A review of 28 randomised trials in postmenopausal women aged 50 to 65 found walking combined with resistance training could preserve weight and bone density and increase muscle strength.
Mixed resultsSystematic review · 2,646 participants pooled · 2004Early postmenopausalCited 219 timesPubMed
In 120 postmenopausal women and men aged 50-65, two years of higher or lower intensity endurance exercise improved treadmill fitness and modestly raised HDL cholesterol in home-based groups.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 269 women · 104 weeks · 1995Midlife womenCited 306 timesPubMed
164 previously low-active midlife women did walking, yoga, or no exercise for 4 months; walking and yoga groups reported improved positive mood and menopause-related quality of life.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 164 women · 16 weeks · 2007Midlife womenCited 138 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with a prior arm fracture did self-paced brisk walking for 2 years, and researchers found a small increase in hip bone density but more falls than controls.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 165 women · 104 weeks · 1997PostmenopausalCited 152 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with low bone mass did weight-bearing exercise, aerobic dancing and flexibility work three times weekly for 12 months, and spinal bone density stabilized versus decline in controls, with improved fitness and wellbeing.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 124 women · 52 weeks · 1996PostmenopausalCited 104 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women in a walking trial reported more exercise walking 10 years later than controls, with fewer reported heart disease cases, though not statistically significant.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 196 women · 520 weeks · 1998PostmenopausalCited 86 timesPubMed
Sedentary postmenopausal women walked five days a week for 24 weeks at varying low doses; all groups improved aerobic fitness and body fat percentage versus controls, with no BMI change.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 116 women · 24 weeks · 2002PostmenopausalCited 77 timesPubMed
Sedentary perimenopausal women did 18 months of calisthenics or endurance training; endurance training maintained femoral neck bone density versus controls, calisthenics showed no significant effect.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 105 women · 78 weeks · 1998PerimenopausalCited 61 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women walked 3 or 5 days a week for 24 weeks, and authors reported both increased aerobic fitness and decreased body fat, with no change in serum lipids.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 56 women · 24 weeks · 1996PostmenopausalCited 72 timesPubMed
In 107 sedentary women aged 50 to 60, 13 weeks of brisk walking with or without poles similarly improved peak oxygen uptake, with no major differences between the two methods.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 107 women · 13 weeks · 2007Midlife womenCited 47 timesPubMed
Fifteen healthy middle-aged women completed incremental tests of nordic walking, walking and jogging, and the authors reported differences in oxygen uptake, heart rate and lactate between the three forms.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 15 women · 2006Midlife womenCited 65 timesPubMed
In 90 midlife women aged 40 to 65 who completed a 24-week home-based walking program, adherence during a later maintenance phase averaged 64% of expected walks.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 90 women · 48 weeks · 2005Midlife womenCited 44 timesPubMed
Twenty nine postmenopausal breast cancer survivors did 15 weeks of combined walking and resistance training, and the exercise group showed improved fitness, blood pressure, weight, insulin, glucose and cholesterol measures.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 29 women · 15 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 45 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women walked 5 days a week for 15 weeks in one or two daily sessions; both schedules equally improved aerobic fitness and reduced body weight and fat percentage.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 130 women · 15 weeks · 2002PostmenopausalCited 41 timesPubMed
Sedentary postmenopausal women did 6 months of treadmill walking at three exercise doses, and step counts needed to meet 50, 100, and 150 percent of activity guidelines were quantified.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 111 women · 26 weeks · 2005PostmenopausalCited 39 timesPubMed
Previously sedentary postmenopausal women aged 60 to 70 walked briskly for 12 months, and researchers found reduced heel bone loss and improved fitness compared with non-walkers.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 78 women · 52 weeks · 1997PostmenopausalCited 45 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women used a mobile phone walking program for 12 weeks and reported faster walking times, small weight loss, and improved exercise goal setting and planning.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 71 women · 12 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 29 timesPubMed
In 24 sedentary women aged 41 to 55, 12 weeks of brisk walking improved fitness and reduced body fat, lowered the post-meal insulin response, but did not change the post-meal triglyceride response.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 24 women · 12 weeks · 1995Midlife womenCited 54 timesPubMed
Twenty two postmenopausal women did two months of walking and cycling, and the exercise group showed increased pentraxin 3, HDL cholesterol, peak oxygen uptake and arterial compliance.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 22 women · 8 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 35 timesPubMed
Female cancer survivors averaging age 52 did a year of supervised aerobic plus resistance training or home-based activity, with the fitness center group showing greater treadmill time and heart rate recovery gains.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 154 women · 52 weeks · 2017Midlife womenCited 19 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with mild hyperlipidemia who walked about 54 minutes most days for six months had reduced cholesterol, triglycerides, body fat and increased fitness versus controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 25 women · 26 weeks · 1995PostmenopausalCited 41 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women, 8 months of whole-body vibration or walking differently improved fitness measures, with walking better for walking speed and chair rise, vibration better for vertical jump.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 27 women · 35 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 28 timesPubMed
Women recently through menopause did brisk walking with resistance training for 15 weeks and improved leg strength and walking time, but not balance, with 92% adherence.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 134 women · 15 weeks · 2006Early postmenopausalCited 20 timesPubMed
In 24 sedentary postmenopausal women with obesity, 10 weeks of low-volume walking reduced body weight, fat mass, blood glucose and HbA1c, raised fitness, and did not change bone markers.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 24 women · 10 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 16 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women who completed a 16-week home-based walking program increased fitness (VO2max) and resting salivary immunoglobulin A, without changing respiratory symptom duration.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 32 women · 16 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 19 timesPubMed
Sedentary middle-aged women did a 16-week lifestyle walking intervention; it increased walking and quality of life but did not change antibody response to flu vaccination.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 89 women · 16 weeks · 2013Midlife womenCited 15 timesPubMed
A 3-month trial will compare pedometer-based walking programs of differing intensity against a control group for effects on blood pressure in 120 sedentary postmenopausal women.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 120 women · 12 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 13 timesPubMed
In untrained postmenopausal women, moderate-intensity interval walking and continuous walking training produced similar improvements in glucose, insulin, HDL cholesterol and aerobic fitness.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 32 women · 2014PostmenopausalCited 14 timesPubMed
In sedentary postmenopausal women, 12 weeks of step-counting programs increased daily steps and activity but changed only body mass index among clinical outcomes measured.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 115 women · 12 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
Middle-aged women did 12 weeks of resistance training or walking three times weekly, and resistance training improved body image more than walking.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 60 women · 12 weeks · 1993Midlife womenCited 19 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with osteopenia did Kinect-based virtual reality training plus daily walking for 24 weeks and showed greater improvements in physical performance and quality of life than walking alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 52 women · 24 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
A 10-week intermittent walking programme in 36 obese postmenopausal women reduced thyroid stimulating hormone, triglycerides, cholesterol and blood pressure, and improved fitness and HDL cholesterol.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 36 women · 10 weeks · 2026Early postmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
In menopausal women aged 50 to 65, a 12 week SaBang-DolGi walking program improved physical measures and mental well-being compared to a control group.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 40 women · 12 weeks · 2020Midlife womenCited 9 timesPubMed
Nine middle-aged women with depression did 7 days of home-based interval walking training with or without a supplement, and the supplement group showed reduced depression scores.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 9 women · 1 weeks · 2018Midlife womenCited 12 timesPubMed
Pre and postmenopausal women did 12 weeks of aerobic exercise or strength and flexibility training, and researchers found only partial support that aerobic exercise reduced stress reactivity.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 50 women · 12 weeks · 1991Midlife womenCited 11 timesPubMed
Premenopausal women did 8 weeks of moderate or brisk walking, and brisk walking increased fitness and reduced IL-6 compared with moderate walking and controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 30 women · 8 weeks · 2017OtherCited 6 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with coronary disease who walked for 26 weeks of cardiac rehab increased peak oxygen uptake by 15%, with similar results whether or not they used hormone therapy.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 38 women · 26 weeks · 2003PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women added walking to a weight loss program and showed a 2% increase in femoral neck bone density versus weight loss alone, linked to reduced inflammatory markers.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 86 women · 2009PostmenopausalCited 59 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women doing 8 weeks of Nordic walking, with or without a resistance shock absorber, showed reduced body weight, BMI, and waist circumference, with no change in heart or lung test results.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 32 women · 8 weeks · 2023PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed
A 10-week intermittent walking programme in 36 sedentary postmenopausal women with obesity reported improved liver enzymes, lower CRP, reduced body fat and waist size, and higher aerobic capacity.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 36 women · 10 weeks · 2026Early postmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
Sedentary obese postmenopausal African American women were randomized to walk 3 or 5 days a week at the same intensity, comparing exercise maintenance and cardiovascular risk factors.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 2004PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors who did 15 weeks of combined walking and resistance training improved aerobic capacity, resting heart rate, body weight and BMI, with no change in blood pressure.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 29 women · 15 weeks · 2010PostmenopausalCited 25 timesPubMed
Over 12 weeks, postmenopausal women doing Nordic walking with high protein intake and time-restricted eating showed the largest gains in handgrip strength and physical performance.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 96 women · 12 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
Pre- and postmenopausal obese women did a 16-week walking program, with both groups showing similar reductions in fat mass, waist size and HDL cholesterol, and improved fitness.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 30 women · 16 weeks · 2010Midlife womenCited 15 timesPubMed
In 36 postmenopausal women with obesity, 10 weeks of moderate-intensity interval walking training modestly reduced waist size and body fat, and improved kidney and inflammation markers versus controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 36 women · 10 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
In a pilot RCT of 31 postmenopausal women with hypertension, supervised aerobic exercise improved VO2 max and heart rate variability over 12 weeks, with a greater reduction in blood pressure variability than home based walking.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 31 women · 12 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
In 40 postmenopausal women, 24 weeks of walking and strength training combined with dieting increased muscle strength, while bone density and VO2max did not change.
No difference foundControlled trial · 40 women · 24 weeks · 1997PostmenopausalCited 14 timesPubMed
In 492 postmenopausal women, slower walk times and lower physical activity were associated with higher BMI, waist size, and markers of subclinical cardiovascular disease.
Direction not statedCross-sectional study · 492 women · 2007PostmenopausalCited 16 timesPubMed
Forty obese, sedentary postmenopausal women walked three days a week with calorie restriction, and greater gains in aerobic fitness were linked to greater reductions in visceral fat.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 40 women · 2001PostmenopausalCited 26 timesPubMed
Among 173 midlife women aged 45 to 65 entering a home-based walking program, more African American women than Caucasian women had hypertension and low physical fitness at baseline.
Direction not statedCross-sectional study · 173 women · 2001Midlife womenCited 12 timesPubMed
In 39 sedentary overweight postmenopausal women, 4 months of walking training reduced fat mass and leptin levels and increased maximal oxygen consumption among adherent participants.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 39 women · 16 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 11 timesPubMed
Inactive pre and postmenopausal women with obesity did a 16 week walking program and showed reduced insulin resistance, improved fitness and body fat, but increased triglycerides and lower HDL cholesterol.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 29 women · 16 weeks · 2018Midlife womenCited 7 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women who walked briskly 3 times weekly for 16 weeks improved fitness and fat loss most when adherence was high, regardless of exercise intensity.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 159 women · 16 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women did a 10 week mixed Nordic walking and strength training program and showed improved fitness, strength, waist to hip ratio and cholesterol levels.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 10 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
Twenty-five postmenopausal women did a 6-minute walk test and treadmill task; slower oxygen uptake kinetics correlated with higher fatigue and mood disturbance, and older women had lower aerobic capacity.
Reported a worseningCross-sectional study · 25 women · 2025PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
A protocol describes a 9 month mHealth guided jumping and fast walking program in 120 postmenopausal women to test effects on bone density, with results not yet reported.
Direction not statedOther · 120 women · 36 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 4 timesPubMed