Are you an active couch potato?

‘Active couch potato’ – how sitting all day can erase a workout.

New Finnish research published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise suggests that a 30-minute workout, followed by a day of staring at a computer and then the television, could make someone “an active couch potato” – increasing the risk of various health problems such as elevated blood sugar and cholesterol levels, as well as an increased body fat percentage.

Associate Professor Kevin Netto from the Curtin School of Allied Health says: “The findings from the study – while not surprising – are a great reminder of the need and benefit of incidental physical activity. The human body is built for movement and the harm caused by underutilisation of its biomechanics is clear. Specific strategies can easily be built into everyday life – it’s really surprising how straight forward solutions can really make a difference.”

Joint Profiles of Sedentary Time and Physical Activity in Adults and their Associations with Cardiometabolic Health

Farrahi, Vahid^1,2; Rostami, Mehrdad²; Dumuid, Dot³; Chastin, Sebastien F. M.^4,5; Niemelä, Maisa^1,6,8; Korpelainen, Raija^6,7,8; Jämsä, Timo^1,6; Oussalah, Mourad^1,2. Joint Profiles of Sedentary Time and Physical Activity in Adults and their Associations with Cardiometabolic Health. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: July 27, 2022 – Volume – Issue – 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003008 doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003008