Location, location, location: Store owners aren't the only ones concerned with finding the perfect spot in which to situate their stuff. Researchers in a wide variety of fields know that how you organize your environment — from where you stand in fitness class to the place you choose to store your meds — has a surprising effect on everything from your weight to your chances of staying well. In other words, when it comes to how you feel, it's not just what you do, it's where you do it. Here, surprisingly bad locales for your health — and the best places to optimize it.
The worst place for your toothbrush: on the bathroom sink
There's nothing wrong with the sink itself — but it's awfully chummy with the toilet. There are 3.2 million microbes per square inch in the average toilet bowl, according to germ expert Chuck Gerba, PhD, a professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona. When you flush, aerosolized toilet funk is propelled as far as 6 feet, settling on the floor, the sink, and your toothbrush. "Unless you like rinsing with toilet water, keep your toothbrush behind closed doors — in the medicine cabinet or a nearby cupboard," Gerba says.

The worst place to set your handbag: the kitchen counter
Your fancy handbag is a major tote for microbes: Gerba and his team's swabs showed up to 10,000 bacteria per square inch on purse bottoms — and a third of the bags tested positive for fecal bacteria! A woman's carryall gets parked in some nasty spots: on the floor of the bus, beneath the restaurant table — even on the floor of a public bathroom. Put your bag in a drawer or on a chair, Gerba says — anywhere except where food is prepared or eaten.

The worst place for your sneakers and flip-flops: in the bedroom closet
Walking through your house in shoes you wear outside is a great way to track in allergens and contaminants. A 1999 study found that lawn chemicals were tracked inside the house for a full week after application, concentrated along the traffic route from the entryway. Shoes also carry in pollen and other allergens. Reduce exposure by slipping off rough-and-tumble shoes by the door; store them in a basket or under an entryway bench. If your pumps stay off the lawn, they can make the trip to the bedroom — otherwise, carry them.

The worst place to try to fall asleep: under piles of blankets
Being overheated can keep you from nodding off, researchers say: A natural nighttime drop in your core temperature triggers your body to get drowsy. To ease your way to sleep, help your body radiate heat from your hands and feet, says Helen Burgess, PhD, assistant director of the Biological Rhythms Research Laboratory at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Don socks to dilate the blood vessels in the extremities — then take the socks off and let a foot stick out from under the blankets.

The worst place to cool leftovers: in the refrigerator
Placing a big pot of hot edibles directly into the fridge is a recipe for uneven cooling and possibly food poisoning, says O. Peter Snyder Jr., PhD, president of the Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management in St. Paul, MN. The reason: It can take a long time for the temperature in the middle of a big container to drop, creating a cozy environment for bacteria. You can safely leave food to cool on the counter for up to an hour after cooking, Snyder says. Or divvy up hot food into smaller containers and then refrigerate — it'll cool faster.

The worst stall to pick in a public restroom: the one in the middle
The center stall has more bacteria than those on either end, according to unpublished data collected by Gerba. No, you won't catch an STD from a toilet seat. But you can contract all manner of ills if you touch a germy toilet handle and then neglect to wash your hands thoroughly.

The worst place for a workout reminder: stuck on your post-it laden fridge
A visual nudge can help — but only if you notice it, says Paddy Ekkekakis, PhD, an exercise psychologist at Iowa State University. In one study, a sign urging people to use the stairs rather than the nearby escalator increased the number of people who climbed on foot by nearly 200 percent. Put your prompt near a decision point, Ekkekakis says — keep your pile of Pilates DVDs next to the TV; put a sticky note on your steering wheel to make sure you get to your after-work kickboxing class. Just remember: The boost you get from a reminder is usually short-term, so change the visuals often.

The worst place to sit on an airplane: the rear
Avoid this section if you're prone to airsickness, says retired United Airlines pilot Meryl Getline, who operates the aviation Web site fromthecockpit.com. "Think of a seesaw," Getline says. "The farther from the center you are, the more up-and-down movement you experience." Because the tail of the plane tends to be longer than the front, "that's the bumpiest of all," she says. "The smoothest option is sitting as close to the wing as you can."

The worst place to pick up a prescription: the pharmacy drive-thru
In a survey of 429 pharmacists, respondents ranked drive-thru windows high among distracting factors that can lead to prescription processing delays and errors, says survey author Sheryl Szeinbach, PhD, professor of pharmacy practice and administration at Ohio State University. If you don't want to give up the convenience of a rolling pickup, be sure to check that both drug and dose are what the doctor ordered.

The worst place to stand during your first few fitness classes: front and center
You might think that you'd want to be near the mirrors so you can check your form, but your sweat session will be more motivating if your view is obstructed, suggests a 2003 study at McMasters University. In that research, 58 sedentary women all exercised at similar intensity levels. But those who did it in a mirrored room reported feeling more anxious about their body's imperfections after their workout than women who sweated without mirrors distracting them.

The worst place for a nighttime reading light: overhead
These fixtures put out relatively bright light — enough to significantly delay the body's secretion of melatonin, showed a 2000 study. That can wreck your night, since rising melatonin levels are a major cue for your body to prepare for sleep. A low-power light clipped to your novel will let you read but leave the room dark enough for your brain to transition into sleep mode.

The worst place to keep medicine: the medicine cabinet
It's not uncommon for the temp in a steamy bathroom to reach 100°F — well above the recommended storage temperatures for many common drugs. The cutoff for the popular cholesterol drug Lipitor, for instance, is around 77°F. To stay out of the red zone, store your meds in a cool, dry place, such as the pantry.

The worst place to set fruit before washing it: the kitchen sink
Of all the household germ depots, the kitchen sink sees the most bacterial traffic — even more than the toilet, says Kelly Reynolds, PhD, a professor and environmental microbiologist at the University of Arizona. If the perfect berry drops while you're washing it, pop it in the trash — not your mouth.

The worst place to use earbuds or headphones: on an airplane, train, or subway
Sure, music's a better traveling companion than your seatmate's cell phone conversation. But studies show that if you listen through a headset in a noisy environment, you probably crank the volume too high. Harvard researchers found that in reasonably quiet surroundings, volunteers tended to keep the volume at an ear-friendly level. But when the researchers added background noise — the loud rumble of an airplane cabin — 80 percent boosted the volume as high as 89 decibels, a level that risks long-term hearing damage. If you must have music, consider noise-canceling headphones — only 20 percent of listeners in the study who used a set got close to the danger zone.

The worst place for your coffee: the refrigerator or freezer
Think that you're preserving freshness by stashing it in the fridge? Think again. Every time you take it out of the fridge or freezer, you expose it to fluctuating temperatures, which produces condensation. "The moisture leeches out flavor — it's like brewing a cup of coffee each time," says John McGregor, PhD, a professor in the department of food science and human nutrition at Clemson University. The best spot to store beans or grounds: in an opaque, airtight container kept on the counter or in the pantry.

The worst place for your TV: wherever you dine
Studies show that distraction is your waistline's enemy — it can keep you from noticing how much you're eating. In a 2006 study, volunteers ate faster when watching TV than while listening to music — consuming 71 percent more macaroni and cheese when watching a show. If you have the tube on while cooking, turn it off before dinner at the kitchen table, and avoid being tempted into eating in front of the TV in the living room. The best place for your television: up or down a flight of stairs, so you have to "work" to get a snack — you'll be much less likely to munch.

位置、位置、位置：商店店主不是唯一關心找到放置他們物品的最佳地點的人。廣大領域的研究人員明白，如何安排你周圍的環(huán)境－－從在健身課上站在哪里，到選擇什么地方放置藥品 －－對你的一切都有著驚人的影響－－從你的體重，到你保持健康的機會。換句話說，當說到你的感受時，不僅你怎么做去重要，你在哪里做也一樣重要。下面就是一些對你健康很不利的儲物地點，以及做出改變的最好選擇。

放牙刷的最差地點：浴室的洗手池上方

洗手池本身沒什么不對，但是它跟馬桶太過親密了。按照亞利桑那大學環(huán)境與微生物學教授查克·戈巴博士的說法，每平方英寸馬桶有320萬病菌。你沖馬桶的時候，成霧狀的馬桶臭氣能被沖出6英尺遠，落到地板上、洗手池上、和你的牙刷上。戈巴說，“除非你喜歡用馬桶水來漱口，否則把牙刷放在帶們的藥品箱或近旁的壁櫥里。

放手袋的最差地點：廚房柜子上

你的漂亮手袋是一種主要的病菌攜帶物：戈巴和他的研究小組用棉簽檢測表明，錢包底部每一平方英寸有10000個細菌－－三分之一的檢測的袋子上糞便細菌陽性！婦女的大手提袋擱在各種骯臟的地點：巴士的地板上，飯店桌子下面－－甚至是公共衛(wèi)生間的地上。把你的手袋放在抽屜里或是椅子上，戈巴說－－除了準備食物的地方以外，哪里都行。

放置膠底運動鞋和夾趾拖鞋的最差地點：臥室壁櫥里

穿著在外面穿的鞋子在屋里走是把過敏源和污染物帶進家中的“好辦法”。一份1999年的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，在施用草皮化學藥品一周后，在房子里還能追蹤到藥品的蹤跡－－集中在沿著進門的路線。鞋子也會帶進花粉或其它的過敏源。要降低屋子暴露在外面污物的風險，把亂哄哄的鞋子脫在門旁邊，存放在鞋籃子里，或是放在門口長凳下面。如果你的輕便鞋不踩草皮，你可以穿著它們進臥室，否則還是提著它們吧。

睡覺的最差地點：在厚厚的毯子下面

研究人員說，過于暖和，會讓你睡不著覺：夜晚身體內部溫度的自然降低觸發(fā)你的身體變得昏昏欲睡。海倫·伯格斯－－芝加哥拉什大學醫(yī)療中心的副主任，說，要讓你容易入睡，就要讓你的手腳散熱。先穿上襪子使你的血管充分膨脹，然后脫掉襪子，讓一只腳從毯子下伸出去。

放涼吃剩食物的最差地點：冰箱里

將一大罐子熱吃的直接放到冰箱里是造成不平均降溫的辦法，還有可能導致食物中毒。小奧彼特·施耐德博士說，他是明尼蘇達圣保羅的技術管理療養(yǎng)院院長。其原因是：冰箱中間降溫要花很長時間，這就為細菌的孳生創(chuàng)造了舒適的環(huán)境。做完飯，你可以放心地把食物放在柜子上擱一個小時，施耐德說，或者你把食物分放到更小的容器里，然后冷凍－－那樣能涼得更快。

公共衛(wèi)生間里最差的小隔間：中間的那個

根據(jù)戈巴采集的未發(fā)表的數(shù)據(jù)，中間的隔間比兩頭的具有更多的細菌。你不會從馬桶座位染上STD（性傳播疾�。�，但是如果你摸了沾有病菌的馬桶把而又忘了徹底洗手，你可能感染各種疾病。

貼提醒字條的最差地點：粘滿字條的冰箱上

可視的提醒能有所幫助－－但是只有你注意到才行，依阿華州立大學從業(yè)心理醫(yī)師帕蒂·艾克卡凱斯說。一項研究中，敦促人們使用樓梯而不要坐邊上電梯的指示牌讓徒步爬樓梯的人增加了幾乎2倍。將你的提醒條放在需要做決定的地方邊上，艾克卡凱斯說－－把你成堆的Pilates DVD放在電視旁，將粘貼條貼在方向盤上，提醒你下班后去上跆拳道班。記住一點：你從提醒單得到的刺激是短暫的，所以要經常更換提醒單的式樣。

飛機上最差的座位：后部的座位

正在運營的飛行網站fromthecockpit.com的聯(lián)合航空公司退休飛行員梅林·蓋特林說，如果你容易暈機，要避免坐在飛機后面。“想想蹺蹺板，離中間越遠，你經歷的上下運動就越多。因為飛機的尾部比前部長，所以是飛機上最顛簸的地方。她說，“最平穩(wěn)的選擇是盡可能坐得靠近機翼。”

取藥的最差地點：藥店的開車取藥窗口

在一項對429位藥劑師的調查中，參與調查者將開車取藥窗口列在可能導致藥方延遲或錯誤的因素前列。調查作家雪莉·森巴赫，俄亥俄州立大學的藥品經營管理教授這么說。如果你不想放棄開車取藥的方便，要記得檢查藥品和標注劑量同醫(yī)囑一致。

頭幾節(jié)形體課上最差站立地點：前面和中間

你可能覺得站得離鏡子近一點，這樣你就能檢查一下自己的形體。但是一項2003年在麥克馬斯特大學的研究顯示，如果的視野被阻擋，你的出汗訓練過程會更有動力。在那項研究中，58位從事久坐工作的婦女都按同等強度練習�？墒悄切┰谟戌R子的房間練習的婦女，比那些在沒有鏡子的房間練習的婦女，在鍛煉后對自己身體的缺陷更擔憂；后者鍛煉的注意力沒有受到鏡子的分散。

夜間讀書照明的最差位置：頭頂

這些固定燈放出的光線相當明亮－－足夠明顯地延緩人體褪黑激素的分泌。一份2000年的研究表明，這會毀掉你的夜晚，因為升高的褪黑激素是人體一項主要的表示做好睡覺準備的信號。一個別在小說上的低功率電燈既能讓你閱讀，也能保證房間足夠暗，使你的大腦轉換到睡眠模式。
存放藥品的最差地點：藥品柜

蒸汽浴室的溫度達到100度（華氏）并不罕見－－遠比許多常見藥品的推薦儲存溫度高很多。常用的降膽固醇藥立普妥，最高保存溫度大約是77度（華氏）。要避開藥品儲存的危險區(qū)域，把你的藥物放在涼爽干燥的地方，比如食品儲藏柜。

放置沒洗水果的最差地點：廚房的水池

亞利桑那大學的環(huán)境與微生物教授凱利·雷諾德博士說，住宅里細菌孳生地中，廚房的水池是細菌最多的－－甚至比馬桶還多。如果洗水果時一枚完美無缺的漿果掉下來，把它扔到垃圾箱里，不要扔在自己嘴里。

使用耳塞或耳機的最差地點：飛機、火車或地鐵上

沒錯，在旅行中聽音樂要比聽臨座的人用手機聊天好多了。但是研究表明，如果你在嘈雜的環(huán)境中使用耳機，你就有可能把音量調得太高。哈佛的研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)在相當安靜的環(huán)境中，志愿者們傾向于把音量調節(jié)到對耳朵無害的程度；但是當研究人員增加背景噪音時－－飛機機艙的轟鳴聲－－80％的人將音量調到高至89分貝，一種有可能造成長期聽力損害的水平。如果你一定要聽音樂，考慮一下用防噪聲的耳機－－在用這種耳機時，只有20％的人將音量調節(jié)到危險的水平。

放咖啡的最差地點：冰箱或冰柜

你想把新鮮的咖啡儲存在冰箱里？再想想看。每次你把咖啡從冰箱里拿出來，它就暴露溫度變化的環(huán)境下，這會產生冷凝現(xiàn)象。“潮氣會帶走咖啡的香氣－－就像是每次都沏走一杯咖啡，”克萊姆森大學食品科學與人類營養(yǎng)教授約翰·麥克格雷格說。保存咖啡豆或咖啡末的最好地點是：放在柜子或食品儲藏室里密閉、不透光的容器內。

擺放電視的最差地點：吃飯的地方

研究表明吃東西時分散注意力是你腰圍的大敵－－它會讓你不注意吃了多少東西。一項2006年的研究顯示，志愿者在看電視時比聽音樂時吃得快－－在看節(jié)目時，多吃71％的通心粉或奶酪。如果你在做飯時開著電視，到餐桌吃飯前把它關上；要避免在起居室的電視前吃飯的誘惑。放電視最好的位置是在樓梯的上下，這樣你必須“動一下”才能拿小吃－－你就不那么可能大吃大嚼了。