Political polarization. Economic struggles. Inequity. Climate change. War.
In an often-bruising world, you can hardly blame people for seeking out ways to cushion themselves. From weighted blankets to to entire restaurants and cookbooks based on childhood , the appetite for comfortable things just keeps growing.
Now some are seeking comfort even in their physical exertion. They are, it seems, entering the era of 91裸聊视频渃ozy cardio,91裸聊视频� an activity that lies right at the crossroads of gym workout, self-pampering evening 91裸聊视频� and nap time.
This method of (minimal) calorie burning has gained popularity on TikTok and Instagram ever since a woman named began posting videos in late 2022. Let91裸聊视频檚 describe it by what it doesn91裸聊视频檛 do. It doesn91裸聊视频檛 require you to:
91裸聊视频攕queeze into spandex workout clothes;
91裸聊视频攈ead out into the cold to drive to a fluorescently lit gym;
91裸聊视频攍ift heavy things;
91裸聊视频攇et winded to the beat of pulsating music.
Cozy cardio simply involves walking in place 91裸聊视频� in the comfort of your home 91裸聊视频� using a mini treadmill or 91裸聊视频渨alking pad.91裸聊视频� No stress, no membership fees, no preening for other, buffer-than-thou gym rats. And you can even have a cup of hot tea by your side.
91裸聊视频淚 get so many messages from men and women 91裸聊视频� so many people 91裸聊视频� saying something along the lines of 91裸聊视频榯hank you so much for kind of flipping my mindset on what I thought exercise is supposed to be,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� Zuckerbrow says. 91裸聊视频淭his feels so doable.91裸聊视频�
THE SELF-PAMPERING WORKOUT
The key is the setup.
Wearing soft sweatpants and your favorite comfy shirt, you light a few scented candles, make a healthy smoothie or pot of tea, dim the lights and put on a favorite TV show or movie. With your drink handy, you walk for an hour while getting lost in whatever you91裸聊视频檙e watching, maybe walking just a bit more vigorously once you91裸聊视频檙e warmed up.
Forget 91裸聊视频渘o pain, no gain.91裸聊视频� Cozy cardio acknowledges that maybe you can91裸聊视频檛 take much more pain at this particular moment, so just enjoy getting some steps in while binge-watching 91裸聊视频淭he Bear91裸聊视频� in your pajamas and call that your workout.
When Zuckerbrow posts on social media, 91裸聊视频�80% to 90% of the video itself is me romanticizing the exercise that I91裸聊视频檓 about to do,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淚 am setting up my favorite beverage and I91裸聊视频檓 lighting those candles and my Scentsy and I91裸聊视频檓 getting my TV show.91裸聊视频�
No, walking won91裸聊视频檛 give you six-pack abs. But could cozy cardio, which embraces the most appealing aspects of being a couch potato while keeping you off the couch, help even hardcore gym-avoiders stick with exercise long after New Year91裸聊视频檚 resolution season ends?
For people battling the common barriers to exercise, the answer could be yes, says Alex Montoye, assistant professor of clinical exercise physiology at Alma College in Michigan.
Montoye does caution that if you91裸聊视频檙e downshifting from vigorous daily workouts to something this mellow, the health benefits may plummet. But for someone who would otherwise watch TV from the couch, he says, it91裸聊视频檚 progress to watch while walking 91裸聊视频� especially if it becomes a daily habit.
People struggle to make healthy habits stick, which makes cozy exercise 91裸聊视频渒ind of a genius idea,91裸聊视频� says Catherine Sanderson, a professor of psychology at Amherst College in Massachusetts and author of 91裸聊视频淭he Positive Shift: Mastering Mindset to Improve Happiness, Health, and Longevity.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚t fits in with a lot of what we know about how to get people to actually maintain behavior change,91裸聊视频� Sanderson says.
Along with removing the barriers to exercise, she says, 91裸聊视频渋t very much relies on what psychologists would call positive reinforcement 91裸聊视频� the idea of, 91裸聊视频橧t91裸聊视频檚 not just that I91裸聊视频檓 exercising. I91裸聊视频檓 getting to watch my favorite show. I91裸聊视频檓 tapping into something I want to be doing already.91裸聊视频�
ELIMINATE THE COMPETITION 91裸聊视频� BY STAYING HOME
The cozy approach also works for gymgoers who feel burned out at the idea of constant striving.
Ko Im, a mental health advocate who has taught yoga and meditation in New York and other U.S. cities, remembers a phase several years ago when 91裸聊视频測oga challenges91裸聊视频� were a trend.
91裸聊视频淚t was the yoga pose of the day 91裸聊视频� really, really hard yoga poses,91裸聊视频� Im says. More recently, she sees people pushing themselves to make the leaderboard in all their Peloton classes or pushing themselves to lose five more pounds.
91裸聊视频淲hat I like,91裸聊视频� she says, 91裸聊视频渋s the idea of enjoying the journey, not the goal. Does it feel good in my body today?91裸聊视频�
As cozy cardio gains traction, Zuckerbrow hears from people who didn91裸聊视频檛 realize they could enjoy the journey.
Alyssa Royse, owner of Rocket Community Fitness in Seattle, has been alternating between full-on workouts at her gym and cozy exercise at home. Some days she switches off the sound on her Peloton (91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 even want those cheery people talking to me91裸聊视频�) and just pedals while watching 91裸聊视频渢he trashiest TV I can find, because it just takes my brain somewhere else.91裸聊视频�
The hashtag-friendly name 91裸聊视频渃ozy cardio91裸聊视频� could sound like an oxymoron. But perhaps, as 2024 takes root, it91裸聊视频檚 the compromise our culture needs.
Driving across town in icy weather and pushing through an hour of Zumba or lifting 20-pound kettlebells just isn91裸聊视频檛 possible some days. But lighting a candle in your living room and walking three miles in your pajamas while re-watching the final season of 91裸聊视频淪uccession91裸聊视频�? That91裸聊视频檚 within reach.
And it might just serve up enough endorphins and bring enough oxygen into your lungs to cope with whatever global crisis tomorrow could bring.
91裸聊视频淭oo many people look at exercise as an all-or-nothing thing,91裸聊视频� Royse says. 91裸聊视频淚t doesn91裸聊视频檛 give people room to just be where they are today. And I think that91裸聊视频檚 incredibly important.91裸聊视频�
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