Give Me Five for Health
 

Being safe and healthy doesn't have to be time consuming. Each and every one of us can afford to take out five minutes; taking a few minutes out of the 1,440 minutes in a day; it's worth it for the long term benefits. There are many differences you can make to your life: from protecting your skin to eating healthy, from fighting the urges to smoke, to planting a vegetable patch, you have the power to improve your quality (and quantity) of life!

As simple and obvious as it may seem, remember to wash your hands. Think about all of the things that you have touched today, from the toilet handle to your mobile phone. Millions of germs may be lurking on your hands at any one time, and hand washing is by far the best way to prevent these germs from spreading. Try not to touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. You should always wash your hands in warm water. Use soap and lather up for around twenty seconds, making sure to get between your fingers and under your nails before rinsing and drying well with a clean towel.

If you're a smoker, it is claimed that it only takes two to three minutes for the urges to pass. When you feel the urge to pick up a cigarette, try doing something else distracting, such as playing with play-dough, painting, or doing something else with your hands. You can get help from friends, family, and even your general practitioner to encourage and support you in your quest to stop smoking. It doesn't take many cigarettes to damage your health, and even just being around secondhand smoke can do considerable damage to your health. The only safe choice is to quit completely.

When you're listening to music, make sure the sound isn't turned up too loud. Noise induced hearing loss is becoming increasingly common. Playing music for any period of time--short or long--at a high volume can do damage to the ear canal. On headphones, the volume can reach 120 decibels, which is roughly as much as a jet engine. Any volume over eight decibels can potentially damage your hearing, and some MP3 players can reach up to 105 decibels. Try lowering the volume a little!

Buckle up when you're driving. Wearing a seatbelt in the front seat can save over 2,200 lives every year! In the past forty years, the new driving regulations have saved over 300,000 lives and continue to save more each day. It will take you far less time to buckle up than to recover from injuries following a serious car crash. Car crashes are becoming more and more common, particularly with younger drivers, or those under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

It only takes a minute to make a better, healthier choice about food. Next time you're grocery shopping, take a look at what's in your food. Go for foods that are lower in saturated fats. Pick up fruit and vegetables and try to introduce five fruits and vegetables into your diet each day. There's plenty of fruits and vegetables out there that you've probably never tried, so introduce some new foods into your diet! Keep an eye on your portion sizes, it takes twenty minutes for your body to pass the message onto you that you have eaten enough, so eat slowly. If you feel the need to snack, grab an apple or keep yourself distracted until meal time.

It's also worth remembering to keep your food safe from bacteria. Bacteria can grow at a very high rate at room temperature, so keep food that will not be eaten within four hours refrigerated. Wash anything that has been in contact with raw meat or poultry before it touches other food substances. Also, remember to cook eggs, meat and poultry thoroughly before eating.

Finally, take a break! If you feel a cold coming on, the stress increasing, or you feel as though you're slowly losing control, take a few minutes out. Anything from a difficult upcoming test at school, to a major family argument can induce these stressful feelings and will turn into physical illness if it goes unchecked. Take a little time out to focus on yourself. Even as little as two minutes out can give you enough clarity to think and allow you to make better decisions for yourself and those around you!