Say goodbye to the idea of “no pain, no gain” and working out with the sole objective of aesthetic reward. These days, it’s all about “cozy cardio”—approaching exercise a more joyful mind-set.

According to wellness influencer Hope Zuckerbrow, who first introduced the concept on her social media accounts, cozy cardio is a way to “reclaim” our relationship with exercise. “Society puts pressure on women to look a certain way, and because of that they’ve turned exercise into a form of punishment,” she explains in a post. “Cozy cardio was originally created to heal my own relationship with exercise, but it quickly turned into a form of mediational self-love… it’s meant to help you enjoy movement again.”

Taking a softer approach to exercise is an idea that’s clearly been catching on. According to a survey carried out by UK gym chain David Lloyd, 40% of their more than 700,000 members say that one of their biggest wellness goals is “regaining calm.” Personal trainer Juan Ruiz Lopez offers this insight regarding the change in perspective: “The health, life expectancy, and psychological benefits [of exercise] are now prioritized,” he says, noting that research supports focusing on quality versus quantity when it comes to working out. “Years ago it was believed that the more intense and lasting the session, the better. But today we know that we can achieve great progress, changes, and benefits without doing that,” he explains.

Less is more

Of course, this doesn’t mean that the benefits of exercise can be achieved without some effort; to engage in “cozy cardio”, you still have to do a workout, after all. However, it’s more about making it intuitive, pleasurable, and fun. Zuckerbrow, for her part, uses a walking pad while wearing her pajamas in her living room and watches her favorite show. It’s low key, sure but, as she puts it, “a workout is still a workout; I don’t just mindlessly forget that I’m working out.”

In other words, cozy cardio is all about doing a workout that you love in a comfortable setting (often your own home) and keeping your mind-set calm. That last note is key—especially if you’re already prone to chronic stress. As Ruiz López points out, doing high-intensity training can do more harm than good if your nervous system is already distressed. “The sensations that kind of workout produces, such as a very rapid increase in heart rate or breathing, are also symptoms associated with an anxiety attack,” he explains, noting that low-intensity workouts such as yoga, pilates, walking, and strength-training are better bets.

Make it a habit

All of this provides a great framework for another important fitness objective: creating and sticking to a healthy habit. “It is much easier to start with small, well-timed doses than with very large and radical sessions,” says Daniel Martinez, fitness director at David Lloyd Club Turo in Barcelona. “It keeps motivation stable which helps sustain good habits.”

In other words, the key is to start little by little and look for an activity that best adapts to the circumstances. “Not everyone has an hour a day to go to the gym or walk. But with good planning you can do effective 10-20 minute workouts,” explains Amagoia Eizaguirre, author of The Little Book of Perseverance. “Better that every day than an hour just one day a week. The internal resistance is much lower when you know that you are going to do 20 minutes and not an hour—and that makes it sustainable in the long term.”

Have an exercise “snack”

Another way to incorporate cozy cardio into your life is to think of it as you would a “snack”—a short, active break during long work days. “It’s been proven that spending hours and hours sitting has many negative consequences for physical and mental health; it even affects productivity,” notes Martinez. “It’s better to have an exercise snack—to move your body for five minutes. It can be in the form of walks after eating, breathing fresh air after meetings, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. These gestures increase energy, activate the metabolic system and improve cognitive performance.” He recommends taking brisk walks. “To be effective at a cardiovascular level, the heart rate should be 110-115. Try to consciously activating the senses—observing what you see, the sounds, the smells—because everything adds up the more you pay attention.”

How to start cozy cardio

• Find a practice that you like and that you can adapt to your personal circumstances. “Exercise should be something we enjoy, not a punishment. If lifting weights seems like torture to you, you won’t maintain it as a long-term routine. By choosing an exercise that we like, we can maintain a regular and sustainable practice,” says Martinez.
• Be realistic. Don’t add a new workout to an already long list of tasks; figure out what you can give up to incorporate the habit into your daily life. “We are in an era where we have to subtract things if we want to add something. If not, it becomes stressful instead of beneficial,” says Eizaguirre.
• Schedule physical exercise and design an action plan. Where, how much, when, and how will it be done? Add it to your calendar so it can be prioritized and create short, medium, and long-term rewards.
• Use the 5 Second Rule, coined by self development expert Mel Robbins: As soon as you feel even the slightest impulse to workout, countdown from five to one and then immediately take action. This helps avoid over-thinking, excuses, and procrastination.