'Cozy cardio': What to know about the online fitness trend that's meant to be stress-free

In an ambient room, tranquility fills the air. Candles are lit and relaxing music or a favorite TV show plays in the background while calories are burned on a treadmill all without having to leave home.

Sounds like a dream, right? Well, it's a reality coined by influencer @Hope_Zuckerbrow, who started the "cozy cardio" trend and is the founder of the online community coined "Cozy Cardio Club".

Many want to keep to those New Year's resolutions to work out more, but there could be a million reasons stopping someone from going to the gym. Whether its monetary restrictions, a busy schedule or just being intimidated by the gym, there are plenty of deterrents stopping people.

But, one of TikTok's latest exercise trends is encouraging people to stay cozy and work out in their PJs while binging their favorite show.

It's no secret that exercise is good for one's health, but sometimes it can feel like too much. "Cozy cardio" is meant to change that.

Work out ideas:Yes, exercise lowers blood pressure. This workout helps the most.

Inside the 'cozy cardio' workout

Hope Zuckerbrow begin posting "cozy cardio" videos in late 2022, according to the Associated Press.

In one of her most popular "cozy cardio" videos posted in September of 2023, Zuckerbrow racked up over 96,000 likes and hundreds of comments. In it, she demonstrates her "cozy cardio" ritual at 5 a.m. on a "very rainy Texas morning" for her followers.

She starts off by filling her reusable canteen with water and making some protein coffee. Before she drinks the coffee, she eats some power protein granola bars.

She then lights a candle, turns on her Scentsy and sets up her cozy work out station.

She places her water, coffee, TV remote and walking pad remote on a stool next to her miniature treadmill coffee. She then starts and proclaims, "The vibes are feeling good , now lets do some cardio."

She begins to warm up as she searches for something to watch and settles on the movie "27 Dresses."

"We're going to finish our coffee and watch our movie and walk," she says. She walks around 1.26 miles in 30 minutes in her cozy pajamas, then hops off.

@Hope_Zuckerbrow details various renditions of her "cozy cardio" routine on both her TikTok and Instagram pages.

What do you need to do 'cozy cardio'? It's meant to be simple.

In a different video, Zuckerbrow addresses the questions from folks asking what they need to get into the exercise trend.

She said that while she's grateful for the publicity that "cozy cardio" is receiving, people are getting some aspects of it wrong.

For the people who said they could never wake up at the crack of dawn or afford a walking pad, Zuckerbrow insists they stop using that kind of mentality.

She says you don't need a walking pad or expensive gear get into "cozy cardio".

"'Cozy cardio' was created to break out of the box that everybody likes to put exercise into," she said in a video. "So don't put 'cozy cardio' into a box. It's important to remember that 'cozy cardio' is simply a concept."

According to its creator, "cozy cardio" can be anything from setting up a walking pad in front of the tv and watching a movie or even binging a TV show, to completing a 30-minute cozy YouTube work out sessions.

"There [are] no rules to 'cozy cardio', there are no rules to fitness," said Zuckerbrow.

Zuckerbrow promised to post more videos featuring exercises that don't use a walking pad and don't require her followers to get up at 5 a.m.

Keeping to her promise, she posted another video at the beginning of January, where she used the Peloton app for her "cozy cardio" that day.

“I get so many messages from men and women – so many people – saying something along the lines of ‘thank you so much for kind of flipping my mindset on what I thought exercise is supposed to be,’” Zuckerbrow told the AP. “This feels so doable.”

Contributing: The Associated Press