#1 Nearly Effortless Way to Stay Healthy

Did you hear the joke about germs? Well, let’s not spread it around.

Seriously, the multitudes of microbes are no laughing matter. American businesses lose $20 billion dollars a year on lost productivity due to basic illnesses like colds and flu. Not impressed? That’s roughly the lifetime income of you and 11,800 of your friends.

More importantly, the CDC reports as many as a million deaths could be prevented each year if everyone did this one easy thing as a matter of routine.

Sounds silly, but simply washing your hands regularly can keep you (and others around you) from landing on the wrong side of these statistics.

This is also no joke: When asked, 95 percent of all people will tell you they wash their hands after using the bathroom. Studies reveal the truth, however – about 33% of men and 20% of women don’t. That might be funny if it didn’t come with such awful side-effects.

If you’re younger, the stats turn even worse. One study demonstrated 58 percent of teenage girls and only 48 percent (few than half!) of teenage boys wash their hands after using the bathroom. And a mere 32 percent of people at any age wash their hands after coughing or sneezing.

Yes, alcohol rubs are very helpful. But, they don’t replace plain old hand washing with soap and water and a little friction.

Of course, it’s winter, and your hands will get dry from washing. So, have some moisturizer “handy.” There’s really no excuse for not washing your hands often… or whenever it’s appropriate.