I Tried Cozy Cardio, and This Is Why I Love It

I don’t think that’s inherently a foul thing. Switching up your workouts is, in its own way, an avenue for keeping exercise doable, healthy, and fun.

At the identical time, it might be nice to have more kinds of movement I could depend on and really make consistent, regardless of how much time, money, energy, or motivation I do (or don’t) have.

That’s where “cozy cardio” is available in.

The 411 on cozy cardio

Enter Hope Zuckerbrow, a TikTok creator and founding father of the “Cozy Cardio Club.” She began the “cozy cardio” trend, which mainly pairs low-impact exercise with comfortable clothes, your favorite TV show, aromatherapy, and whatever else helps you are feeling, well, cozy.

“Society puts a lot pressure on women to look a certain way, and since of that, lots of them have turned exercise right into a punishment, or a method of solely working off…calories,” says Zuckerbrow on TikTok. “Cozy cardio rewrites all of that.”

@hope_zuckerbrow Replying to @muhlissa hope it helps💗 #fyp #weightloss #workout #dietculture #selflove #cardio #cozy #cozycardio ♬ Stories 2 – Danilo Stankovic

Often, the exercise entails hitting a walking pad within the lounge, but it may well incorporate every kind of movement. (“Cozy looks different for everybody,” says Zuckerbrow.)

This mindset is a welcome one, a minimum of for me. In accordance with one other one in every of Zuckerbrow’s videos, “Exercise doesn’t should be done in a chilly and sterile environment. It may be sensory-friendly and fun.” She also noted that cozy cardio healed her “relationship with exercise and brought joy back to movement again.” After trying it out for myself, I can totally relate.

How I’ve made cozy cardio workouts work for me

I don’t have a walking pad or desk treadmill (yet) because, you realize, budgeting. I’m also slightly reluctant to leap around an excessive amount of in my apartment since I’m on the third floor. For those who’re in the identical boat, no worries: Cozy cardio workouts might be done in every kind of the way.

Personally, I really like walking outside and listening to Taylor Swift when the weather is sweet. Yes, you may be cozy outdoors! On the gym, you will catch me on the bike with a book to make all that pedaling more enjoyable. When I want some fun at home, I’ll blast some music, get in a hot shower, lather up with Bath & Body Works’s stress relief soap, and vibe like I’m at a concert. These movements stimulate multiple senses, from smell to hearing to the touch to sight. Not only does that feel pleasurable, nevertheless it’s also one in every of the fastest types of stress relief.

In search of at-home cozy cardio options because the weather cools? A fitness instructor and dancer on Good Morning America recently shared some quiet movements you may do with the assistance of your couch while watching a movie (yes, literally). Personally, I’m also interested by trying yoga with a candle and green noise, or messing around with arm weights while I make amends for a TV show in bed.

These kinds of cozy cardio make it easy to include fitness into my each day life—even when just for 10 minutes, and even after I’m not trying to suit exercise into my day.

Bring on the comfortable vibes with this bedtime yoga flow:

A trainer’s tackle the physical health advantages

Exercise that’s more enjoyable and desirable: Is it too good to be true? Is 10 minutes of arm exercises in bed even price it? “The excellent news is the physical advantages of cozy cardio are going to be much the identical as another cardio!” says Emily Decker, MSW, CPT, an intuitive movement coach.

As an illustration, whether you’re doing it while watching TV in your sweats or while hitting the local track, walking improves cardiovascular health, strengthens bones and muscles, and prevents several diseases, amongst other advantages. Sure, a comfy approach might mean less intensity, but it may well still be a welcome change of pace in your body on an otherwise-stationary day.

And if you happen to select an upbeat activity like dancing within the shower, yow will discover similar advantages to a conventional dance cardio or Zumba class. “Moderate to intense heart-pumping activity can improve heart health and respiratory capability, boost the immune system, and help prevent many diseases,” Decker says. A shower could also be shorter than a 45-minute class, but even getting just a few minutes of movement offers health perks.

…and the mental health advantages

Cozy cardio has mental advantages before you even get moving! “Many individuals avoid exercise due to previous negative experiences or because they don’t have the energy to do what they’ve been taught ‘counts,’” Decker says.

Choosing cozy cardio can alleviate among the mental hurdles. “Adopting a comfy mindset and constructing a nurturing environment can go an extended strategy to minimizing obstacles and giving an individual a delicate pathway to simply start moving, even in pajamas,” Decker continues. “You don’t should dress, drive to a studio, or do an hour-long spin class to get the ample advantages of exercise!”

Movements like these even have positive effects to reap afterward, similar to a mood boost, increased patience with family members, and more.

Are there any physical or mental drawbacks?

Probably not! “If it gets people moving in a way that feels good [and] is secure for his or her bodies, I can’t consider any drawbacks,” Decker says. “The most effective workout is at all times going to be the one which works best for you.”

Further, she agrees that a candle, fun drink (anyone else love flavored sparkling water?), and a comforting show can provide your cardio routine extra self-care vibes and provide help to feel at home in your skin.

Which brings me to my next point: Certainly one of the most important bonuses about cozy cardio is how adaptable it’s. If I would like something chill, I can grab some scented lotion, activate Abbott Elementary, and do easy stretches, all with “bed head.” If I would like to get my heart pumping, I can play Beyonce’s “Break My Soul” as I jump within the shower for my “concert” or head outside for a fast-paced walk to “You Belong With Me” (Taylor’s Version, in fact). In this manner, cozy cardio follows the principles of intuitive movement, with an absence of pressure to “show up” for anyone but yourself or do anything your body is not already craving.

Regardless, I’m getting in tune with my body, practicing self-care, and having fun—all without the traffic, social anxiety, and dread that comes with a few of my more “traditional” workout sessions.

And Decker’s all for it. “The beauty of the comfortable trend is that it makes cardio more accessible and even comforting,” she says. “That could make the difference between actually doing a little movement and never doing any.”