Visit our chat room any time to join a conversation. Some days you ll find organized chats, on anything from infertility to career issues to hobbies. Or stop in just to shoot the breeze. Post a question, offer advice and enjoy a lively exchange on dozens of topics, from pregnancy to poetry, from career advice to cooking. An astonishing 20 percent of the population is 65 or older with an average life expectancy of 80 years.
Women make up most of the senior population.
No wonder the focus of today's medicine is already shifting from extending life to improving the quality of life at the later stages. With a burgeoning older population and escalating health-care costs, preventing disability and loss of independence later in life is more essential now than ever. Lack of physical activity has been consistently identified as a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Regular aerobic activity performed at moderate intensity five to seven days a week decreases the resting blood pressure. This is important because high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.