According to the WHO, people who aren't active enough have a 20 to 30% higher risk of early death than those who meet the guidelines. Inactivity fuels heart disease, type 2 diabetes and several cancers. The biggest gain comes from going from nothing to a little. Your first 15 minutes of walking pay off the most.
Chlorine on its own is fairly gentle. But when it combines with urine, sweat and other grime from swimmers, it forms chloramines, which cause stinging eyes and that classic 'chlorine smell'. A well-kept pool barely smells at all. Shower before you swim and never pee in the water.
Muscle mass slowly shrinks with age, putting independence at risk. But in 1990, a study had nursing home residents aged 86 to 96 train their legs for eight weeks: their strength more than doubled. Muscle responds to training at any age. Getting up from a chair without using your hands is already an exercise.