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Could the viral cosy cardio be the ‘it’ form of exercise?

Kiss your post-HIIT beetroot face goodbye!
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If you’re anything like us and are sick of punishing your body at a 5am HIIT class (honestly, our knees can only take so much), cosy cardio might be the workout for you.

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This slow and steady workout trend embraced by TikTokkers is a well, comfier approach to exercise.

But, what exactly is it? And how did it come about? WHO called in the experts to get the lowdown on just that.

What is cosy cardio?

Creator Hope Zuckerbrow coined the moniker cosy cardio to help women “reclaim their relationship with exercise”.

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.

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She decided to reduce the intensity of her workouts — even doing them in her pyjamas.

“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.”

But can this exercise style give us the same results as a HIIT workout? Well, it seems the answer may be yes.

In fact, cosy cardio has been around for some time, although it’s usually gone under the name of low-intensity steady-state exercise (or LISS).

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Hope Zuckerbrow in a green jumper
All hail the queen of cosy cardio! (Credit: Instagram)

So, what is cosy cardio/LISS?

Glenn Phipps, founder of Stretch Yourself Strong, says the concept of LISS first became popular as a much-needed anecdote to the high-intensity interval training (HIIT)
boom of the 2010s.
“As HIIT gained popularity, we needed a term like LISS to differentiate the type of cardio training we were doing,” he explains.

“And this is important. The appeal of LISS often comes down to the fact that we can burn similar calories to high-intensity exercise for what feels like less effort.”

Phipps says anything that allows you to exercise comfortably and continuously for 30 minutes or more could be considered LISS. Think walking, swimming or even yoga.

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“For some people, an easy 60-minute run could be considered LISS, whereas for another this would be a higher intensity,” Phipps says.

Does LISS actually work?

Well, the answer is actually, yes! Phipps says the “no pain, no gain” maxim we’re often fed is misleading. “It doesn’t always have to hurt to work,” he affirms.

One major reason that cosy cardio works for so many is that they’re less likely to give up.

“The type of exercise you are most likely to stick to is the one that resonates with you the most, and research on LISS has been met with higher levels of compliance, lower injury risk and higher long-term sustainability,” he explains.

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Because LISS is more gentle, once you get into the habit, it’s a workout style you can continue forever.

Emily Ratajkowski on the edge of a bed in activewear
Cardio from the comfort of our bedroom? Sign us up! (Credit: Instagram)

Can LISS burn fat?

If your goal is to lose weight, Phipps says LISS can be effective at this, too.

“LISS allows you to tap into fat stores as you exercise,” he explains.

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“Exercising at a low intensity means that the body mobilises fat stores and uses fat as a preference for fuelling this type of exercise.”

The fact that you can do LISS for longer may also give it an edge in the fat-burning stakes.

“HIIT will preferentially burn glucose during training, and burn fat in recovery, however, the extent to which this happens is probably fairly exaggerated,” he says.

“It is possible that you may actually burn more calories during LISS given the greater period of time that you can sustain the exercise for.”

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When will I start to see results?

Phipps says LISS can be done daily, whether it’s a weekend walk or a morning swim.

As you become more confident, consider adding two or three days of HIIT or moderate activity to your schedule. If you prefer to keep things at a mellow pace all week round, that’s OK, too.

“You can certainly get plenty of benefit from LISS alone,” he says. “Meeting the recommendations of two-and-a-half to five hours of activity is a good way to gauge, ideally staying on the higher side of these figures if the intensity is low.”

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