Walking and Menopause — What the Science Says

In this episode of Why Walking Matters: The Science Explained, we explore how walking can support your body during menopause. Backed by research, we break down how regular walking may help improve heart health, manage weight changes, reduce stress, and enhance overall wellbeing during this important life transition. If you’re looking for a simple, sustainable way to feel better and stay healthy through menopause, this episode is for you.

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Transcript

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Hi listeners, welcome back to Why Walking Matters, The Science Explained. I'm Tatiana, your host. I hope you've been enjoying the weather lately as we transition from winter to spring. I know I have. I've recently joined a hiking group that meets weekly every Saturday morning, and it's really boosted my encouragement to walk more, especially as the weather gets better. It's nice to explore new trails while walking together. If you're new to the podcast, check out Walking Moai episode 13: The Power of Walking Together. If you're thinking about getting up and getting out and exploring the joys of walking or hiking in the woods and trails or even just around your neighborhood, check out some of the videos I share on our Instagram page at why underscore walking underscore matters for inspiration. Because listeners, the goal of this podcast is to understand the science of walking and how our bodies benefit so that hopefully we're inspired to get out and walk consistently. This week's episode is personal for me. We're talking about walking and menopause, what the science says, what happens during menopause, why walking becomes more important, what the research shows, and offer practical recommendations. Menopause is one of the most significant transitions the body goes through. Hormones shift, metabolism changes, sleep can become disrupted, and many women notice changes in weight, mood, and energy. But there's one simple habit that consistently shows up in the research as helpful across many of these areas. You guessed it, walking. In today's episode, we're exploring what the science says about walking and menopause, and why this simple activity that we discuss on this podcast may be one of the most effective tools for supporting your body during this transition. What happens during menopause? Menopause is defined by a decline in estrogen levels. This hormonal shift can lead to increased body fat, decreased muscle mass, higher cardiovascular risk, and changes in mood and sleep. According to the North American Menopause Society, these changes can significantly impact overall health and quality of life. Walking is particularly effective during menopause because it's low impact, it's sustainable, like we always say, it's accessible, and it's easy to recover from. Unlike high intensity exercise, walking places less stress on the body while still delivering meaningful benefits. Let's look at what studies actually say. A review published on PubMed examining walking interventions in menopausal women found that the majority of walking programs improved at least one health outcome, such as cardiovascular health, body composition, or psychological well-being. The abstract objective. Our goal was to explore the range and characteristics of published papers on therapeutic walking programs for menopausal women and to identify program features that resulted in successful outcomes including reduced symptoms and improved long-term wellness. Methods. We searched biomedical and exercise-related databases for articles published up to June 1st, 2017, using keywords related to menopause and walking. The final selection included all articles that studied walking as a health intervention for women in menopause transition or postmenopausal. Results? A total of 3,244 papers were collected from the six databases. Walking interventions ranged from four weeks to three years with an average weekly frequency of 3.8, plus or minus 1.8, and were applied to a variety of symptoms and their biological markers and risk factors. Overall, 91% of the programs showed a beneficial outcome in at least one menopause-related medical issue. Information on menopause-specific symptoms, especially vasomotor symptoms and sleep problems was scarce. Conclusion: The scoping review highlights the growing interest in walking programs as therapies for menopause and related symptoms and provides evidence of their possible benefit, a wellness option for women in menopause and beyond. Further research would be recommended to establish the therapeutic value of walking programs for women with specific focus on typical menopause symptoms at different stages of menopause. So, listeners, the research highlights that studies on physical activity and menopause show that regular walking is associated with reduced cardiovascular risk, which we know and have talked about on this podcast, but which becomes increasingly important after menopause. After menopause, the risk of heart disease rises significantly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week to reduce this risk. Walking is one of the simplest and most accessible ways to meet that recommendation. Many women also experience weight gain during menopause, particularly around the midsection. Research published in the journal Menopause found that walking interventions can improve body composition, including reductions in body weight and body fat percentage. From the abstract objective, the aim of the study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that examined the effect of walking on body weight, body mass index or BMI, and body fat percentage in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. Methods, two authors identified randomized controlled trials of interventions at least four weeks in duration that included at least one group with walking as the only treatment and a no exercise control group. Participants were inactive at baseline. Eight studies met the study inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis results showed statistically significant reductions in mean differences for BMI, body weight, and body fat percentage. The results were consistent in showing effects of walking on BMI and body fat percentage. Conclusion walking interventions improved body composition in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, which underscores the central role of walking as a physical activity for health promotion. So listeners, by increasing daily energy expenditure, supporting metabolic health, and promoting consistency in movement, walking helps with weight changes during menopause. And as we've been learning, the key is consistency, not necessarily intensity. Walking also helps to improve strength and function. A randomized trial found improved muscle strength, improved walking performance, and good long-term adherence in recently menopausal women. From the abstract, background and purpose, menopause may induce a phase of rapid decreases in bone mineral density, aerobic fitness, muscle strength, and balance, especially in sedentary women. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects and feasibility of an exercise program of one or two bouts of walking and resistance training on lower extremity muscle strength, the force generating capacity of muscle, balance, and walking performance in women who recently went through menopause. The subjects were 134 women who recently went through menopause. The study was a 15-week randomized controlled trial with continuous and fractionated exercise groups. The outcomes assessed were lower extremity muscle strength, balance, and walking time over 2 kilometers. Feasibility was assessed by questionnaires, interviews, and training logs. Results 128 women completed the study. Adherence to the study protocol was 92%. Both continuous and fractionated exercise groups improved equally in lower extremity muscle strength and walking time, but not in balance. Almost 70% of the subjects considered the program to be feasible. Two daily walking sessions caused fewer lower extremity problems than did continuous walking. Discussion and conclusion brisk walking combined with moderate resistance training is feasible and effective. Fractionating the walking into two daily sessions is more feasible than continuous walking. Another area that women and perhaps their friends and family may find affected during menopause is mood. Menopause often includes mood swings, irritability, and sleep disruption. But research has shown that regular walking can reduce anxiety, improve mood, and support overall mental well-being. For example, studies summarized on PubMed and research databases show improvements in psychological outcomes among menopausal women who engage in regular walking. From sciencedily.com, walkaway menopausal anxiety, stress and depression. From 1996 to 1997, 380 women living in Philadelphia were recruited and they have been followed for more than eight years. The women reported their physical activity level and menopausal symptoms including stress, anxiety, depression, and hot flashes. The average age at the beginning of the study was 42 years old. 49% were African American, 58% reported more than a high school education, and 38% smoked cigarettes. We recruited African American and Caucasian women living in Philadelphia for this study to better represent the large population of urban women. These results can be generalizable to both urban Caucasian and African American women, groups of women that have been underrepresented in previous studies. In the category of stress, researchers found that high levels of physical activity were the most beneficial to postmenopausal women and African American women, they reported lower levels of perceived stress than those who did not exercise. This top-tier group walked at a moderate pace per hour for an hour and a half at least five times a week. While the study found mental benefits of exercise, it did not show that exercise reduced physical symptoms such as hot flashes. Physical symptoms like hot flashes will go away when you reach menopause, but mental health is something women still need to think about post-menopause. The middle tier walked five times a week for 40 minutes. The bottom group, considered the non-exercisers, walked for 15 minutes about five times a week. By design, all of the women were premenopausal at baseline. Eight years after enrollment, 20% of the women were menopausal, with an additional 18% classified in the late transitional phase. In the urban setting, these women walked outside on city blocks or in shopping malls. Groups could organize to take walks after dinner. It didn't require going to the gym. You don't have to run 20 miles a week to reap the benefits of exercise. If you stick to a moderate paced walking schedule, it can keep your body mass index down and lower the risk of stress, anxiety, and depression. Physical activity can help throughout the menopausal transition and afterwards, said Temple University public health researcher Deborah Nelson, PhD, the study's lead author. So what about walking and menopause symptoms? Some emerging research suggests walking may help to improve sleep quality, fatigue, and overall quality of life. Some studies have also explored reductions in menopause-related symptoms such as hot flashes and stress levels with consistent walking programs. From PubMed, abstract background. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a structured barefoot walking program on menopausal symptoms, sleep quality, stress, and quality of life in middle-aged women experiencing menopausal symptoms. A quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group and pretest post-test was used. Community-dwelling women aged 45 to 65 years residing in Wanju Republic of Korea were recruited and assigned to either an experimental or control group. The intervention consisted of 12 weeks of barefoot walking three times per week, 60 minutes per session. Outcome measures included the menopause rating scale, Varin and Snyder Halpern Sleep Scale, Stress Response Inventory, and WHOQL BREF, which is the World Health Organization Quality of Life, Brief, Reliable, Effective, and Focused. In addition, changes in participants' body composition before and after the intervention were assessed using a bioelectrical impedance analyzer. Compared with the control group, the experimental group showed significant improvements in menopausal symptoms and quality of life. A significant time by group interaction effect was observed for sleep quality. No significant changes were found in body composition. Conclusion Barefoot walking represents a promising low-cost community-based intervention for alleviating menopausal symptoms, enhancing sleep quality, reducing stress, and improving quality of life in middle-aged women experiencing menopausal symptoms. Further randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm these findings. Well, listeners, that was an interesting one. And while more research is still developing, the early findings are promising if you are open to barefoot walking. But all jokes aside, you don't need a complicated plan. A simple approach works best. Walk most days of the week, aim for 20 to 40 minutes, keep a comfortable, steady pace. If that feels like too much and you're just getting started, start smaller. Even short, consistent walks can provide benefits. Menopause is a natural transition. But it can come with real challenges. Walking isn't a cure all, but the research shows it is one of the simplest, most effective ways to support your body through this stage of life. So if you're wondering where to start, start with a walk. Because sometimes the most powerful interventions are also the simplest. And walking might be one of the most important habits you can build during menopause. Hormones shift, but walking helps regulate metabolism and energy balance. It's one of the easiest ways to protect your heart. Walking helps to regulate your nervous system and improve your mood. Even short walks can create a sense of calm. You don't need to be perfect, you just need to keep moving. Thanks for joining me again today, listeners. And remember, if you're enjoying this podcast, be kind. Share with a friend. Until next time, happy walking. As always, links to all articles used in this episode can be found in the podcast description or show notes.