Cold slows down most microbes, but not Listeria monocytogenes: it keeps multiplying at refrigerator temperatures. It turns up in foods such as raw-milk cheeses, smoked fish and some deli meats. Because listeriosis is dangerous for pregnant women, newborns, older adults and people with weakened immunity, it pays to respect use-by dates, clean your fridge regularly and keep it at 4 °C (39 °F) or below.
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.