When you think of exercise, and cardio in particular, you probably picture running shoes, being out of breath, and lots of sweat, but a TikTok fitness trend is challenging that image. It’s called “Cozy cardio.”
The idea here is to make exercise as accessible as possible to ease people into enjoying and embracing movement. The content creator who first put it out there said she particularly wanted women to “reclaim their relationship with exercise.” But is there a benefit?
According to Dr. Alex Michaels, a Henry Ford Health cardiologist, the benefit is easy accessibility.
“The most important thing about cozy cardio or cardio in general is moving,” Michaels said. “You do it at home, you can do it multiple times per day broken into little sections and the time cost to you is really just the moving and you can integrate it into things that you’re already doing in your day whether it’s listening to a podcast or watching a TV show, you just add moving to it rather than sitting.”
Cozy cardio doesn’t require any specific things -- it’s meant to be whatever is cozy to you.
“It’s whatever you find comfortable and not intimidating to exercise is your cozy cardio,” Michaels said. “So you just want to do it in a way you’re comfortable in and whatever that looks like for you is going to be different than your neighbor or whomever.”
So who is an ideal person to start cozy cardio?
“If you’re not doing anything that’s where cozy cardio is great because it helps you form a habit start moving start integrating and getting the benefits of cardiac exercise and then using it as a springboard to get into more traditional moderate or vigorous activity,” Michaels said. “If you’re already out going to the gym and getting your two and a half hours a week that we recommend of physical activity, I wouldn’t want you decreasing the intensity of your exercise to incorporate cozy cardio but you might add it in on a rest day.”
If you’re not moving -- just get up and do it. The original content creator did her cozy cardio in pajamas and fuzzy socks while watching Netflix. It’s just a great way to turn couch potato time into low-intensity beneficial activity.
Experts say the concept of cozy cardio can also be beneficial for people who struggle with an “all-or-nothing” mindset when it comes to exercise. If you aren’t able to do an intense workout, it’s far better to do something shorter or less intense, than nothing at all.