An active couch potato, I sometimes fear, is what I have become. The term is used for people who exercise regularly — even vigorously — but otherwise sit around most of the time.

I’m more active off the bike at work than at home. When I’m at work, I get up about every 20 minutes. At home, I can too easily get absorbed in composing blogs, watching YouTubes, and so on; and get too little activity. Even on long-ride day!

When the weather is cold, I don’t want to move out from in front of my electric heater. How I wish my window units had heat! As a renter, I didn’t have any say in what got installed.

However, if I would just shove myself into action, the activity would warm me up for at least as long as I kept at it. For example, this place really needs a good vacuuming! Even standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes probably burns off a bit more energy than just sitting.

My off-bike exercise sessions last, I’d say, 20 minutes at most. I do it that way because short sessions almost every day seem like a better idea to me than an hour twice a week. Those short sessions are also easier to fit in!

I’d like to know this, though. How can I be a couch potato, whether active or not, when I don’t have a couch?