Couch potato


A couch potato is a person who spends most of their free time sitting or lying on a couch. This stereotype often refers to a lazy and overweight person who watches a great deal of television. Generally speaking, the term refers to a lifestyle in which children or adults do not get enough physical activity.

History

The actual term "couch potato" was first coined in 1976 by Tom Iacino, a friend of American underground comics artist Robert Armstrong. In the early-1980s, he registered the term as a trademark with the United States government; he also co-authored a book with Jack Mingo, called The Official Couch Potato Handbook, which delves into the lives of couch potatoes.
The term eventually entered common American vocabulary, generally defining one who unceasingly watches television. The phrase was entered into the Oxford English Dictionary in 1993.

Health

Some studies have said that the "couch potato lifestyle" is a serious health hazard to its practitioners; in the United Kingdom, a plan of the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit tried attempts "to combat the couch potato culture" to " international sporting performance."
Studies presented at the 2003 meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine suggested that there could be a genetic basis for the "couch potato lifestyle".
Research suggests that being a couch potato could make a person a decade older biologically than someone who is physically active.

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