1. Wash your hands for 15-20 seconds. This seems a no brainer, right? Wrong. A majority of Americans wash their hands for a mere 3 seconds—not enough time to remove bacteria, cold germs, and the flu virus from your skin. Wash your hands more frequently, including the wrists, fingernails, and the back of your hands for 15-20 seconds, a period which will at first seem like a lifetime. To get used to it, sing “Happy Birthday” while you wash—it’s a 15 second song.

2. Before you dive into that afternoon snack, drink water. The hypothalamus, which regulates our hunger and thirst mechanisms, sometimes sends a mixed signal. That hunger might be thirst, so quench it with a nice glass of water.

3. Don’t wear shoes indoors. Walking around the outside environment tracks in all kinds of bugs into your home, including germs, pesticides, dust mites, and toxins.

4. Change your sunscreen. Most sunscreens protect only against sunburn causing UVB light while leaving your skin vulnerable to UVA light, which can cause cancer. Look for the UVA blocking ingredient avobenzone.

5. Eat as a family. Scientists have reported that children who eat with their parents eat healthier than children who do not. Family meals also promote better communication and for most families, lower stress (!).

6. Stretch. The gym isn’t the only place for stretching. Having a flexible body improves circulation, range of motion and improves balance. Stretch as a family for a fun, healthy activity.

7. Use a humidifier. These little machines pump water vapor into your home, counteracting the colds, infections, dry skin, and allergies brought on by dry air.

Here are seven Twitter users that every self-respecting health nut should follow. These twitterers know their onions and keeping in touch with their inputs is sure to add to the sum of your knowledge on different health-related topics. You can make use of the “Lists” functionality on Twitter to stay tuned into your favorite Twitterers.

1) Randy Fritz – The gentleman operates on Twitter under the moniker “randyfritz” and has a devoted and growing list of followers last numbered at more than 22K. Not bad for a guy peddling a healthy way of eating in which those delicious childhood eatables such as broccoli, peas, Brussels sprouts and spinach take pride of place. Seriously speaking, if balanced and healthy eating is what you are interested in then you should be following Randy.

2) Dr Joe – Dr Joe is a fair dinkum Australian guy who cares about your health. He’s on Twitter, T.V and radio sharing insight on how to ensure physical and mental wellbeing. He calls his approach a Do It Yourself guide to health. Remember, the guy is a doctor and if he tweets a tenet on the drawbacks of excessive medical screening, you can take it as coming from authority. Follow him for all-round pointers and news on healthy living.

3) Luc Boissonneault – For all practicing and wannabe bodybuilders, Luc’s tweets and his blog are a source of useful and practicable information. The reason why he stands out from the horde of other strength enthusiasts on Twitter is because he is not peddling weight loss cures out there or promising ripped quads and pecs through secret moves. He shares useful information on bodybuilding and fitness through videos, articles, and tips from time to time.

4) American Medical News – The Twitter page of amednews.com keeps medical practitioners and the lay person updated on business, policy, public health and legal issues that impact medical practices. Any non-celeb twitterer with thrice as many “followers” than it “follows” is worth investigating.

5) Kevin Pho, M.D. – The guy is a self-proclaimed “Social media’s leading physician voice”. Maybe he is, maybe not; but he does a great job with frequent updates on Twitter culling information from authority online journals. So if breaking health and medical news interest you, you can join the legion of more than 18K followers this guy has.

6) WSJ Health Blog – The WSJ health blog has more than 14K followers and in return it has deigned to follow less than 200. I am of the opinion that such absurd follower / follow ratios are a great indicator of a twitterer’s authority on a subject. The page is frequently updated with tweets on news and analysis on health and the business of health. There’s worthwhile healthcare news for health nuts of all shapes, sizes, and interests.

7) Doug Penta MD – Boston-based Doug is your proverbial good doctor with loads of experience in obstetrics and gynecology and his site provides information on these subjects in twelve languages. Women’s health is an oft-neglected aspect of our reading on health subjects. If you’re a father / mother to be or have an interest in women health issues, follow Dr. Doug’s tweets.