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 B次元官网网址渃ozy cardio,B次元官网网址� an activity that lies right at the crossroads of gym workout, self-pampering evening B次元官网网址� 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. LetB次元官网网址檚 describe it by what it doesnB次元官网网址檛 do. It doesnB次元官网网址檛 require you to:
B次元官网网址攕queeze into spandex workout clothes;
B次元官网网址攈ead out into the cold to drive to a fluorescently lit gym;
B次元官网网址攍ift heavy things;
B次元官网网址攇et winded to the beat of pulsating music.
Cozy cardio simply involves walking in place B次元官网网址� in the comfort of your home B次元官网网址� using a mini treadmill or B次元官网网址渨alking pad.B次元官网网址� 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.
B次元官网网址淚 get so many messages from men and women B次元官网网址� so many people B次元官网网址� saying something along the lines of B次元官网网址榯hank you so much for kind of flipping my mindset on what I thought exercise is supposed to be,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Zuckerbrow says. B次元官网网址淭his feels so doable.B次元官网网址�
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 youB次元官网网址檙e watching, maybe walking just a bit more vigorously once youB次元官网网址檙e warmed up.
Forget B次元官网网址渘o pain, no gain.B次元官网网址� Cozy cardio acknowledges that maybe you canB次元官网网址檛 take much more pain at this particular moment, so just enjoy getting some steps in while binge-watching B次元官网网址淭he BearB次元官网网址� in your pajamas and call that your workout.
When Zuckerbrow posts on social media, B次元官网网址�80% to 90% of the video itself is me romanticizing the exercise that IB次元官网网址檓 about to do,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚 am setting up my favorite beverage and IB次元官网网址檓 lighting those candles and my Scentsy and IB次元官网网址檓 getting my TV show.B次元官网网址�
No, walking wonB次元官网网址檛 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 YearB次元官网网址檚 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 youB次元官网网址檙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, itB次元官网网址檚 progress to watch while walking B次元官网网址� especially if it becomes a daily habit.
People struggle to make healthy habits stick, which makes cozy exercise B次元官网网址渒ind of a genius idea,B次元官网网址� says Catherine Sanderson, a professor of psychology at Amherst College in Massachusetts and author of B次元官网网址淭he Positive Shift: Mastering Mindset to Improve Happiness, Health, and Longevity.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚t fits in with a lot of what we know about how to get people to actually maintain behavior change,B次元官网网址� Sanderson says.
Along with removing the barriers to exercise, she says, B次元官网网址渋t very much relies on what psychologists would call positive reinforcement B次元官网网址� the idea of, B次元官网网址橧tB次元官网网址檚 not just that IB次元官网网址檓 exercising. IB次元官网网址檓 getting to watch my favorite show. IB次元官网网址檓 tapping into something I want to be doing already.B次元官网网址�
ELIMINATE THE COMPETITION B次元官网网址� 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 B次元官网网址測oga challengesB次元官网网址� were a trend.
B次元官网网址淚t was the yoga pose of the day B次元官网网址� really, really hard yoga poses,B次元官网网址� 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.
B次元官网网址淲hat I like,B次元官网网址� she says, B次元官网网址渋s the idea of enjoying the journey, not the goal. Does it feel good in my body today?B次元官网网址�
As cozy cardio gains traction, Zuckerbrow hears from people who didnB次元官网网址檛 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 (B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 even want those cheery people talking to meB次元官网网址�) and just pedals while watching B次元官网网址渢he trashiest TV I can find, because it just takes my brain somewhere else.B次元官网网址�
The hashtag-friendly name B次元官网网址渃ozy cardioB次元官网网址� could sound like an oxymoron. But perhaps, as 2024 takes root, itB次元官网网址檚 the compromise our culture needs.
Driving across town in icy weather and pushing through an hour of Zumba or lifting 20-pound kettlebells just isnB次元官网网址檛 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 B次元官网网址淪uccessionB次元官网网址�? ThatB次元官网网址檚 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.
B次元官网网址淭oo many people look at exercise as an all-or-nothing thing,B次元官网网址� Royse says. B次元官网网址淚t doesnB次元官网网址檛 give people room to just be where they are today. And I think thatB次元官网网址檚 incredibly important.B次元官网网址�
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