Does walking affect mood in menopause? What 12 studies found

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.

Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 164 women · 16 weeks · 2007Midlife womenCited 138 timesPubMed

A review of 31 studies found yoga, walking, exercise, and stretching improved sleep quality in menopausal women, with inconsistent effects on depression.

Mixed resultsSystematic review · 2023Midlife womenCited 17 timesPubMed

Inactive postmenopausal women aged 57 to 75 who walked three times weekly for six months showed a greater decrease in depression scores than controls.

Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 121 women · 26 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 41 timesPubMed

Postmenopausal women who did a 12-week pedometer-based walking program with gradually increased steps reported less anxiety, insomnia and depression than a control group.

Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 106 women · 12 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 42 timesPubMed

Previously low active middle aged women who did a four month walking or yoga program did not improve overall self-esteem but reported gains in esteem related to physical condition and body attractiveness.

Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 164 women · 16 weeks · 2007Midlife womenCited 42 timesPubMed

Perimenopausal women who walked briskly three or more times weekly for 12 weeks reported greater reductions in menopausal symptom scores, cholesterol, triglycerides and weight than controls.

Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 111 women · 12 weeks · 2014PerimenopausalCited 35 timesPubMed

Obese postmenopausal women walked and strength trained with diet and GH or IGF-I injections for 12 weeks; all groups lost fat and gained muscle strength without losing lean mass.

Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 28 women · 12 weeks · 1998PostmenopausalCited 60 timesPubMed

23 sedentary postmenopausal women did a 6 week walking program then either continued or stopped exercising, with continued exercisers reporting better mood, anxiety and quality of life at follow up.

Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 23 women · 12 weeks · 2006PostmenopausalCited 37 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.

Reported an improvementRandomised 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

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.

Mixed resultsCross-sectional study · 25 women · 2025PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed

Seven perimenopausal women who played walking football reported physical and mental health benefits, including reduced depressive symptoms and a supportive social environment.

Reported an improvementOther · 7 women · 2025PerimenopausalPubMed