. Anger and bewilderment flashed across their faces.

– Thordis challenged Korrian! They fought for real!

– I saw the guys at the tournament! They feasted with everyone!

Returning to the middle of the hall, Lundvar stood in a confident stance. The iron-tipped shaft hit the floor, shutting up chatty mouths.

— It looks like the time has come to open your eyes. We have long suspected, but it is now clear that Thordis is not Gundred’s real daughter. The rootless girl lied to us in order to ingratiate ourselves and overthrow the Jarl when the opportunity presented itself. And then kill. The priest waited until the turbulent feelings of the bewildered soldiers subsided along with the hubbub. “That whore messed with Corrian’s head. Yes, he cursed himself for his connection with her, even wanted to kill her, but this does not detract from the severity of betrayal! Thordis gets mixed up with both Esbern and Toki. I won’t be surprised if soon the guards of the caliph deceived by the conspirators line up on our doorstep.

The dissatisfaction of the northerners turned into such a deafening uproar that, unable to stand it, Gundred, wearing only trousers, went down to his subordinates from his bedroom. The jarl looked shabby and confused, and a half-naked Berber woman darted from behind, hurried to join the other servants. Seeing the commander, the Vikings fell silent, and Lundvar took the opportunity to continue broadcasting.

— Close the doors and windows to the tower immediately with bolts! No one comes out until we decide what to do next. Don’t release slaves!

Without thinking twice, the soldiers crowding at the main entrance locked it with a heavy ironed bar. Alcazar’s servants screamed in alarm at the crash of the falling bolt, sandwiched between barbarians speaking in an unfamiliar language. The shutters of the windows also slammed tightly, hiding from the eyes of the Moors who had time to alarm.

Shaking off sleep, the barefoot Gundred threateningly jumped up to the priest, the damask glove jerked someone else’s hand until it crunched.

— And now that even my privates are aware, will you let the old jarl know what is going on? growled the Norman. “And what kind of yolasweiner is everyone staring at me like that!”

Malik al-Safar, as usual, met the day in his room under the roof of one of the buildings of the Alcazar, where the lancet viewing window overlooks the picturesque palm alleys of the castle. The light of the winter sun fell directly on a large desk with many lockers. There the ambassador kept business correspondence and not only. The Ambassador was busy at work in his quarters when the shuffling of his pen was interrupted by the eerie creaking of the door hinges. Malik almost rolled off his chair when he saw a crowd of guards dressed in black with their faces covered, who burst into the chambers without asking or warning.

The Moor hurried to push all the drawers where he had raked up the old letters along with those that were not yet dry, a frail body with a huge head due to the multi-layered turban blocked the table like a priceless treasury. But the brigands knew their business, and the spy was easily flung back onto the carpet in the middle of the room as the door slammed behind the last soldier to enter.

– Jafar? Malik rose to his knees, staring blankly at the uninvited guest. “Take the trouble to explain what those damned Iblises are doing!”

The Guardians at this time took the opportunity to turn upside down all the currently open drawers of the table, deep and full of hidden treasures, like Aladdin’s cave. Malik was about to rush at the vandals with a knife, but a pair of strong henchmen of the Khajib painfully twisted the man on the floor.

“Calm down.” Subh stepped closer, looming over the ambassador in all the elegance of her small, slender figure in male clothes. – I’m taking the papers. Don’t complain about being rude – you wouldn’t give it away without permission. Prove your honesty – you get everything back.

Having torn out the drawers with the meat, the soldiers began to take the letters straight into them. The rest of the belongings savages raked into the bag, like garbage.

– But I don’t understand. Malik wailed in a voice trembling with anger and fear. “I am a servant of the Caliph!” What did I do wrong? How many years faithfully…

— Quiet. Subh held out her hand with a sharp movement, brown eyes bulging menacingly. “Tell that to al-Hakam himself. And for one thing about his tender friendship with the Norwegian Jarl.

When the last note left the room among hundreds of them, Subh went to the exit, waving to the guards to drag the prisoner after her.

– Aurora! The Caliph’s wife turned nervously at the call, standing in the doorway. “Have you forgotten about all those letters from the Basque country from your parents that I had such a hard time finding?”

— No, Malik. Subh paused, staring blankly at the floor. – You will have to spend time in the casemates. Then we’ll find out what you know about Gundred.

Al-Hakam’s wife knew that in the middle of the day in calm weather, her husband liked to sit on the terrace by the pool with water lilies under the shade of cypress trees. A couple of armchairs and a chess table were brought to the water, as well as wine and a few dishes more for pleasure than for a hearty meal. The holder of the Alcazar library, where no less than 400 thousand volumes were collected, chose several amusing books for the lord, and, if he guessed well, by the evening he could expect a generous reward. The loneliness of the caliph was brightened up by the guests of the castle, the Cordoba nobility, overseas visitors and petitioners of all stripes with urgent state issues. But sometimes al-Hakam devotes the pre-dinner hours to exclusively pleasant leisure and communication with his harem.

So, Subh caught her husband at a game of chess with one of the khurams, a black Egyptian in yellow and gold clothes. The men were distracted from the game when two escorts dragged Malik with the sleeves of his robe torn. The ambassador trembled in indignation, and the blood drained from his face.

“That means you haven’t abandoned your idea,” the Caliph sighed, gesturing for khurama to pour wine into the cup. In the pool, a colorful fish jumped out of the water to flop back down.

— I had a feeling that this slave had mellowed with the barbarians. Subh took out a small folded note from her belt. “I had to re-read a whole mountain, but we found this thing that Malik did not say a word about!

The Moor tensed in the hands of the escorts, his neck stretched out, trying to guess what the hajib had passed on to the ruler.

– Most Serene King of Time, I…

– Be quiet! the woman hissed at the prisoner, while her husband unfolded the note. – You will still be allowed to fawn.

The Caliph peered at the small lines for a long time with blind eyes, and the letter passed to the more vigilant Egyptian, who read the most important aloud.

— Guards of Bishop Rosendo Menendez… Children were killed before our very eyes, we will tear them to pieces and devour them… The deceased cried out to a certain Mormo… Continue reading, sire? Somehow creepy.

— Malik, is this news from Compostela? Al-Hakam’s face changed from interested to seriously indignant. – How old is it, and why don’t I know?

The spy swallowed with a dry throat. Sweat dripped from under the turban.

— I swear, my lord, not out of malice… I foolishly thought that you would not believe…

— Or I was afraid to harm such a profitable deal with the Norwegians. interrupted a frowning Subh. “The devil is following these thugs all over Galicia!”

“I beg your pardon, sir, but let’s talk sensibly,” Malik found the strength to gather his courage. “You, who waged wars on two fronts in Damascus and Al-Andalus, are well aware of human cruelty. What horrors do not happen in troubled times. Remember what our blood enemies, the Abbisids, did to overthrow the old caliph. Remember the deeds of the Christians and the rulers of León: their persecution of Jews and Moors, which for centuries brought to Spain only the light of science and streams of money. These unbelievers, filled with envy and malice, brought down the wrath of the Almighty on their heads! They, and not the Norwegians, he justly punishes. For each will be rewarded according to his deeds and his faith.

Aurora clicked her tongue. Still, it was worth putting an executioner in casemates to this talker. Al-Hakam’s eyes sparkled. Over the years of marriage, a woman has learned well what this means.

“Hmm, there is probably truth in the words of the slave,” the caliph waved his hand away before the wife opened her mouth with another indignation. “I don’t like that you withheld the letter, Malik. Maybe your privileges will be transferred to someone else. And yet, I do not see any unforgivable sins for the Norwegians.

– O king of time, please think how much good the alliance with Norway will bring to the Caliphate! Let them beat our enemies in the north, but if Gundred convinces Jarl Hakon and then Harald Blue-tooth himself not to attack our shores, but to conduct trade and military affairs together, the Umayyads will receive unprecedented power! – Malik was out of breath from passionate speeches, his face reddened from the rush of blood.

A fish jumped out of the water onto the edge of the pool. The animal thrashed to the ground in its death throes, trying to slide back until it ran out of air. Subh felt the complete confusion that covered her yesterday, when the blow of Thordis showed what all the training really cost. The Caliph’s wife was trained in the use of a dagger by the best masters, but if you make a mistake for a moment, you will be thrown from the top to the very bottom. Even such a vile trick as the gift of persuasion without any help from the truth destroys the most grandiose plans and works.

Subh suddenly had a thought. Yielding to inspiration, the hand pulled the black mask down. Approximate al-Hakam knew well who Jafar really was, only no one’s eyes, except for the lord, dared to see the face of the first woman in the caliphate. To tear off a turban was akin to clothes that hide nakedness from male lust. But al-Hakam’s anger changed the moment he saw a swelling on his wife’s tender lips, blue from gore. Such beatings are worn by slaves who have been guilty or who have refused the guards an unsolicited caress.

— Who dared to do this to you?! jumping up, al-Hakam touched the chessboard, and the pieces fell to the floor. “Hide your face now!”

“Sorry, husband, but you didn’t listen,” Subh turned to Malik, not a single muscle trembled, but the spy clearly read a triumphant smile in her eyes. “I warned you that you wouldn’t like it.”

Having scooped up a handful of figures scattered at his feet, khuram finally turned his attention to the dying fish. A caring hand released a sluggishly fluttering body into the pool, it deftly darted into the depths, and soon there was no trace of a red spark in a greenish pool.

Lundvar ordered the squad to tightly reinforce all the tower windows, and close the front doors with a barricade, but in such a way that it could be easily dismantled if necessary. The northerners tied up the castle servants, leaving them to sit under the wall, while a crowd of excited warriors rushed through all the floors, throwing furniture and decorations into the trash. Everyone was on edge from a heavy hangover and bad news, in which it was hard to believe. At first, Lundvar led the vandals, but later left a couple of people in charge and retired to the top floor.

Gundred rushed about the priest’s quarters, now rushing to the window, now moving away with bitter curses. The only witnesses to the Jarl’s mental anguish were a couple of casemate guards: they, sitting on the edge of the bed, fell silent like church mice. Through the wooden lattice, Gundred watched as the armed men of al-Hakam with bows, spears and swords were drawn to the tower. Behind the even, dense rows, a handful of dignitaries could be seen, and the caliph himself among them. He sat on a chair, waiting for the commanders to finish building their squads. From time to time, trumpets hummed in his ears, and from each piercing call, the ruler of Nidaros trembled. When the bedroom door creaked, he turned with a jerk. Lundvar took a step into his chambers, as a full mug flew into his bald head, breaking against the wall.

— Damn… — the snarling jarl began to walk from side to side, like a bear in a cage. – Get out of my sight!

– I am not your enemy. Lundvar calmly slammed the doors behind him. “You have lost your guard, Gundred. Just look at what’s going on under your nose while you feast and fuss over your daughter.

– Don’t you dare talk about her! the jarl threatened with his finger, bulging his bloodshot eyes.

— Forgive me, but I cannot remain idle while a good half of the army has rallied against you. Can’t you see how much you were mistaken?

Unable to bear the very presence of the priest, the jarl rushed to the table, where he left the opened amphora of wine. Squeezing the narrow neck, Gundred threw back his head, and crimson trickles shone in his beard. Just then, a large boulder hit the window bars, making everyone in the room alert. Creeping up, the commander saw below Malik, who had come out ahead of the crowd and raised his palms to his mouth.

– Gundred! Caliph demands to immediately unlock the doors to the tower! the ambassador shouted in Norwegian at the top of his lungs. “Give him your priest Lundvar!” He doesn’t want to listen to me, I’m sorry!

The Jarl burst into a malevolent bass laugh.

“Another traitor,” the priest grabbed his armpit and disarmed one of the Saracens, the crooked blade dangerously squeezing the seething jugular veins. “I will deal with everything, Gundred. You can get up, goof, not your friend will die.

— And… there won’t be any reward, I understand? the Arab mumbled, tearing his butt off the bed.

Lundvar mentally prayed to the gods for patience:

— Well, you will. She’s upstairs.

Al-Hakam remained unanswered, and Malik felt with his back how the eyes of the Caliph, blazing with hatred, were ready to burn a through hole in him. Silence hung for a minute, broken by the whistle of the wind and the fuss of the Normans on the first floor. And then someone of their guards roared, pointing with his hand at the tower bell tower, surrounded by a long balcony. In the shadow of one of the high lancet arches, looking in all directions of the world, a man appeared, pushed outward by a push in the back. Seeing their confused brother, the Moors raised an indignant hubbub.

— Brothers, they are asking for an explanation! the keeper of the casemates shouted loudly to his comrades below, and his voice echoed.

The Caliph did not immediately come up with an answer: he and his advisers did not in any way assume that one of the troops could be in captivity among the pagans. Just in case, al-Hakam ordered that the head of the coward be cut off as soon as the tower was taken.

– Lundvar! Finally, the lord spoke through the mouth of Malik. – If you hear, you are accused of encroaching on the honor of the Caliph’s wife! She was beaten and she pointed at you!

– He doesn’t know any wife! answered the screamer on the balcony, glancing briefly behind him.

– If Lundvar doesn’t come out, they will set fire to the tower!

“What a cowardly worm,” Subh whispered without restraint, hiding behind the backs of the nobles.

The woman’s hand was squeezed by someone else’s, cold and wet. Behind his shoulder, a man was found in dark closed clothes, which are worn by the personal guards of the Caliph’s wife. She recognized Corrian’s warm brown eyes at once.

— They promise to consider your terms! – issued the guard of the casemates, now and then turning to the teller in the shadow of the bell tower. But they have their own! Give them the traitors: the jarl’s daughter and her two accomplices! Otherwise, do not wait for negotiations!

Al-Hakam laughed nervously, throwing back his head. Just as suddenly, the commander of the guard was ordered to take the doors by storm and take out the window shutters in order to smoke out the shaitans to one and all. The dignitaries intervened in the conversation: there are captive slaves inside, and it would be bad to leave them to their own devices without trying to save them. Subh squeezed between the elders and whispered something to her husband, leaning close to her ear. Al-Hakam scratched his curly beard in thought, and his fingers clicked loudly, attracting the attention of his subjects.

The priest with the hostage stepped up to the very entrance to the balcony, observing a strange sight on the ground. Two tall figures stepped out of the crowd of Arabs and moved towards the closed doors of the tower. From the light and dark blond hair let go, Lundvar guessed Esbern and Toki. Although the damned Moors did not give up Thordis, they nevertheless made a big concession, which was a surprise.

The fellow conspirators stopped at the tower doors, bulky, almost like gates. After waiting for a minute, the Normans heard the creak of a rising bolt, the groan of iron hinges and the rumble of clumsy doors, between which a dark gap appeared. Without opening the doors completely, the Vikings left a narrow passage for the brothers, and Toki and Esbern sank into the stuffy twilight. Inside, a good two dozen warriors waited with raised swords and axes in case the enemy stormed. But the Moors stood as if rooted to the spot, so that the gates immediately closed behind those who entered. The Vikings moved the two heaps into one barricade under the door. Esbern and Toki were taken into the ring not by yesterday’s brothers in arms, but by embittered enemies, eager for explanations. Seeing the new captives, the gagged slaves mooed pleadingly in an attempt to attract attention.

– Where’s Thordis, guys? one of the Vikings asked.

On the balcony, meanwhile, a conversation began between two disgraced servants of the caliph: a traitor guard and a deceived ambassador. Al-Hakam was curious how the northerners still see the situation, who managed to bribe the faithful guards of the Alcazar.

— Why does the jarl think his daughter is a traitor? shouted Malik in a hoarse voice.

“I can’t say, but yesterday during the tournament in our casemates there was a girl very similar to her,” the Arab easily admitted. “She put us to sleep with some kind of potion and took all the keys. And she also asked about the prisoner, it seems, donated by the jarl. The man leaned back, listening to something. – Yes! The bunch, by the way, returned to the guard post! Lund… that is to say, I think there was a traitor in the castle too. And he must still be among you!

Caliph grimaced in annoyance, scratching the arm of his chair. Subh involuntarily clicked:

– So we believed you!

“This is…” the sentry looked behind him again. “They’re asking me to tell you they still need Thordis!” And you can tell her: the jarl has already given the order to cut the throats of Toki and Esbern, so let him hurry!

A loud thud of hooves reached the negotiators from nowhere. Reflected on the walls and paved areas of the castle, the fractional sound multiplied many times, as if a whole cavalry detachment was advancing. The Moors looked around, but the silhouettes of the riders were nowhere to be seen. Unable to stand it, Lundvar released the captive guard to rush to the archway, which opens a view of the fortress wall.

Exposing his bald patch to the gusty wind, the priest was stunned for a moment, his eyes fixed on a growing black dot in the distance. Soon the Caliph’s people below were almost deafened by the clatter above their heads. Dozens of eyes tensely rushed to the edge of the gray sky between the high wall and the top of the tower. Then the ringing of horseshoes abruptly stopped, and a black shadow jumped out from the wall like a bird, hovering in an unthinkable flight. The onlookers gasped as a huge black horse with a rider on its back jumped as far as the best Arabian horse could not. Stretching from head to tail, the beast jumped over the balcony parapet and fell straight at the Saracen standing there, who fell down in fear with a piercing cry. Thordis jumped off her saddle, stepping into the bell tower.

— It looks like we have a lot of questions for each other, but Lundvar?

The priest jumped out onto the balcony like a hare and a moment later he emerged from another archway, dropping deep into the flight of stairs. Soon, several Normans with bared axes poured into the bell tower. Shaking his head, the freed Arab raised his thrown dagger, ready to clear his conscience in battle with the enemy. Thordis’ ax clanged as it slipped from its buttonhole. The northerners, who exchanged glances, rushed at the deserter with a cry, but the horse’s head poking out of the opening forced her to step back. Fire burned in the red eyes of the demon, and the kelpie snorted at the enemies so that columns of smoke from infernal cauldrons poured out of the nostrils.

Downstairs, one of the Vikings yelled an order from Lundvar to kill Toki and Esbern immediately. Before the conspirators had time to raise their weapons, a wall of enemies moved towards them. Companions were thrown to the doors and immediately thrown back from the powerful push of the battering ram outside. Chips flew from the window shutters. With a furious cry, the Moors began to storm the tower. The comrades did not know what was going on behind the walls, but it seems that Thordis got involved in a notable squabble. In it, they can not hold out even a couple of extra minutes.

Esbern retreated to the bound hostages: some managed to jump to their feet, leaning against the wall. Watching the rear, the partners threw all their strength and skills into a desperate defense, but they knew that they could not repel all the blows. It seemed that the ceiling was about to burst from the onslaught of dozens of husbands. There was a loud roar somewhere in the depths. Raising their heads, Esbern and Toki saw how the Norman formation seemed to break through a gale of gale-force wind from the side of the stairs. The warriors fell as if they had been cut down, and from above they were crushed by the hooves of a black-colored horse, who arranged a real bloody feast.

The horse began to scatter their husbands, rearing up, crushing everyone on the floor, sharp teeth biting through even thick leather armor. In the first minutes, the warriors could only scream, while the beast rushed between them throughout the hall, like a madman. Toki and Esbern shielded the captives, though their own hearts sank with fear. The northerners almost climbed the wall, escaping from the legs and teeth of the monster. Jets of blood and pieces of bodies flew in all directions. The horse threw up and bit into helpless people on the fly, swallowing bitten off flesh and whole limbs.

A deep ax blow to the side ripped a heart-rending neigh out of the kelpie’s mouth. The surviving daredevils immediately rushed at the steed, plunging blades into the legs and croup. Realizing that the stallion Thordis was about to be slaughtered, her followers moved on to a larger number of the enemy.

Upstairs, the yarlica barely kept up with the attacks of the three rivals who strove to take the shrew into the ring. Thordis now jumped out onto the balcony, then suddenly appeared in one of the four openings to stealthily rush past the superior husbands, leaving a burning cutting wound. Only the sighs and roars of the maiden and the clang of weapons, multiplied many times by the design of the tower, reached the curious caliph.

The sentry, who put his dagger in front of him, did not move, miraculously managing to watch how yesterday’s laughter circled the Normans, dodging blows and diving under their arms. After confusing and separating the enemies, Thordis with a running start pushed one shoulder to the balcony: helplessly waving her arms, the poor fellow leaned over the parapet, and the yarlitsa helped him go on a long flight.

She dealt with another warrior even more spectacularly. From the back, with a loop, she threw a rope from the bell around someone else’s neck, and while the Viking removed the tight noose, she cut through the spine, throwing it out after the friend. The retinue of the Caliph turned away from the chilling sight of the gallows flailing his legs. Only al-Hakam, Subh, and Korrian followed the agony of the pagan, short-lived with a broken neck: his soul flew off with the final chime of the bell.

Thordis, covered in blood, froze for a moment in the balcony opening when a third enemy lay in wait for her from behind. Hiding the weapon, he grabbed the woman’s neck with his bare hands and would have unscrewed his head like a chicken, if he had not buckled under the ribs from the blade. The guard barely dodged, not expecting an instant response from the wounded man. The ax cut through the air like a heavy pendulum, long and heavy, as if made for a giant. The bleeding daredevil was enough for a couple of sweeping attacks, when the Moor and Yarlitsa jumped at once from two sides, and the last enemy was stabbed to death.

The Saracen, who met his eyes with burning bright eyes, without further ado threw the dagger at his feet. Not so much out of gratitude, but out of indifference, the warrior spared the hostage: a really important meeting awaited her down the stairs. Trembling with impatience and Lundvar, who squeezed between the wall and the open door, avoiding death under the hooves of a horse rushing along the corridor.

Down to the floor, Thordis did not find a soul there. The legs boldly walked to the distant rooms, but only the yarlitsa wanted to look into one, as behind her back someone hit her spine with force.

The maiden spun around, staggering, Lundwar’s staff aimed at her shoulder. At the last moment, the hands intercepted the carved snake, and then the priest turned the mechanism on the shaft, tearing out an unbearable cry from the lips of others. From the pommel, piercing into the chest and collarbone, long sharp needles jumped out. Although the wounds were not deep, with a reverse jerk, the sorcerer tore the flesh even more, bringing down the opponent to her knees.

“Don’t get up,” the out of breath man put the mace upright, his stooped back straightened with an effort. “The poison on the needles will immobilize your muscles. You can’t fight.

While clutching her bleeding chest, Thordis began to shake as though she were in a fever. With great difficulty, the staccato moans formed into a weak plea:

“Why… are you so persistent… to kill me?” What will my death give you?

– Time. Lundvar stepped closer, the door to the room closed under the pressure of his palm. You may be strong, but you are very dumb. There is no need for a redneck to know her miserable origin, but so be it: I will tell you out of the kindness of my soul. Jarl Gundred believes that you are his illegitimate daughter. I could, like everyone else, call it the nonsense of an old fool, however … I myself hammered this idea into his head.

The priest’s footsteps made every beat of Thordis’s heart more painful. The poison poured through the veins like ice metal.

— You see, for many years we have all tried our best to give Gundred what he wants. Heir. The old man’s mouth twisted into a smile, but his eyes remained eerily calm. And now the prophecy has been fulfilled. — the rod resoundingly hit the floor a step away from the warrior. “Of course, I know that there is not a drop of jarl in your dirty blood!” But I checked. I tested you in all honesty.

Thordis laughed soundlessly, her rising trembling masking misplaced amusement. Well, an unequal fight by proxy is the most honest approach.

– What’s funny, you really didn’t blunder. I found boyfriends to match myself: one monster and rapist, the second child-killer, just as touched by the mind. ..

– Please… don’t kill them, – Thordis barely realized that she was falling on her side, sliding down the wall.

— Why the hell did they surrender to you! For a moment, impotent rage prevailed over cold reason. “Korrian, let it be known, took care of the Jarl’s wife while he was on the same bed with them!” Toki tore apart a dozen small children, covered himself in blood from head to toe! But he could refuse. But no! Do you know why? – on the verge of unconsciousness, it seemed to Yarlitsa that behind the back of Lundvar, who was leaning towards her, the door was quietly opened ajar, as if a draft was walking or someone curious was eavesdropping. “Because Gundred needs an heir. Because hundreds died for the sake of the heir. And I, too… will die. the priest carefully peered into the fading girl’s face, looking for an answer to the question he alone knew. But apparently not by your hand.

— So prove… that I am not an heiress… a coward.

The decrepit body of Lundvar stretched out like a string, the mace soared up, and with a battle roar, the servant of the aesir imagined how he was pinning the impostor to the ground. But the cry was cut off by a heart-rending wheeze, and in the back of the prostrate northerner Thordis saw an ax so familiar that the mere sight of the hilt spread heat in her palms. Fuzzy visions rushed before my eyes: someone dismantled the hollow shaft, taking out a tiny vial, caring hands raised their heads to pour a couple of bitter drops into their mouths. Then, still in turbidity, the body let go of paralysis, and the maiden stirred, rising with difficulty. Lundvar at his feet whispered something helplessly, spitting blood on his robes. As Thordis left, a weak hand took hold of her boot.

— From the very beginning… I… always knew. It’s you. As Mormo said…

On the verge of death, Lundvar was seized by the same feeling as many years ago in the cave: animal fear and happiness of the now fulfilled destiny. He was grateful even to the killer for a step that he himself would never have taken.

Thordis stumbled in the doorway of the room, holding on to the doorposts. An abandoned ax lay on the floor ahead, in a pool of blood. Gundred, in a shirt soaked with sweat and scarlet splashes, sat exhausted on a chair with an amphora of wine, dragging weak hands to the floor. Such a worthless old hawker the girl did not expect to see her jarl.

– Gundred.

“No,” the gray-haired head rose, the damask glove lay on the mighty bare chest. – Father. – the jarl sniffed up tears that seemed to be rolling, or maybe he was limp from drinking. – My daughter, I’m sorry that I was cold with you.

– No scenes! – the yarlitsa grimaced, staggering in the opening. “I am not your daughter. Last mind lost? I invented everything to ward off your geeks and not die along with everyone else on this damn Aros!

“So your story is…” shaggy eyebrows drew together on the bridge of the nose, distrust was indicated in watery eyes.

– On the go, I remembered the story of one aunt from our area! I’ve thought of something…” Thordis insisted. “Petra, my stupid mother, kept frightening me in my childhood with that walking beauty who, in her youth, was knocked up by madhus, a northerner. She was kicked out of her father’s house, and, it seems, she ran away with some tramp. She taught me not to wander before the wedding, so I remembered! Even her name is Sylvester.

Gundred straightened up in his chair, as if stung, his eyes rounded like coppers.

– Strong … vestra. Yes, yes, I kept wondering who you look like. Why are you so familiar to me … There was a girl just about twenty years ago. It’s not like that on the face – you took after me as a breed – but the character, habits … I remember that she was given to me, but she threw such a curse at my back that it was imprinted in my memory for the rest of my life. The jarl raised his hand, his finger pointing invitingly at Thordis. “She is your mother, not Petra. Therefore, she was angry that she cursed her, a fugitive, for the rest of her life. But you knew, you should have felt your superiority over this rabble! You are my northern blood. Their fierce winds broke like ears of corn, but you are more flexible, your will is stronger!

– Shut your fucking mouth! – the yarlitsa rushed to the abandoned ax, the palms, not without difficulty, raised the handle with a formidable clang. – I will cut off your black tongue and household to boot! What have you done! Do you understand that?!

Gundred’s gaze darted around like a blissful one. Inhaling the air with a whistle, the Jarl clung to the amphora in his hearts, his greasy uncombed hair covered his face.

– I have always despised you! With a snarl, Thordis tried to raise her axe, but her hands dangled like whips. “I have come to end you and Lundvar, how can you not understand!” And, you hear, I will never be your daughter, never!

For a minute, the painful silence was broken only by drops of blood flowing into a puddle and the screams of those fighting underfoot. With a crash, the maiden dropped the weapon from her trembling hands.

“Even if you are not my own…” Gundred smashed the empty vessel with a sharp throw, his legs straightened out with a jerk, overturning the chair. – Don’t care about that! We are father and daughter – this is and will be in my heart. I know, I believe that you are mine! From now on, I don’t need anything else: I have found everything in you! Finish me if you can’t forgive. I love you.

Thordis turned away, unable to watch the hateful face of the monster called her father writhe in the storm of suppressed feelings. The cold heart sank somewhere in the stomach, and from the poison the fetters of stupor did not sleep to the end. The girl was dying to see Corrian, Esbern and Toki alive, and especially her horse, whose name she never learned.

“Gundred,” Thordis swallowed her saliva as she stepped back towards the door. “Take everyone who is ready to serve you, your henchman, if he is still alive, get into a longship and sail away from these parts. To Norway – yes, anywhere! – but if your footprint remains on this earth or one hair falls from the head of a Galician … I swear I will follow you everywhere. I will not leave until I have slaughtered all your brethren, and I will send your head to the king as a warning.

When al-Hakam, screwing up his eyes from the midday sun coming out from behind the clouds, made out the figures of Gundred with raised hands and Thordis behind him on the top of the tower, the detachments were ordered to retreat. Yarlitsa came out victoriously to the inhabitants of the Alcazar – through the main entrance, leading a fairly wounded lame horse behind her. Esbern and Toki led the captives free. The Vikings, under the supervision of the guards, were told to surrender their weapons and prepare to sail, taking care of those who could not go.

After the bloodbath arranged by the kelpies, the Normans did not even think of resisting, but only wanted to get out as soon as possible, although not all of them. Malik, who had inspected the situation faster than others, told the lord that part of the northerners was ready to break away from the jarl’s army. With this, al-Hakam called Thordis, Esbern and Toki to him, starting such a speech. The jarl’s daughter may remain in Cordoba with all the pagans who wish to unite with the Moors under the new commander. Thordis will take command of a detachment of mercenaries and, if he wishes, will serve the caliphate for a fair pay, protection and shelter, and if he wants, he will immediately leave.

It was clear from Korrian’s eyes, which now and then turned to Subh, that he had made his decision firmly. Too much at once fell upon the yarlitsa for such a hasty answer, and, barely standing on shaky legs, she listened to the Caliph’s sweet promises with difficulty. Already at sunset, with her hand and chest bandaged, Thordis entered the waters of the Guadalquivir knee-deep, holding on to the wounded horse’s back.

After exchanging parting caresses with the mistress, the kelpie slowly plunged into the river, causing bloody circles to rise to the surface. For several long quiet minutes, no longer the heiress of the jarl, but a simple Spaniard without family or tribe, she simply stood in the cold running water, and nature roared around gracefully, filling her heart with calm. In the bend of the river, blue, white and red sails against the background of the leaden sky, a Viking flotilla appeared, slowly following the flow towards the ocean. On the decks of ships that had held a good hundred sailors at the very beginning of the campaign, handfuls of small dark figures now freely roamed around. The oars were raised, and the ships glided slowly in front of the frozen Thordis until they entered another bend, where they were lost behind the trunks of the dense southern forest.

With her boots bogged down in the mud, the maiden unhurriedly got out onto the shore, and already on the approach her raised eyes collided with Toki and Esbern sitting on large stones. The men stood up, wordlessly greeting their savior. No one had the strength to smile, but the joy of meeting was reflected in the sparkle of their eyes. Thordis thought that for the first time since Petra’s death, she had taken responsibility for someone and perhaps found friends among those who were her captive enemies.

“Thordis, we’ve thought about the caliph’s suggestion and talked to the other guys left in Cordova,” Esbern began.

“Not to say that everyone is ready to call you a commander and take an oath of allegiance,” Toka picked up the story of his friend, “But they are waiting for a conversation with you and want to listen to the conditions.

— The two of us will gladly become mercenaries under your command. I’m sure Corrian does too. You are capable of it, believe me. We feel in you the strength to guide people and the courage to stand up for them like a mountain. Make up your mind, Thordis.

Women’s fingers traced the grooves of the runes on the cool metal of the axe. All her seventeen years, Thordis knew for sure who she was and who she would never become. Now she was offered to choose her fate.

Gymnastics that a mother can do with her baby on her own

In this article we will try to describe those exercises that a mother can independently carry out for her child at home without much difficulty and “risk to life”. Also, these exercises can be carried out between courses of professional massage.

Before carrying out any professional or independent massage, gymnastics, it would be optimal if the child is examined by a pediatrician, neurologist and orthopedist. Specialists will confirm the absence of contraindications, as well as suggest which areas should be emphasized when performing a massage.

Nevertheless, it should be understood that self-study with the baby, despite the undoubted benefits, will not replace professional massage courses for the child.

Gymnastic exercises for children of the first year of life are best done together with massage, and finish with aqua gymnastics.

Conditions, contraindications

During massage and gymnastics, educational toys can be used to attract the child’s attention, but there should not be too many of them.

All gymnastic exercises are divided into active and passive. Active exercises are those that a person performs on his own, passive, in other words, when they wave your arm and leg, and you lie down, bored. In children’s wellness massage and gymnastics, both types of exercises are used.

Gymnastics for children from 0 to 3 months

The optimal age at which it is recommended to start a course of massage and gymnastics is discussed in the article “general principles of massage”. Massage and gymnastics in children of the first year of life

Breathing exercises

Breathing exercises are very important for babies of this age. They contribute to the development of the respiratory muscles, the physiological abilities of the respiratory system, its reserve capabilities, and serve as a prevention of respiratory diseases.

Starting position: the child is in the arms of the mother, facing her. Produce rhythmic pressure with the palm on the back of the child, moving the palm from the neck to the waist.

Starting position: the child lies on his back. Alternate abduction of the handles to the side and up, starting from three months, this exercise can be performed simultaneously with two handles.

Reflex exercises

Infants have a certain physiological feature of the nervous system – the presence of unconditioned reflexes that appear and disappear at a certain time.

Thus, in infants, a special group of exercises can be distinguished. These are reflex exercises. They are based on the special evoking of certain unconditioned reflexes.

Naturally, no one will cause the Moro reflex as a charge (a loud blow on the surface on which the child lies, while he makes a “hugging” movement).

But some of them, such as the Babinski reflex (special stroking of the foot) or the support reflex, are very useful as developmental exercises.

The number of repetitions of reflex exercises during the lesson 1-2 times.

The exercise is based on the Babinski reflex.

Starting position: the child lies on the tummy.

Apply pressure on the sole at the base of the fingers – the child reflexively bends the fingers, then draw along the inner edge of the foot to the heel and the outer edge to the little finger – the sole is unbent. The movement is performed by the thumb of an adult. Repeat 1-2 times. Important! When performing the exercise, the child’s leg is always fixed at the ankle joint (not at the fingers).

Of the reflex exercises at this age, reflex crawling, reflex support and reflex walking are also performed. These exercises are usually carried out at the end of the lesson.

Reflex crawling

This exercise is based on the Bauer crawling reflex.

Starting position: on the stomach. The palm of an adult is placed under the stacks of the child, so that the child can rest against it with slightly bent legs. The child pushes and straightens, moving forward. Repeat 1-2 times. Important! Do not forget to leave a free place where the baby will make this movement (so as not to hit his head).

Reflex support and walking

Starting position: the child is in a vertical position, the adult’s hands are in the armpits of the child. The child should be allowed to fully rest their feet on the surface of the table. Slightly tilt the child’s torso forward, and he will reflexively take a few steps.

Laying on the stomach is useful, this is also an exercise for the child, based on a protective reflex (the baby raises and turns his head to the side). In the “on the stomach” position, the muscle tone of the extensor muscles is stimulated, the muscles of the abdomen are toned, the work of the intestines is stimulated – the removal of “gaziks” is facilitated, and is the prevention of constipation.

Laying on the stomach is recommended daily, starting from 30 seconds and up to 15-20 minutes in the first months of life.

Passive exercises

Sliding steps – “stomp”

Starting position: on the back. The leg is bent at the knee and hip joints, the foot rests on the table, the foot is glided along the table surface.

Skating in the fetal position.

Starting position: the child lies on his back. The legs are bent, brought to the tummy, the head is also bent, the chin is brought to the chest. The baby is “rolled” in this position on the back. As a rule, children really like this exercise.

Active exercises

Various bright, sounding toys are used, which are shown to the child at a distance of 25-30 cm, thus stimulating eye tracking of the object, auditory concentration, and an attempt to grab the object.

Gymnastics for children 3-4 months old

In order to avoid repetition, we will add descriptions of new elements of gymnastics to the above exercises.

Breathing exercises

Starting position: on the back. Simultaneous movement of the hands up and down, circular movements of the handles are added.

Boxing exercise

Starting position: on the back. Arms bent at the elbows alternately straighten them. The movements are like boxing. Important! The handles are fixed at the wrist joints to prevent sprains.

Half-turns and turns from back to stomach and back

Starting position: on the back. With one hand, the shins of the child are clasped from below, the index finger of the other hand of the adult is put into the palm of the baby, the remaining fingers cover his hand. Then, slightly straightening the child’s legs, you should turn his pelvis, after which the child turns his head and shoulder girdle. Similarly, make turns in both directions.

Exercises on the ball

Starting from 3 months, you can introduce a new type of activity – exercises on the ball. For these exercises, you will need a ball with a diameter of 50-60 cm, slightly deflated.

Swinging on the ball promotes the development of coordination, the vestibular apparatus, promotes toning of the abdominal muscles, back, legs.

The baby is placed on the ball in different ways: on the back, on the tummy, in turn on the sides.

Swings are carried out with support on the legs, with the legs raised.

It is important not to forget to securely fix the child on the ball.

Gymnastics for children 4-6 months

Unconditioned reflexes gradually fade away, so the proportion of passive-active exercises increases. It also increases the number of repetitions of the same exercise.

Passive exercises are carried out – flexion and extension in large joints.

Circular movements in the hip joints, with obligatory fixation of the child’s knees with your own hands.

Simultaneous flexion – extension of the legs.

Starting position: on the back. Grab the child’s legs at the bottom of the lower leg from behind, holding the feet. Bend the legs in all joints, slightly pressing them to the stomach (the child’s knees should be spread apart), then straighten the baby’s legs.

Connection of opposite and similar knee-elbow.

The range of exercises on the ball is expanding.

At this age, many children sway on the ball with interest, lifting the toy from the surface.

On the ball in the position on the back, you can rock the baby with a slight “sit down” when the legs reach the support.

From 5 months you can rock the baby on its side with repulsion from the support surface.

Gymnastics for children 6-9 months

The following exercises are added to the exercises already described:

Breathing exercises are done on the back, on the side, start doing them while sitting.

Simultaneous and alternate abduction of the arms to the sides, upwards, clasping movements with the arms.

All leg exercises are performed: “stomping”, sliding steps, circular movements of the legs, alternate flexion-extension.

A new exercise is introduced: the bicycle.

Starting position: on the back. With the child’s legs bent at the hip and knee joints, circular movements are performed, reminiscent of the movement of the legs while riding a bicycle.

In the sitting position (in the tailor’s position, when the feet are connected or in Turkish), the child is swayed, using a toy, sipping is stimulated.

Try to encourage your baby to actively turn from back to stomach and vice versa.

Useful exercise aimed at developing crawling skills. During this period of time, you can help the child by substituting your palm as a support.

Exercises for the development of walking are performed: stepping from foot to foot is stimulated, while the adult first supports the child’s armpits, and, subsequently, by the hands of both hands.

In exercises on the ball: you can use the swing on it in a sitting position.

Gymnastics for children 9-12 months

Exercises are performed in a variety of positions: lying, sitting, standing.

At this age, they try to encourage them to perform certain exercises with the words: “sit down, lie down, take the toy from the front, from behind.”

Exercises with objects are used: squatting with a stick, exercises for hands with rings.

While exercising on the ball, you can also jump on it: on the buttocks, on the legs.

At this fertile age for exercise with a child, the more imagination the better.

In conclusion, I would like to recall the remarkable folk wisdom: the hour will strike and everything will come. Therefore, it is always necessary to measure the load with the physiological readiness of the child to accept certain exercises, do not get too ahead of the natural course of events – put the child in pillows at 3 months or force him to walk when he is just trying to learn to stand with support. Try to find for the child (and yourself) the optimal time, the rhythm of classes.