Personal Hygiene and Good Manners

Good manners help in maintaining a healthy lifestyle including eating habits, sleeping patterns and physical exercises. Certain good manners that people should learn are empathy, self-consciousness, helpfulness, being thankful, gratitude towards others, respect to elders and discipline.

In general, hygiene refers to a series of practices that protect the health from diseases. Personal hygiene refers to maintaining the body’s cleanliness. 

Image: Emma Harrage. CC BY

Puberty causes many changes in your body.  Most girls begin puberty between ages 8 and 14, with an average of 11. Girls develop more quickly than boys and most finish puberty within four years. Most boys begin puberty between ages 9 and 14, with an average of 12. Most boys finish puberty within six years.

The changes happen because of sex hormones produced by the testes in boys and by the ovaries in girls. Some changes happen in boys and girls, while others just happen in boys or girls. Here are some changes that happen to both boys and girls:

• underarm hair grows
• pubic hair grows
• body smell gets stronger
• emotional changes
• growth rate increases

In order to have good personal hygiene, it is important to develop and maintain good habits including:

• Regular hand washing, including after using the toilet
• Taking regular showers or baths
• Brushing your teeth at least twice a day
• Taking care of and cleaning your nails
• Washing and brushing your hair regularly
• Covering your mouth while sneezing or coughing
• Washing your clothes often
• Regularly cleaning your home
• Making sure that food is stored and cooked correctly

If you do these then you will be able to protect yourself from harmful bacteria and viruses that can make you sick.  These habits will also make you less smelly!