According to a study featured on TIME.com and published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, being a couch potato may double your risk for premature death.

Researchers gathered 13,284 young and healthy Spanish University graduates and studied their sedentary behavior in relation to their risk of early death. The three behaviors were as follows: TV watching, computer use, and driving. The team didn’t find any connection in computer time and driving, but those who spent three or more hours watching TV doubled their risk for early death. The study authors still considered other factors related to early death, but the alarming risk rate for couch potatoes still stood out.

While you see on the tube won’t harm you, sitting for hours without doing anything else, besides munch on junk food, does! We’ve been told that sitting for prolonged periods is detrimental to your health, and watching the telly is one of the most common activities that urge you to ditch working out.

The American Heart Association recommends that we get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or at least 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity each week. If you like to learn how to be fit amidst a busy schedule, go here.

(Photo from Espensorvik via Flickr Creative Commons)