Couch

A couch or sofa is a piece of furniture for seating two or more people in the form of a bench, with or without armrests, that is partially or entirely upholstered, and often fitted with springs and tailored cushions. Although a couch is used primarily for seating, it may be used for reclining and napping.

In homes, couches are normally found in the family room, living room, den, sitting room or the lounge. They are also found in hotels, lobbies of commercial offices, waiting rooms, and some bars.

The term couch is used in North America and Australia, whilst the term sofa is generally used in the United Kingdom. The word originated in Middle English from the Old French noun couche, which derived from the verb meaning "to lie down". It originally denoted an item of furniture for lying or sleeping on, somewhat like a chaise longue, but now refers to sofas in general.

Other terms which can be synonymous with the above definition are settee, chesterfield, divan, davenport, lounge, and canapé. The word sofa is from Turkish derived from the Arabic word suffa for "wool", originating in the Aramaic word sippa for "mat". The word settee comes from the Old English word, "setl", which was used to describe long benches with high backs and arms, but is now generally used to describe upholstered seating.

Sedentary lifestyle

A sedentary lifestyle is a type of lifestyle with no or irregular physical activity. A person who lives a sedentary lifestyle may colloquially be known as a slob or couch potato. It is commonly found in both the developed and developing world. Sedentary activities include sitting, reading, watching television, playing video games, 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. Screen time is the amount of time a person spends watching a screen such as a television, computer monitor, or mobile device. Excessive screen time is linked to negative health consequences.

Health effects

A lack of physical activity is one of the leading causes of preventable death worldwide.

Sitting still may cause premature death. The risk is higher among those that sit still more than 5 hours per day. It is shown to be a risk factor on its own independent of hard exercise and BMI. The more still, the higher risk of chronic diseases. People that sit still more than 4 hours per day have a 40 percent higher risk than those that sit fewer than 4 hours per day. However, those that exercise at least 4 hours per week are as healthy as those that sit fewer than 4 hours per day.

The Couch (Seinfeld)

"The Couch" is the 91st episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the fifth episode for the sixth season. It aired on October 27, 1994.

Plot

Jerry buys a new couch, giving his old one to Elaine. George joins a book club to impress his girlfriend and is assigned to read Breakfast at Tiffany's. Elaine falls for Carl, the hunky man (David James Elliott) who delivers Jerry's couch.

Kramer plans to start a "pizza business where you make your own pie" with Poppie (Reni Santoni). Jerry and Elaine's discussion of abortion causes trouble at Poppie's restaurant when it turns out Poppie is pro-life. Later, Jerry casually asks Elaine what Carl's stance is on abortion. She breaks up with him after finding out that he is pro-life.

George struggles to read the book and tries to rent the movie instead, saying "If it's not about sports, I find it very hard to concentrate!" George visits several video stores in an unsuccessful attempt to rent the movie. After a video store clerk (Patton Oswalt) declines George's request to call the renters of the movie, George surreptitiously peeks at the computer screen to see who has the rental copy. He heads to the renter's apartment and, in typical George fashion, concocts an elaborate story in order to be invited in to watch the movie with the renter and his family. Later, George accidentally spills grape juice all over the family's couch and is kicked out of their apartment before he can see the ending of the movie.