The menopause transition brings some major physical and hormonal changes. These changes are challenging, but exercise can help! The right kind of movement can make a real difference for your heart, bones, brain, and mood. Tracking your workouts keeps you accountable and helps you see your progress, so you can celebrate wins and stay motivated for the long run.

Wondering what kind of exercise to prioritize and how much is enough? Let’s get into the details of menopause and exercise.

What menopause exercise details should I track?

Whether you’re a seasoned gym-goer, getting back into the habit, or starting a new exercise routine, progress is often steady… but slow. Tracking your physical activity can help you notice your progression over time and stay motivated.

With that in mind, let’s discuss the best exercises for menopausal women and the exercise details you should track.

Strength training

Whether you call it strength training, resistance training, or plain old lifting weights, this style of exercise offers incredible benefits, especially if you’re peri- or postmenopausal.

During the menopause transition, low estrogen levels contribute to the loss of lean muscle mass and bone density (Wright, 2024) (Wright, 2024). Losing muscle strength can make it harder to complete your daily activities and increase your risk of injury (Wright, 2024) (Wright, 2024).

Weight-bearing exercise, such as strength training, combats these issues, helping you maintain muscle mass, muscular power, and bone mineral density (Wright, 2024) (Wright, 2024)(Kistler, 2021) (Kistler, 2021).

Ready to add strength training exercises to your routine? Here are a few details you can track:

Exercise: Squats, lunges, shoulder presses, bicep and tricep curls… the list of resistance exercises goes on. Keeping it simple is key! Logging which exercises you do each week allows you to build a routine and stay consistent.
Weight used: Weighted vests are a popular new tool, and while they probably can’t hurt, they aren’t a replacement for traditional strength training moves. So, whether you use weight machines at a gym or dumbbells in your own home, tracking helps you remember the weight you started with and see how far you’ve come.
Sets and reps: Strength training involves a lot of counting! Track how many times you do each exercise in your workout: this will help you figure out if you’re using the right weight. If you’re lifting heavy, aim for a weight that tires you out within 8-12 repetitions. You can work up to 3 sets of 8 reps, resting 1-2 minutes between sets.

Aerobic exercise

Getting your heart rate up with aerobic activity can help you fight heart disease, maintain a healthy body weight, and prevent other health problems (Hulteen, 2023) (Hulteen, 2023)(Bucciarelli, 2021) (Bucciarelli, 2021).

The World Health Organization recommends that, each week, older adults get at least (Maki & Jaff, 2022) (Maki & Jaff, 2022):

150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, or
75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, or
An equivalent mix of both.

Exercises that fit this bill include low-impact aerobics such as brisk walking, swimming, or using an elliptical machine. If you’re craving something more vigorous, you can choose high-impact exercises such as running, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), or jumping rope.

Smartwatches can automatically track your daily steps, heart rate, and the minutes you spend exercising each week, providing you with useful data over time.

How exercise helps menopausal symptoms

Reading the experts’ exercise recommendations is easy; reaching those benchmarks each week isn’t. However, understanding the menopause-specific benefits of a fitness routine can help you stick to it.

Exercise can help address some symptoms of menopause, such as mood changes and sleep troubles, and combat certain health risks, including weight gain and cognitive decline (Hulteen, 2023) (Hulteen, 2023)(Maki & Jaff, 2022) (Maki & Jaff, 2022). Let’s discuss the details.

Mental health

Between hormonal changes, sleep disturbances, and other frustrating symptoms, the menopause transition can take a serious toll on your mental health. Mood swings are common, and women are 2-4 times more likely to experience clinical depression during perimenopause than before or after the menopause transition (Cunningham, 2025) (Cunningham, 2025).

There are many treatment options for mental health symptoms, and getting regular exercise can help. Exercise can improve (Godoy-Izquierdo, 2024) (Godoy-Izquierdo, 2024):

Mental well-being
Psychological health
Social behavior

Exercise doesn’t just keep your body healthy; it benefits your mind, too. Tracking both exercise and mood allows you to see how exercise influences your mental well-being, and it helps you decide if it’s time to ask for additional support.

Weight management

Weight gain is a common complaint during peri- and postmenopause. If you’re working towards weight loss, exercise tracking can help.

A 2016 study gathered data from thousands of people using digital health trackers over two years. They found that people who frequently logged their workouts lost more weight than those who logged infrequently (Pourzanjani, 2016) (Pourzanjani, 2016).

While body weight doesn’t tell your entire wellness story, maintaining a healthy weight can help you prevent serious health problems (Hulteen, 2023) (Hulteen, 2023). Exercise tracking can serve as a helpful reminder to stick with your healthy habits.

Cognitive performance

Getting regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight helps keep your brain healthy as you age (Maki & Jaff, 2022) (Maki & Jaff, 2022).

One study followed over 1,000 women for 44 years and found that high cardiovascular fitness reduced the risk of developing dementia (Maki & Jaff, 2022) (Maki & Jaff, 2022). Exercise tracking allows you to monitor your cardiovascular performance, which can help protect your cognitive health over time.

Heart health

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, and the risk of heart disease increases after menopause (El Khoudary, 2020) (El Khoudary, 2020). This makes midlife a crucial time to prioritize diet and exercise; your heart needs it!

Exercise can have a profound effect on several metrics that directly impact your cardiovascular health. Consider:

Randomized clinical trials show that physical activity, when paired with a reduced-fat diet, improves cholesterol levels among midlife women (El Khoudary, 2020) (El Khoudary, 2020).
Similar trials show that exercise significantly reduces body fat levels, waist circumference, and cholesterol levels among postmenopausal people (El Khoudary, 2020) (El Khoudary, 2020).
A five-year study of 535 healthy women aged 44-50 found that burning between 1,000 and 1,500 calories weekly, along with a low-fat diet, prevented weight gain and reduced cholesterol and blood pressure (Kuller, 2001) (Kuller, 2001).

Exercise is essential during peri- and postmenopause to keep your heart healthy. Researchers are still trying to figure out exactly what types and amounts of exercise are best for peri- and postmenopausal folks (Ruiz-Rios, 2022) (Ruiz-Rios, 2022), but suffice it to say: the more you move, the better!

Tracking your activity levels can help you stay accountable and care for your cardiovascular health.

Bone health

Osteoporosis is a serious health problem that can lead to bone fractures and chronic pain (Wright, 2024) (Wright, 2024). Postmenopausal women are especially susceptible to osteoporosis, as lower estrogen levels lead to a decrease in bone mineral density—basically, bone strength (Wright, 2024) (Wright, 2024).

Staying strong is a great way to keep your bones healthy during and after menopause. Resistance training also helps you maintain muscle strength, which can lower your risk of falls and bone fractures (Wright, 2024) (Wright, 2024).

Tips for sticking with your exercise routine

Making time for regular exercise is a challenge for many women, especially during midlife. While smartwatches already track the time you spend exercising, they can do so much more.

A large meta-analysis of 26 studies examined the impact of wearable activity trackers on the exercise habits of adults of all ages. The study found that adults who used a wearable activity tracker significantly increased their daily steps, energy output, and exercise time when compared to those who didn’t use a modern tracker (Brickwood, 2019) (Brickwood, 2019).

So, yes, your smartwatch is a great tool for hitting your exercise targets each week. But its true power lies in being the gentle nudge that gets your healthy habits rolling.

Wearing your activity tracker can serve as a reminder to take care of your heart, mind, bones, brain, and you.

Talking with your provider about your exercise habits

During and after the menopause transition, it’s important to keep your provider informed. Tell them about your symptoms, health changes, frustrations, and yes, your exercise habits. Here are some strategies to start the conversation at your next appointment:

I’ve been tracking my exercise over the last few months, but I’m not sure if I’m doing enough or the right kind of exercise. Can I share the data I’ve collected to get your opinion?
I’ve started prioritizing exercise like you suggested, but I’m still feeling a bit off. What else can we try to improve my mental well-being?
I know how important exercise is to keeping my heart healthy. Can we look at my progress over the last 6 months and see how it has affected my cardiovascular health?

DISCLAIMER

This article is intended for educational purposes only, using publicly available information. It is not medical advice, and it should not be used for the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of disease. Please consult your licensed medical provider regarding health questions or concerns.

Menopause and Exercise: Why Working Out Matters, and How Tracking Can Help