Muscle: the thing nobody warned us about
We lose muscle with age, and the menopause transition can speed that up. The good news: it responds to training at any age. A 2023 review of 101 trials in more than 5,600 postmenopausal women found exercise increased lean mass and reduced fat, with strength training doing the most for muscle.
Aim for at least two sessions a week that work your legs, hips, back, chest, shoulders and arms. Eventually, the last few reps of a set of 8 to 12 should feel hard. 'Heavy' is relative. A challenging chair stand counts.
Bones respond to load
In the LIFTMOR trial, postmenopausal women with low bone mass did supervised heavy lifting and impact work twice a week for eight months. Their spine bone density rose 2.9%, while the low-intensity group lost 1.2%.
That was carefully coached, so it's not a reason to start deadlifting heavy from a video. If you have osteoporosis or a past fracture, get help choosing movements. Walking is great, but on its own it isn't enough for bone. Add resistance and balance work.
Heart, metabolism and belly fat
In postmenopausal women, aerobic training lowered systolic blood pressure by about 4 points and resting heart rate by about 3 beats per minute in a 2024 review. In the ALPHA and BETA trials, women doing 150 minutes a week of aerobic exercise lost about 1.1 kg of fat over a year, and about 2 kg at 225 to 300 minutes.
Exercise reduces the deeper visceral fat around your organs, but the average change is modest. Your abdomen is not a failed wellness assignment.
Short movement breaks help too. Breaking up long sitting with a few minutes of walking lowers the blood sugar spike after meals, and a short walk after dinner is especially useful.
