Is H1N1 Handwashing Boring? Multitask for Health
Combine Brain Exercises, Tummy Kegels with Anti-Flu Hand Hygiene
Sep 20, 2009
Multi-taskers, take heart!
Even though the H1N1 “swine” flu doesn’t appear to be a greater risk for people over 50, it’s still smart to wash one’s hands frequently. It'll help keep away the flu, and even the common cold.
Make the hand washing moment an opportunity to engage in other healthy behavior to help one's mental acuity, ward off heart disease and strengthen pelvic muscles, which are essential for avoiding backaches and other maladies including urinary incontinence among women.
Well after flu season has gone, these are all exercises that can be combined with hand hygiene, any time of year.
How Frequently to Wash One's Hands?
How frequently should one wash hands to prevent the flu or common cold?
It depends on where one goes and what one does—and what germs one might pick up—so there’s no specific number. However, a commonsense count adds up to at least a dozen to twenty "washable moments" daily for people who are not involved in food preparation or health professions, or working with young children.
Brain Exercises
While stuck at the sink, do some brain exercises!
Brain exercises can make a difference to one’s mental health, especially among older Americans. A study by researchers at New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine of 488 dementia-free people ages 75 to 85 found a correlation between the slowing of dementia onset with the frequency of doing any of six activities: reading, writing, doing crossword puzzles, playing cards or board games, participating in group discussions and playing a musical instrument. (These were the only activities studied, but it doesn’t mean they are the only worthwhile brain exercises.) While it’s hard to do a crossword puzzle while washing one’s hands, it’s possible to do other mental exercises
- What to Do for Brain Exercise while Washing Hands for H1N1 Prevention? Count from one hundred, backwards. Recite the alphabet backwards. Do the multiplication tables, starting from wherever it is that it gets difficult. Conjugate a verb in a foreign language. There are tons of possibilities for brain exercises.
Strengthen Pelvic Stomach Muscles by Doing Kegels
Many women find their pelvic muscles giving way in midlife, and a twenty-second hand washing moment is the perfect opportunity to engage in some subtle stomach-strengthening exercises while on the go.
The CDC advises spending 20 seconds every time one washes hands. Well, that 20-seconds affords a woman the chance to do about seven Kegel exercises.
The Mayo Clinic advises doing three sets of ten Kegels daily. So, do seven while washing one's hands, and the other three while drying (with a disposable towel) and turning the faucet off (with the same disposable towel) and walking out of the bathroom.
- What to Do to Strengthen Pelvic Muscles while Washing Hands for H1N1 Prevention? Here’s how the Mayo Clinic describes the Kegel exercise:To make sure you know how to contract your pelvic floor muscles, try to stop the flow of urine while you're going to the bathroom. If you succeed, you've got the basic move. Do the exercise for three seconds, in sets of ten.
When at Home, Rinse with Plaque-Removing Mouthwash to Help Prevent Heart Disease
Gum disease, which is related to the build up of plaque around the teeth, may also be related to heart disease. Citing the Journal of Periodontology, the Web site of the American Academy of Periodontology, states, “researchers have found evidence that the amount of bacteria in subgingival plaques, the deep plaques in periodontal pockets and around the teeth, may contribute to an individual’s risk of a heart attack, according to two studies appearing in
- What to Do for Plaque Removal as Heart Disease Prevention while Washing Hands for H1N1? Once a day, while washing hands for twenty seconds use a plaque-reducing mouthwash.
Two Cautionary Notes on Multitasking
The photo attached to this article suggests trying balancing while hand washing. For those confident of their balance, it might be fun (and good exercise) to practice balancing on one foot while washing one's hands. However, considering that soap is slippery, it's not a good idea to try this exercise if one isn't secure about body balance.
The primary goal of hand washing to prevent H1N1 or any flu virus (or even the common cold) is to wash all surfaces of one’s hands, including fingernails, with soap lather and warm water, and to rinse well. So while doing the above exercises, don’t lose sight of the primary goal: preventing H1N1 or the flu. Wash well, and frequently.
Source:
"Cognitive Activities Delay Onset of Memory Decline in Persons who Develop Dementia," Neurology, Aug. 2009, by Drs. Charles B. Hall and Dr. Joseph Verghese,R. B. Lipton, M.D., M. Sliwinski, Ph.D., M. J. Katz, M.P.H., and C. A. Derby, Ph.D., press release http://www.einstein.yu.edu/home/news.asp?id=395.
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