The number comes from a Japanese pedometer launched in 1965, the 'Manpo-kei', literally '10,000-step meter': a slogan, not a discovery. A large 2022 analysis found that the risk of death falls steadily with daily steps, then levels off around 6,000 to 8,000 for over-60s and 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults. Every extra step counts.
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.