You may have heard about the “cozy cardio” trend taking over TikTok. Coined by social media influencer Hope Zuckerbrow, cozy cardio is exactly what it sounds like — low-intensity exercise you can do in the comfort of your home. Hope’s TikTok videos show that cozy cardio can be a short stroll on a walking pad in your living room. You can watch TV and sip coffee. You can even wear pajamas! But does cozy cardio actually count? Can it help you reach your health and fitness goals, or is it merely the latest social media gimmick?
For insight, we turned to Tiffany N. Moore, a Birmingham-based fitness trainer and health coach. Through her YouTube channel, Moore2Health, Tiffany helps people at all fitness levels stay consistent with at-home workouts. Here are six things she wants you to know about cozy cardio.
Movement is movement.
Tiffany understands why some people might not consider cozy cardio actual exercise. “But I always say, movement is movement,” Tiffany tells us. “I have a passion for making exercise convenient for people.”
That’s one of the reasons she launched her YouTube channel. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are working from home. While that means you might have more time to exercise, it also means you may not be moving very much. “Most people now are sitting longer,” Tiffany says. “We’re living sedentary lifestyles.”
Taking a short stroll on a walking pad during the day is better than nothing. “I also think that it helps people who may deal with anxiety when it comes to working out in the gym,” she says. “I think it’s a great way to help you ease your way back into fitness.”
Cozy cardio is a starting point.
So, does cozy cardio count as proper exercise? “Yes,” Tiffany says, “but I think of it as a starting point.”
Eventually, you need to increase the intensity and duration of your workouts. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a good long-term goal for adults is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and two days of muscle-strengthening activity each week. Yes, 150 minutes may seem like a lot, but that’s just 30 minutes daily, five days a week.
But if you’re new to exercise or just getting back into the swing of things, start with your own cozy cardio routine. Here are some things Tiffany says you’ll need to get started:
Walking pad: Walking pads are great for cold or rainy weather, or if you like to multitask while you walk. Read user reviews and try Amazon to get a good deal (such as this one).
Walking shoes: Tiffany is not a fan of taking your cozy cardio walks in your house slippers. If it’s in your budget, she recommends going to a local running store and getting fitted for a good pair of walking shoes. This will give you ankle support and can help prevent knee injuries.
Water bottle: Put that Stanley tumbler you got for Christmas to good use and stay hydrated.
Light-weight dumbbells: Once you’re ready to add strength training to the mix, grab a set of two to five-pound weights on your next Target run.
Comfortable mat: If you do strength training exercises or stretches on the floor, add a comfy mat to your cozy cardio gear.
In addition to Amazon, Wal-Mart, Target, and Facebook Marketplace, Tiffany says you may also have luck finding what you need from a family member or friend who has at-home workout equipment they’re no longer using.
On its own, cozy cardio probably won’t help you lose weight.
If weight loss is one of your health and fitness goals this year, cozy cardio probably won’t get the job done alone; you’ll need to kick things up a notch. Tiffany tells us you’ll need to do exercises that increase your heart rate and get you into a fat-burning zone.
But that’s not all.
“Monitoring what you’re eating is the biggest key if you’re trying to lose weight,” Tiffany says. This doesn’t mean starving yourself. It means making sure you’re eating more nutrient-dense foods. You’ll also need to drink plenty of water. Healthline says drinking one to two liters of water daily may help with weight loss.
Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, too. Shoot for seven or more hours each night. If you find yourself doom-scrolling instead, add an app that will lock your phone after a specific time.
Strength training can be cozy, too.
Adding strength training to your exercise regimen doesn’t mean you have to go to the gym and bench press 200 pounds. It doesn’t even mean you need to curl 20-pound dumbbells at home. Start small with two- or three-pound weights for a few weeks, then move up to five-pound weights. Slowly work your way up to heavier weights.
Additionally, strength training doesn’t need to be time-consuming. Add 10 to 15-minute sessions after you get in your cardio. Tiffany says Pilates, barre classes, and water aerobics are also great examples of low-intensity strength training.
It doesn’t have to hurt to work.
Moving beyond cozy cardio does not mean you have to start doing workouts that you dread. If the letters HIIT (as in High-Intensity Interval Training) make you want to cry, meet LISS – Low-Intensity Steady-State training.
Instead of pushing yourself to the limit for short bursts with moves like burpees and mountain climbers, your goal with LISS training is to raise your heart rate (but at a lower intensity) and keep it there for extended periods. So, if you love walking or Zumba, keep it going! This is LISS training, and not only can it help you burn fat, but it can also improve your heart health and even your posture.
When you’re ready to make your walking more challenging, you can increase the duration or distance of your walks or try walking uphill or on an incline. If you’re getting bored with your walks, try some walking-inspired workouts on YouTube by trainers like Tiffany.
Mindset matters.
One thing 10 years in the fitness industry has taught Tiffany is that whether you think you can or can’t reach your health and wellness goals — you’re right. “Your body responds to what you believe about yourself,” she says. “If you believe you’re not going to be good at something, your body will respond to that. If you believe things will be too hard or challenging to change your eating habits, your body responds to that. Believing you can do something is key.”
Check out Tiffany’s YouTube channel, Moore2Health, for walking-inspired workouts you can do from the cozy comfort of home. All photography by Tez Davenport.
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