None of us want to be known as a couch potato, the term usually referring to someone who watches TV or browses social media for hours on end with little physical activity throughout his or her day. We all know the detrimental health effects of being a true couch potato. The good news is recent studies have shown Americans are trying to incorporate more exercise throughout their day to avoid the couch potato status.
But what if I told you there was a new term that is just as detrimental to our health? According to the American Council of Exercise (ACE), an active couch potato refers to a person who is inactive for most of their day, but makes sure to engage in 30 minutes of planned exercise 4-5 days a week. Although 30 minutes of exercise is a huge improvement from no exercise at all, the lack of physical activity throughout the rest of your day can have significant health effects as well.
Since adding more time to your planned exercise is not always feasible, here are some easy (and fun!) ways to incorporate more physical activity in your day.