The rise of COSY CARDIO

Can this comfy approach to working out really make you fitter?

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Let's say you're visiting the gym for a morning treadmill session. Is your go-to approach to a) smash it out at - breakneck speed? Or is it to b) power walk to the cast recording of Hamilton until someone politely tells you it's time to let someone else have their turn? If you answered the latter, it's likely you may enjoy getting acquainted with cosy cardio. This viral trend has been embraced by TikTokers after creator Hope Zuckerbrow coined the moniker to help women "reclaim their relationship with exercise". Not only is this mode of fitness perfect for summer, it's also surprisingly effective when compared with sweatier and more intense workouts.

HOW IT CAME ABOUT

Zuckerbrow had successfully lost 45kg through intense workouts. However, this all-or-nothing approach started working against her when she began to dread visiting the gym.

She decided to flip her approach - and a movement was born. "I already had coffee in my hand," she explains in one video. "I had my pyjamas on, obviously, and my comfort TV show, but I really wanted to move my body and so I ended up hopping on my walking pad." So can this style of exercise really work? Well, it seems the answer may be yes. In fact, cosy cardio has actually been around for some time, although it's usually gone under the name of low-intensity steady-state exercise (or LISS).

THE LOWDOWN ON LISS