Kevin Spacey's slick Southern statesman in House of Cards may not be much of a romantic, but plenty of singles and couples home on Valentine's Day may spend their time watching episode after episode packed with his political machinations.

Yes, Netflix’s Emmy-award winning drama is back for a second season, and plenty of viewers are expected to indulge in the new American tradition of binge-watching. That could include former President Bill Clinton, whoreportedly watched the first season in only three days. (Coincidentally, the show’s star, Kevin Spacey, plays a slick Democratic politician from the South who rises to power in Washington).

Clinton isn’t the only one binging. In December, Netflix released a study that looked at how people watched 10 of its popular shows. For one drama, 25 percent of users finished an entire 13-episode series in only two days.

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If binge-watching cuts into sleep time, that could have a serious effect on your mental health. And no, watching football players do laps on “Friday Night Lights” doesn’t count as physical exercise.

“There’s convincing evidence in adults that the more television people watch, the more likely they are to gain weight or become overweight or obese,” Lilian Cheung, a lecturer at the Harvard School of Public Health, wrote to NBC News in an email. “And there’s emerging evidence that too much TV watching also increases the risk of weight-related chronic diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes.”

Even worse: The negative effects of “sit time” aren’t mitigated by exercise, meaning that running a mile won’t undo the damage done to your body by watching the entire first season of “Walking Dead” on your couch.

On the plus side, binge-watching lets you skip fast-food commercials, Cheung wrote, which may be a major factor in the link between TV and obesity.

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