There is so much going on right now. People are out shopping for last minute gifts for family members and friends. Everyone is in a hurry to get through the stores, find their gifts of choice, get them wrapped in customer service, and finally declare that their Christmas shopping is done for the year.
I’ve always loved shopping for gifts for people I love, but not when 300 people are also shopping at the same store and for the same things I’m shopping for. Doesn’t it seem like that happens around Christmas time? This year, it seems like the stores are having sales every single day to lure customers in. With the recession, retailers are hoping to save the season with a Saturday after Christmas Sale.
With so much to do, it seems like people are trying to get everything done in one day. They come home tired and push their immune systems to the maximum, and then wonder why they don’t feel good. One of the first things that people don’t do when they are in a hurry to get things done is wash their hands. Washing your hands between stores is a very good thing to do. So many people touch items that are for sale and go from one item to the next. There are also lines in the bathrooms because there are so many shoppers, so people interrupt their hand washing ritual. As important as hand washing is, people try to accommodate the long lines by letting the water run on their hands, wash their hands for a second or two, and get on their way. This is the worst thing to do.
The best hand washing routine is to wet your hands, apply soap or foam, wash your hands until they are sudsy for at least 20 seconds. Then rinse and dry thoroughly. If you can’t wash your hands using this method, you should, at the very least, clean your hands with hand sanitizer. The alcohol base in the hand cleaner will kill many of the germs out there that are waiting to get inside your body, at least for a little while. The soap-and-water method works better to ward off germs for a longer period of time. If you are able, after using the rest room, the best method to use for hand washing is with regular soap and water.
During the holidays, when you have a lot of company in your home, make sure that your bathrooms are well stocked with liquid soap or foam and fresh towels. This will encourage your guests to wash their hands consistently after using the bathroom, and washing their hands before and after eating. These are rules set by Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). Any person that handles merchandise and especially food needs to wash their hands. They need to be careful about putting their hands near their faces, mouthes, and eyes, because the moist membranes harbor bacteria that can spread from individual to individual.
Another important concept for warding off sickness during the holidays is getting enough sleep. What with Christmas parties, decorating, cooking, work schedules, and other things that require so much of our time, we go to bed late and get up early in the morning in order to get everything done. By the time the holidays are over, we are so overtired, our immune system is no longer working and our bodies are open to any bacteria that flies by.
In order to make it through the holidays this year, you need to be vigilant about washing your hands before and after meals. Then, after the holidays, it would be great if you could continue washing your hands 20 seconds with soap and water every time you go to the bathroom and before and after meals. Also, you need to give your body the rest it needs to keep it healthy. Getting the rest you need will help your body fight off every “Tom, Dick, and Bacteria” that enters the area.
We are worried about getting the Swine Flu virus. The Swine Flu has killed some people around the country and the world and everyone is concerned about it. However, if we keep our hands clean consistently throughout the day, get enough sleep, and drink plenty of fluids, I know our immune systems will keep us well and strong during this holiday season and well into 2010.
