Sedentary
Origin
Middle French sedentaire, from Latin sedentarius, from sedent-, sedens, present participle of sedēre to sit.
Definitions
- 1: not migratory : settled <sedentary birds> <sedentary civilizations>
- 2a : doing or requiring much sitting <a sedentary job>
- b : not physically active <a sedentary lifestyle>
- 3: permanently attached <sedentary barnacles>
Description
Sedentary lifestyle is a medical term used to denote a type of lifestyle with no or irregular physical activity. A person who lives a sedentary lifestyle may colloquially be known as a couch potato. It is commonly found in both the developed and developing world. Sedentary activities include sitting, reading, watching television and computer use for much of the day with little or no vigorous physical exercise. A sedentary lifestyle can contribute to many preventable causes of death.
One response that has been adopted by many concerned with health and environment is the use of active travel, which seeks to promote walking and cycling as safe and attractive alternatives to motorized transport. Given that many journeys are for relatively short distances, there is considerable scope to replace car use with walking or cycling, though in many settings this may require some infrastructure modification.
