Are you an avid gymgoer, do you prefer to work out at home, or have you not had a sweat session in quite some time? (Be honest.)
Regardless of one’s fitness level, exercise for women in their forties and beyond is somewhat different than for those in their twenties and thirties. Physical changes, such as slower metabolisms, hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause, and the higher risk of developing cardiac and bone issues in this time of life all make it important to take a closer look at best practices for fitness in your forties and fifties.
Fitness During Menopause
Amanda Thebe discusses ways to add more fitness to your life during menopause.
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Midlife Is the Time to Move, Strengthen Muscles, and Stretch More
Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise a week for adults up to age 64. That works out to about 30 minutes a day, five to seven days a week. It’s also recommended that adults do muscle-strengthening exercises, focusing on all areas of the body, at least two days a week. And in midlife, it’s important to incorporate stretching both before and after physical activity to better prepare the body for a strong workout.
Here are four tips on how to exercise smarter in midlife.
1. Amp Up Aerobic Exercise to Help Decrease the Risk of Heart Disease
As you get older, your risk of having heart disease increases. While men are more likely to have a heart attack than women, it’s important to stay as heart-healthy as possible. One way to do that is to keep doing or build up to doing those recommended amounts of aerobic exercise each week; aerobic activity helps build the heart muscle by getting it to pump faster.
A research study published in 2018 found that people in their fifties who exercised for about 30 minutes on most days for two years improved their fitness levels (they were previously sedentary or exercised just a little) and reduced heart stiffness, which improved heart health.
To mimic this, start or continue to do 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, running, biking, or dancing. Then build up weekly workouts to the levels of study participants. Their routines included:
One high-intensity aerobic session
Two or three days a week of moderate-intensity exercise
At least one weekly strength-training session
At least one long session of aerobic exercise a week
Participants built up to those activity levels, beginning with three 30-minute moderate exercise sessions for the first three months, after which high intensity exercise was included.
Recent studies show that both moderate and vigorous exercise are effective, but that to lower the risk of death from heart disease, you might need to clock more minutes than what the WHO and CDC recommend.
Note that if you experience any abnormal pain or discomfort while exercising, consult a healthcare professional to avoid further injury.
2. Build Your Bones With Strength Training
Especially after ages 40 to 50, your risk of breaking a bone increases because of bone loss that occurs as estrogen levels drop at menopause. Women, who typically have thinner bones than men, are more likely to deal with osteoporosis, which is weakened bones.
Certain exercises go a long way to strengthen muscles, which can help prevent falls, and therefore broken bones. They also help maintain better posture, strength, flexibility, and movement. These moves should be done along with strength training, which uses weights to build muscles, along with aerobic exercise.
One such move is the toe-heel raise, which makes the lower legs strong and improves balance:
Stand straight; hold on to the back of a chair. Do not bend at the waist or knees.
Rise up on your toes, then lower until your feet are flat; tip back on your heels, then lower until flat again. That’s one repetition. Each time you rise up, imagine the top of your head is being drawn toward the ceiling.
Repeat 10 times.
Hold onto the chair as little as possible to challenge your balance skills.
Don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor if you think you are experiencing symptoms of depression. If you aren’t regularly clocking 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise on most days, experiment with moving more. Try jogging, swimming, cycling, walking, gardening, or dancing for at least 10 minutes and see if your mood improves. Aim to build up to 30 or more minutes a day if you can.
4. Incorporate Interval Training Into Workouts to Ease Menopausal Symptoms
The years leading up to menopause, known as perimenopause, are characterized by hormonal changes that can cause hot flashes, sleeplessness, and irregular periods. While exercise doesn’t prevent these unpleasant symptoms, cardio exercise can help reduce weight or maintain a healthier weight (leading to lowered risks of developing certain cancers, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes), as well as lower stress levels. Menopause is also a time when the body retains more fat in the abdominal area, and regular exercise can help keep belly fat at bay.
Interval training, in which you exercise at a healthy rate, then increase the intensity for a short sprint, then repeat, is often recommended around menopause. One example is walking for five minutes, then jogging for one minute, then walking again, repeating the minute of jogging for several intervals. Research also cites the importance of exercise during and beyond menopause to maintain optimal health during this period.
The Takeaway
As women reach their forties and beyond, it's vital to integrate at least 150 minutes of regular aerobic exercise like walking, running, or biking per week to reduce heart disease risk.
Strength training exercises are crucial to combat bone loss and to maintain muscle strength, which is important to reduce the risk of falls and fractures.
Regular physical activity has mental health benefits, such as reducing anxiety and loneliness, both of which can be prevalent in midlife.
Interval training can help manage menopausal weight gain and cardiovascular risks.
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Nguyen TT et al. Predictors of Loneliness by Age Decade: Study of Psychological and Environmental Factors in 2,843 Community-Dwelling Americans Aged 20-69 Years. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. November 10, 2020.
Spahr R. Middle-Aged Americans and Loneliness: New Study Shows an Alarming Trend. Emory University. April 22, 2025.
Depression and Anxiety: Exercise Eases Symptoms. Mayo Clinic. December 23, 2023.
Tara Collingwood, RDN, is a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, an American College of Sports Medicine–certified personal trainer, and a media spokesperson. As a sports dietitian, she has worked with the U.S. Tennis Association, the Orlando Magic, World Wrestling Entertainment, runDisney, the University of Central Florida, and numerous professional and amateur athletes. Collingwood is the author of Pregnancy Cooking and Nutrition for Dummies and a coauthor of the Flat Belly Cookbook for Dummies.
She appears regularly on national and local TV, and speaks around the world to business teams on how to manage energy physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. She previously served as a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Collingwood double-majored in dietetics as well as nutrition, fitness, and health at Purdue University and earned a master's degree in health promotion from Purdue University.
Cheryl Alkon is a longtime writer, researcher, and editor. Having experienced health issues for most of her life due to type 1 diabetes, she is fluent in medical terminology and the American healthcare system. She is the author of Balancing Pregnancy With Pre-Existing Diabetes: Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby, a guide to getting and staying pregnant with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
She graduated from Brandeis University with a bachelor's in English and American studies. She later earned a master’s from Columbia University. She lives in Massachusetts with husband David, son Ethan, and daughter Hannah.
