The newest fitness craze popularized on (where else?) TikTok called “Cozy Cardio” is meant to help people enjoy working out with minimal output from the comfort of their home while watching a movie or perhaps their favorite Netflix show. Head below to learn more.
When I open TikTok, my For You Page is inundated with dogs doing very funny or very sweet things, Taylor Swift concert footage, Michigan politics, and fitness content. While I will often quickly scroll through (or not finish) many of the videos that come across my FYP, when it comes to fitness-related content – especially something that has the familiar hum of early virality – I let the video play to the end.
While I was scrolling not too long ago, I came across Hope Zuckerbrow, a young woman whose video was what she called “Cozy Cardio.” In preparation for an interview with Good Morning America due to the popularity of her content, Hope explained what she would say on the show when asked, “What IS Cozy Cardio?”:
I want Cozy Cardio to be a movement for women to reclaim their relationships with exercise. Society has put so much pressure on women to look a certain way, and because of that, a lot of them [women] have turned to exercise into a punishment.. itt’s meant to teach you that you’re worth setting time aside for.
The idea is simple: Set up your space in whatever way makes you feel comfortable and the most cozy – light a candle, wear fuzzy socks, prepare a hot tea – before stepping onto a walking pad or doing a light floor routine. For Hope, this means she takes her time in making the most out of her space before she even begins to exercise (via Fox News):
Eighty percent to 90% of the video itself is me romanticizing the exercise that I’m about to do.
In one of her TikToks that has amassed 1.8 million views, Hope walks us through her morning routine as she sets up her home for Cozy Cardio. There’s light music playing in the background while she fills up her water, makes a protein coffee (there is an affirmation on her coffee machine that reads “Good morning beautiful!”, lights a candle, takes her vitamins, and prepares to step onto her walking pad.
This simple routine has gained popularity – particularly amongst younger women – because it’s easy, it’s aesthetically pleasing, it can be done from the comfort of your home, and there isn’t a rush to get it done. In her videos, Hope calmly takes her time while she moves viewers through her pre-Cozy Cardio regiment.
In so many other fitness-related TikToks, you see creators in loud gyms or spaces pushing themselves as hard as their bodies allow, which is great and there’s nothing wrong with that!, but it certainly isn’t for everybody. Not everyone wants to work out while surrounded by strangers, not everyone wants to run outdoors, not everyone wants to ride bicycles – which is why Cozy Cardio is an ideal solution for many who want to, as Hope noted, change their relationships with fitness.
One commenter on Hope’s TikTok noted:
I love this! It helps my brain with movement..sometimes getting ready for exercise/gym is what seems too overwhelming
And another:
I LOVE this! Thanks for being such a gentle and positive voice in a sea of troubled exercise narratives
So, is it an effective exercise?
Absolutely.
People often misconstrue pushing your body to the limit as the only way in which a workout can be deemed effective, which simply isn’t true. Scientists and nutritionists agree that we should be averaging about 150 minutes of “moderate physical activity” per week (30 minutes a day, five days a week), and as long as your body is moving for those 150 minutes, you’re in excellent shape. It doesn’t matter if you’re hitting the gym for leg day or watching Griselda on Netflix with a tea in your hand, enjoying a 3.5 MPH indoor walk.
Check out the Good Morning America Cozy Cardio interview with Hope Zuckerbrow here.
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