While you may know in your mind that it’s important to keep moving and exercise as you get older (especially as you get older!), it’s clear that many of us are not following through on this. Data show that in the US, only a little over 50% of adults meet the minimum recommended minutes of weekly aerobic activity (150), with significant differences found depending upon what state you live in (if you’re in Mississippi, you need to start moving!). Moreover, as an older adult, it’s not just aerobic activity that you need. It’s also important to actively maintain your strength, flexibility, and balance to keep you aging in a healthy, independent way. The overarching goal is to move and exercise in a way that supports your functional fitness, i.e, allows you to engage in typical daily activities like sitting down and standing up, bending over to pick something up, pushing or pulling a door open, or carrying your groceries into the house. We’re not talking about pole vaulting, high jumping, or some other crazy activity. You just need to practice and sustain movements and strength-building that allow you to live your daily life. For a good review of what functional exercises are essential as you get on in years, lace up your sneakers and look here.

Most of us are not hoping to morph into competitive athletes as we get older, and thus, our exercise is more about strategies that are low-impact on our aging bodies but produce helpful results. In fact, for various reasons (pain, disability, inertia, anxiety, intimidation, or even laziness) many have no desire to go to a gym, work with a trainer, or even follow an online video. Instead, if we could exercise in a relaxed manner, we’d be quite content- and more interested. Well, if that’s your vibe you probably need to know about “cozy cardio.” It’s an exercise approach begun on social media, that permits you to move in a manner that’s low-key, taking away some of the stressors that can turn you off from exercising. There’s no need for spandex workout clothes or pulsing music often present in many gyms. Instead, it’s a matter of setting yourself up for comfort and enjoyment, perhaps watching an engrossing movie or listening to an engaging podcast. You should likely have a treadmill or walking pad to keep you moving while you’re otherwise distracted by entertainment. You can still get your heart rate up and an enjoyable workout, without putting significant pressure on your joints or knees. Or, instead of walking on a treadmill or pad, you could do such activities as mat pilates or vinyasa yoga and still keep a cozy cardio vibe. For more on this exercise strategy, take a look here.

What’s interesting to note is that the broader trend in exercise these days is more in line with this low-key approach than the intense intervals and sweat-inducing movements of previous years. As Axios recently reported, “As longevity becomes a primary health focus, more adults are prioritizing workouts that help them in the long-term by being easier on the body and improving strength and flexibility.” It seems that we are more in search of exercise strategies that minimize the risk of injury and maximize our functional fitness. In fact, there is now an exercise system called Pvolve (with none other than actress Jennifer Aniston as the celebrity spokesperson) that emphasizes low-impact strategies and functional fitness to keep you healthy and moving as an older adult. The system has online videos as well as in-person classes in many cities, though it can be costly to buy their unique exercise equipment. But if you’re looking for a new low-impact approach to cardio and strength training (with no guarantee you’ll come out looking like Jennifer Aniston), it may be something to consider. For a recent review of this approach, click here. And if you’re up for developing your own low-impact or low-intensity workout, take a look at these expert descriptions here and here.

Finally, for the ladies reading this, some good news on the exercise front: Recent research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reports that to get a longevity boost from exercising, women only need to work out half as long as men. According to this study, because of differences in size, and body mass, women can reduce their risk of premature death by 18% with only 140 minutes of exercise per week, while men need 300 minutes a week to produce the same risk reduction. So let this new study drive you to get off the couch and into some cardio (cozy or not) by clicking here.