A sedentary lifestyle has become increasingly easy to achieve for many, as effortless and efficient actions in everyday life becomes of greater importance to society. Kalb and Raymond (2003) claim that “one in four adults in [the United States] leads a completely sedentary lifestyle and more than 60 percent of the population doesn’t do enough physical activity to gain vast health benefits” (p. 2). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1999) reported that “overweight and inactivity were to blame for 300, 000 premature deaths in the U.S., second only to tobacco-related deaths” (as cited in Pirisi, 2000, p. 2).

It has become apparent though the literature that women and the elderly are prime targets to leading sedentary lifestyles and that older women are among the least active populations (Reid, Dyck, McKay, & Frisby, 2000). Berg, Cromwell and Arnett (2002) concluded that women living a sedentary lifestyle deprive themselves of the health benefits of physical activity and increase their risk for serious disease processes and premature disability and premature frailty.