Are you one of the millions of exercising addicts or certified couch occupants? Then here's a piece of advice – move more! Bang on, it's that straightforward. Several studies in the past decade have boiled it down to this simple mantra for better health.

You could be religiously hitting the treadmill every day, but if you find yourself firmly glued to your Chair of Laziness for at least 13 hours a day while taking fewer than 4,000 steps, you're essentially negating all the darn hard work. Such sedentary practices have some buddies, and they're not the cool type – meet increased insulin resistance, wonky blood sugar controls, and a flock of fatty acids called triglycerides. These lads have a penchant for welcoming their unfriendly friends: type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Thanks, but no thanks!

Americans, apparently, are becoming more intimate with their chairs than ever, spending nearly six and half hours bumming around. Is there a silver lining? Fortunately, yeah! The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has come up with an exciting plan. Essentially, it's activity snack time, folks! Every one or two minutes of moving counts towards the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week.

Strumming a guitar string, fighting with a stubborn laundry pile, or even swiping left on Tinder; they all help counter sitting's ill effect. Welcome to NEAT club – short for nonexercise activity thermogenesis: triggered by everyday life activities, ramping up your metabolism like your very own undercover superhero.

As Polly de Mille, an exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, explains, "Even the tiniest muscle movements burn calories." Get off your backside, answer an email, and you're burning 25% more calories. Add some energetic chair fidgeting to the mix, and you're burning even more.

Research has shown that the number of NEAT activities you do daily directly impacts how many calories you annihilate and your health quality. Even shocking, everyday activity could be more beneficial for your health and life-span than your old-fashioned gym endeavors. So grab the bull by the horns and sneak more activities into your day. Time's ticking, why should your heart be any different!