Personal Trainers say it’s a low-impact cardio regimen that’s proving legit in its ability to help us stay trim this coming winter.
For people who want to overcome the common barriers to weight loss, trends like “cozy cardio” are worth looking into,” said one personal trainer from Canary Wharf in eastern London. That’s because tiresome maxims like “no pain, no gain” are doing more to discourage exercise amongst society’s busy professionals than anything else.
Let’s face it. Our world is becoming more bruising and demanding. That has a lot of us trying to find warmth and comfort in more of our day-to-day lifestyle activities, including our exercise routines. It’s an interesting dynamic that is paving the way for intriguing new weight loss concepts like cozy cardio – a workout routine that London’s personal trainers say can be remarkably effective in helping you work in just enough low-impact cardio to make a difference.
What is Cozy Cardio?
Discouraged by the idea of rigid workout schedules and demanding exercise programs? If you answered “yes,” you’re certainly not alone. As the darkness and dampness of winter gains a foothold, people will once again be looking for new ways to keep fit while at the same time hunkering down to battle the cold, isolative effects of winter.
TikTok content creator Hope Zuckerbrow knew this feeling all too well. So much so, in fact, that it prompted her to come up with an innovative exercise routine that is proving to be rather useful as a weight loss solution for even the most hard-core comfort seekers - Zuckerbrow calls it cozy cardio.
A certified personal trainer (CPT) with a fitness studio in Canary Wharf kept getting questions from her clients about cozy cardio. Primarily, was it truly legit as a weight loss solution? Intrigued, the CPT looked into it and discovered that it showed promise.
Cozy cardio is a low-impact cardio routine that showcases many of the hallmarks of any successful fat-burning regimen: physical activity that not only elevates the heart rate but can also be easily done in the comfort of your home. The latter is key because any exercise that can be easily done is one that you’re more likely to stick with.
For Zuckerbrow in particular, her cozy cardio routine consisted of wearing her favorite robe, a cup of coffee and her easily-accessible walking pad – a mini treadmill of sorts that can slip under your couch when not being used. Ultimately, routines like cozy cardio are nothing more than an ultra-simple setup for getting in more exercise when going outside or driving to the gym just isn’t an option. In other words, it’s a lower-intensity workout routine that we do in relaxed, stress-free environments.
For some, cozy cardio can be walking laps in one’s home while talking on the phone at night, or it might consist of doing a series of planks in your pajamas during the commercials of your favorite TV show 3 nights a week.
The point is that these low impact workout routines allow you to reap the health benefits of cardio by allowing you to squeeze in a quick workout thereby breaking up the sedentary times that we’ll run into this winter.
Can Low-impact or Cozy Cardio Really Help Me Lose Weight?
A common theme among people who want to lose weight is that they often set themselves up for failure by adopting an all-or-nothing attitude toward exercise. That attitude can often leave us feeling anxious and fearful about going to the gym; something that’s terribly discouraging. And that’s just not the kind of mindset that leads to a healthier lifestyle.
What seems to be fueling its popularity throughout England is the fact that cozy cardio makes exercise a less stressful experience. Therefore, people are more likely to exercise consistently. And that’s what personal trainers say is so vitally important – workout consistency. When done consistently, these low-impact exercises can be equally as effective for weight loss as a 30-minute slog on a treadmill multiple times a week.
How To Start Your Low-Impact Cozy Cardio Regimen
The real beauty of cozy cardio is that you can truly make it your thing. From the type of physical movements you do to the environment you choose, just getting in 10 short minutes of cozy cardio can offer enormous benefits.
And it’s oh so easy to get started. All you need is an environment where you’re comfortable, including your bedroom or living room, and the chutzpah to do 10- or 15-minutes of physical movements like knee-raises, squats, or, if you have one, walking on walking pad. You can also choose to do a few sets of muscle-building exercises like planks, wall-squats, or even stretching exercises.
All of these activities elevate your heart rate. Do that for just 15 minutes, and you’ve got your workout in for the day!!
Nutrition and Low Impact Exercise for Weight Loss Results
It’s important to understand that fat loss will always…always…be more closely related to your diet than anything else; the intensity of your cardio exercise matters far less than the foods you eat. And while it can be frustrating as Hell when you don’t achieve your weight loss goals as quicky as you want, personal trainers tell us that slow and steady is the way we ought to approach our weight loss goals.
There’s no getting around one simple formula: weight loss occurs when you burn more calories than you consume.
One area where personal trainers continue to be wildly successful in helping their clients lose weight is by educating them on HOW they can turn their bodies into calorie-burning machines. Specifically, by encouraging clients to focus on rich sources of protein and a nutritious diet. This way, they’re feeding their bodies the protein it needs to build lean muscle tissue which serves to burn more calories than the fat in our bodies.
Simply make an effort to eat a sensible diet. Those efforts, married to a consistent routine of working out in front of the TV for 15 – to 20 minutes a few nights a week can undoubtedly lead to a trimmer figure come Springtime!