Keep Infections at Bay

In the forth coming days when the heat will get on its peak, all of us would start feeling low on our wellbeing. Because, with heat also comes sweat, dirt and a horde of infections which in turn increases the risk of getting sick every now and then.

 Follow clean workouts – Many of us go to the gym in an attempt to get perfect figures/physique and become healthier; however, we can also get sick at the gym. Door handles, pens, gym equipments can be all infested with bacteria. Whether the cleaning service at your gym is prompt or not, make sure you take care of your personal hygiene. Follow some basic steps in order to keep yourself away from infections.

• Clothing concerns – Try to cover your body as much as you can because this way you’ll be able to reduce the chances of your skin contact with dirt. Prefer wearing long sleeved tops and pants rather than shorts and tank tops. If you tend to use your towel for wiping the gym equipments, don’t use it on your skin as you’ll end up transferring the dirt to your face or body. Change two three towels throughout your gym session, don’t take the risk of getting infected.
• Use gym equipment with extra care – Any gym you use, none of them can keep all the equipment 100% germ free 24 hours a day, because it’s just not feasible. So always try to be secure yourself. Carry your own exercise mat and try to wash it well on a daily basis so as to clean sweat and dirt. Try to use your personal towel instead of using the common one available at the gym. Wipe off the gym equipment before you use it. It’s not only the weighing machine, treadmill handles that have germs and dirt on to it rather even a dumbbells, twist-turn machine may also carry a lot of germ so always wipe-off these before you use them. Not only these equipment rather a pen that you use to sign in may also be infested with germs. So, why not to use your own to be on a safer side!

Besides all these, never forget to wash your hand after you work out with good liquid hand wash. And always carry a fresh pair of socks for every workout as the old, sweaty socks cause discomfort to you as well as others around you. They can cause fungal infections of the foot and toenails.

Swim hygienically – Swimming is though good for health but if a proper care is not taken it can even be harmful. Focus on below given personal care techniques to keep yourself safe from the chlorinated and contaminated water of the pool.

• Skincare- Bathing before entering the pool is a must to prevent transferring outside grime and dirt to the pool. Though it is not allowed to enter pool with oil on your skin and hair, but try to make a barrier between your skin and chlorinated water of the pool by applying petroleum jelly all over you skin. Wear clean and appropriate swim wear to protect yourself. If you are suffering from an infectious skin disease, do not use the pool, no matter what precautions you take.
• Eye care – Swimming glass is a must to keep the water away from your eyes. The chlorinated water can be very harmful for eyes as it can affect your eye sight turning you to an extent of blindness.
• Ear care– Earplugs are must haves if you don’t want to end up catching an ear infection in turn of swimming. These help to prevent infections entering your middle ear and protect your ear from any damage. Keep earplugs clean, dry and store them under hygienic conditions.
• Hair care – It is important to wear a cap especially if your hair is long, as you would not prefer strands of loose hair entering your mouth or nose while swimming. Also it is essential to protect your hair texture getting affected by the chlorinated water.
• For kids especially- Train your child to follow all the above mentioned swimming etiquettes. And above all, tell them how badly it can affect their health if they swallow the chlorinated water of the pool. Never encourage your child to speak while meandering in the pool. Also never to pie in the swimming pool as it can be highly infectious for them as well as for others.

Handle food safely – Wash! Cook! Refrigerate!! The funda of W-C-R is very important to keep away the peeping infections. Whether it’s’ raw vegetables or frozen edibles, always clean them in running water before you cook. Even wash off fresh fruits before taking a bite so as to clean the germs.

Never forget to refrigerate the leftover food after you finish the meal. Also, it is more hygienic if you store every item in a separate air tight container. Prefer only air tight containers for storing as it evade even the minutest chance of bacteria to contaminate the food.

Personal care is a must! – Infections can intrude not only from outside but it can even evolve from our inner being. Try to follow good personal hygiene, especially for your intimate areas. Never forget to wash hands when so ever you go toilet, before and after you eat or munch anything and also when you touch anything dirty and filthy. After you visit to hospitals or any other public place, never feel lazy to change your clothes and wash off dirt from your body.

- By Priya Singh

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