Cozy Cardio Aims To Bring More Joy To Your Workout [Video]

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 exerciseis 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 …