Are You an Active Couch Potato?
How many miles before I can chill on the couch?
Movement Isn’t Optional: Why Sedentary Behaviors Undermine Your Health (Even If You Run)
The last miles of a long training run always lean to one of three topics in my running group:
1. How long until we’re done
2. What we’re gonna eat when we’re done, and
3. How we plan to spend the rest of the day going full potato.
(Cue sad trombone: with two kids in travel sports it’s been a minute since I’ve been able to commune with my couch. My post-run routine is showering as fast as possible so my husband can tap out for his workout. )
Until recently, I resented this need to keep moving for the rest of the day. I was tired and I wanted to be a vegetable.
Do we not not earn this right during marathon training?
According to the science (and the schedule of 10U Softball) the answer is a resounding…
No. We do not.
Let’s break it down.
Stillness is the Enemy of Recovery
We begin with the running-specific reasons not to stay still after a run or long workout.
Ever have a long ride home after a race? What happened after you stood to exit the car or airplane? Let me guess: you were stumbling around like the first scenes of Bambi.
Sitting, specifically, makes our hip flexors and hamstrings tight, and that’s a quick trip down the leg to knee pain or up the leg to a tight lower back.
On a systems level, your joints, muscles, and fascia need circulation to clear out inflammation and bring in fresh nutrients. In your lower body specifically, muscle action is needed to pump blood out of your legs and feet and back towards your heart.
(This is called, uncreatively, the “muscle pump.”)
When you add poor posture to the mix - sitting hunched over TikTok, perhaps - vessels can get compressed, making circulation even harder.
The opposite of TikTok - movement - activates the muscle pump. This is especially important for your lymphatic system, since it doesn’t have a pump (like the heart) to move lymph fluid around. Instead, it depends on muscle movement to circulate excess fluids and other cells around the body.
The obvious way we feel this flow of fresh nutrients and blood to our tired muscles is a reduction in soreness, particularly the next day.
There Are Hidden Risks, Too
In case I didn’t have you at “reduction in soreness,” prolonged sitting can also lead to some less-obvious symptoms. In the short term, too much sitting leads to
Decreased metabolism (digestion takes muscles + gravity)
Impaired attention and processing speed (your brain needs allllll the blood)
In the long term, being sedentary gets even worse. Research has linked prolonged sitting (more than 6–8 hours per day) to higher rates of cardiovascular disease, increased chronic inflammation, and a greater risk of anxiety and depression.
Even among people who do exercise, one study purported that “the negative effects of excessive sedentary behavior are independent of the benefits of physical activity.” This leads us to…
“Active Couch Potato” Syndrome
Here’s the kicker: You can hit your workout goals and still be considered sedentary.
If you run in the morning and then spend the next 8 hours at your desk, followed by 3 more on the couch, your body is still spending the majority of the day inactive.
This pattern is common enough that it has a name: Active Couch Potato Syndrome.
Now it’s time for the good news:
It just takes a little movement to erase these effects. Anything that’s consistent, low-intensity, and spread throughout the day will do the trick.
(I find doing laundry during long Zoom meetings to be particularly beneficial.)
These small bursts improve:
Circulation
Joint lubrication
Lymphatic drainage
Mental clarity
They also lower inflammation and help regulate blood sugar, both of which are critical for running You AND everyday You.
How to Break the Sedentary Cycle
A few easy ideas:
Set a timer (or get an app) to remind you to stand, stretch, or take a short walk.
Work standing for 15 minutes each hour, if possible.
Get fidgety and do calf raises while you’re waiting for the coffee or hip circles while brushing your teeth.
Move after meals to improve glucose regulation and digestion.
Prioritize active recovery like gentle yoga, light walks, and mobility work after long runs.
If you’re training hard but sitting most of the day, you’re putting the brakes on your own recovery and performance.
A sedentary lifestyle can include exercise, if far more time is spent not moving at all.
The good news? Moving more consistently throughout your day has a host of benefits and might also lead you to having more clean laundry. Everyone wins!
The Bottom Line
If you’re putting in the miles but feeling stuck—tired all the time, achy, weirdly hungry at night, or just confused by the scale—I see you.
And more importantly: I can help.
As a nutrition coach who works with runners, I’ll help you:
Adjust your fueling plan to matches your body and training demands
Understand your hunger—and head it off before it hijacks your pantry
Embrace real nourishment (without overthinking every bite)
Recover faster, run stronger, and feel amazing
Click here to learn more about working with me one-on-one.
Or, if you’re just dipping a toe in, join my email list. You’ll get weekly real-talk tips on whole-food fueling, training mindset, and how to eat like an athlete—minus the guilt, guesswork, or green juice pressure.
You’re running a marathon.
You deserve to feel amazing doing it.
Let’s fuel that finish line feeling—together.