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 in menopause 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 in menopause matters. Not to make yourself smaller, but to help keep your heart strong, healthy and supported for the long term.
Cardio exercise 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? The best cardio for menopause 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 health, 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 cardiovascular fitness, 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, cardio exercise, daily walking and a little mobility or balance work. 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 in menopause that 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 during 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.
Ready to Get Started?
If getting started with cardio in menopause feels overwhelming, that’s exactly why I created the workouts inside The Menopause PT Hub.
Inside the Hub you’ll find simple, realistic cardio options including walking workouts, steady-state cardio podcasts, interval sessions and beginner-friendly exercise ideas designed to support your heart health, fitness and energy levels without leaving you exhausted or burnt out.
The goal isn’t to punish your body or spend hours exercising. It’s to help you move more consistently, improve your cardiovascular fitness and build healthy habits that actually fit into real life.
It takes away all guesswork. From strength training to cardio in menopause and everything in between.