What works and why it matters
When we talk about exercise in midlife, strength training often gets the spotlight — and rightly so. It helps protect our muscles, bones, joints, metabolism and confidence.
But cardio still matters. Not because you need to burn off food, punish your body or spend hours gasping on a treadmill, but because your heart health matters more than ever in midlife.
As oestrogen starts to fluctuate and then decline, we can become more aware of changes in our energy, sleep, mood, weight distribution, blood pressure and cholesterol. This doesn’t mean we need to panic, but it does mean we need to pay attention. Heart health is a huge part of women’s health, and regular movement is one of the simplest, most powerful ways to support it.
And while nobody wants to be scared into exercising, it’s important to know that cardiovascular disease is still one of the biggest health risks for women as we age. In fact, heart disease remains the leading cause of death in women worldwide — yet so many of us spend far more time worrying about the number on the scales than the health of our heart.
That’s why cardio matters. Not to make yourself smaller, but to help keep your heart strong, healthy and supported for the long term.
Cardio helps your heart and lungs work more efficiently. It can help lower blood pressure, support cholesterol levels, improve circulation, boost mood, reduce stress and improve sleep. It also helps with stamina — and that matters in real life. Walking up hills, carrying shopping, keeping up with kids, travelling, dancing, swimming, hiking, playing sport, feeling capable in your body. That’s what we’re training for.
The good news? Cardio does not have to mean intense HIIT, burpees, sprints or exhausting yourself.
In fact, for many women in perimenopause and menopause, constantly pushing high-intensity workouts can backfire, especially if sleep is poor, stress is high, joints are niggly or energy is already low. There is absolutely a place for higher intensity work if you enjoy it and recover well, but it is not the only way — and it definitely isn’t the starting point for everyone.
So what does work?
Walking is brilliant. It’s underrated because it feels too simple, but it ticks so many boxes. It supports your heart, helps regulate stress, gets you outside, improves mood and can be built into your day without needing a full workout window.
Steady cardio is also great. This might be swimming, cycling, hiking, dancing, rowing, a cardio machine at the gym or a longer brisk walk. You’re aiming for that pace where you feel warm, your breathing is up, but you can still speak in short sentences.
Intervals can be useful too, but they don’t need to be brutal. A simple option is walking a little faster for one minute, then easing back for two minutes. Or adding short bursts on a bike, rower or hill walk. The goal is to gently challenge your heart, not destroy yourself.
And then there’s everyday movement — the stuff we often dismiss because it doesn’t look like exercise. Walking to the shops, taking the stairs, gardening, cleaning, carrying bags, playing with the kids, standing more, moving between tasks. This all adds up, and in midlife it really does count.
A good weekly aim is to move most days, with a mix of strength training, steady cardio, daily walking and a little mobility or balance work. Australian guidelines suggest adults aim for moderate to vigorous activity on most days, muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week, and plenty of light movement across the day. But please don’t let the numbers overwhelm you. Start with what feels doable and build from there.
A simple week might look like this:
- Two strength sessions.
- Two or three walks.
- One steady cardio session, like swimming, cycling or a longer brisk walk.
- A few short movement snacks during the day.
That is enough to make a real difference.
The key is finding cardio you don’t hate. If running makes you miserable, you do not have to run. If HIIT leaves you wiped out for two days, it might not be the right fit right now. If walking clears your head and makes you feel human again, start there.
Cardio in menopause is not about chasing calories. It’s about looking after your heart, supporting your energy, improving your mood and building a body that can keep going for decades to come.
Move your body in a way that feels good, repeat it often, and remember that simple done consistently will always beat extreme done for two weeks and then abandoned.
Your heart does so much for you. This is one way to look after it.