Creating Good Hygiene Habits to Stay Healthy

By Randi Morse 

One of the best ways to avoid getting a cold or flu this holiday season is to have good hygiene. Brushing your teeth daily, having routine baths (even if you don't wash your hair every day, as it's not recommended), and washing your hands properly can go a long way to helping keep pesky germs from invading your body. We live in a fast-paced world, and surprisingly, there are a number of people who don't understand how important it is to wash your hands correctly, and don't realize how important good hygiene is to staying healthy. 

Keeping Healthy With Hygiene 

One of the best ways to stay healthy is to establish good hygiene habits. It is said that it takes around a month for the average person to establish a habit, and if you start establishing good hygiene habits, you'll see only benefits. Make sure you wash your hands every time you are going near food, and if you have a cold and must cook, wearing food-safe gloves can help stop the spread of the germs. You should also wash your hands anytime you've come into close contact with other people, have touched something that a large number of people have touched, like the handle of a shopping cart, and after you've visited the rest room.  

Soap and Water 

Lots of people now carry hand sanitizer around with them everywhere they go and, if you're in a place where you don't have access to water or soap, hand sanitizer is better than nothing. But sanitizer is not the best way to keep your hands clean. Good old soap and water not only helps beat back germs, it's also much less harmful and harsh on your hands. Sanitizer has been known to cause dryness and exposes us to many chemicals every time we use it. So, while hand sanitizer is good, washing your hands is better. 

How Many Times Should I Wash? 

This is a difficult question to answer because there is such a variety of lifestyles. If you happen to live in a more rural area and stay home a great deal, you won't need to wash your hands as often as someone who takes the subway twice a day and rides a crowded subway to and from work. It's always best to err on the side of caution, and if you're questioning whether you should wash your hands, you should probably head for a sink. 

To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Surprise, Ariz.