Wash Your Hands !

Everyone is jumping on the "Wash your Hands" Bandwagon. Your Momma would be pleased, and if you weren't paying attention, she was right, it's good for you. The most common way to catch a cold or the flu, is by touching something or someone and transferring their germs to your hands, and then onto your mouth or nose. The common Cold Virus is not airborne, just transferred from person to person, sometimes moving to a number of objects before finally getting to your face. I won't tell you how to wash your hands because I assume Momma already taught you how to do that, but I will offer a couple of tips and tell you what to use after your hands are dry. Most soaps will kill bacteria on contact, but the longer to you wash, the deeper the soap will penetrate the outer surface of your skin and remove dirt and bacteria. Be sure to wipe really dry with a "clean" towel, and then apply a good hand lotion. Why? Hand lotion prevents dry, chapped skin where bacteria can gather and hide. There are some really great hand lotions, specifically for men, that dry quickly, grease free and have no added fragrance (just ask me, I know them all). Wash after meeting and greeting or playing and petting (animals), and wash as often as you can, it's beneficial, therapeutic and just plain feels good, and your hands need to feel good; did you know they are the hardest working parts of your body? Unless you are a professional cyclist or marathoner, your hands do more repetitive work than any other part of your body. So what should you do for the hardest working parts of yourself? While you are washing your hands, take a few extra minutes to massage the palms of each of your hands and then pull down each finger a few times, pinching off at the tips. Then grasp the wrist of one hand, pull it straight out in front of you and hold it for 10-15 seconds while slowly wiggling your fingers ... ahhhh, now that feels good and it's good for you.