These Two Underrated Workouts Support Heart Health After Menopause

Two simple workouts may give your heart an extra layer of protection.

FrankLin FrankLin
Jul 11, 2026 - 17:15
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These Two Underrated Workouts Support Heart Health After Menopause

Woman Working Out Outside with Medicine Ball

Image by Jacob Lund / iStock

July 11, 2026

After menopause, it's common to notice more weight settling around your midsection. Why? Menopause shifts how your body manages fat, gradually directing more of it toward the abdomen. It's a change that can affect your metabolic health over time, raising the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Exercise can help combat these changes, and researchers recently pitted high-intensity interval Nordic walking against strength training against each other to see which one was better for women. Here's what you need to know.

About the study

This trial set out to compare high-intensity interval Nordic walking and strength training to see how each one affected metabolic health markers. Researchers assigned postmenopausal women with excess abdominal fat to one of three groups:

High-intensity interval Nordic walkingStrength trainingControl group (general lifestyle education only, no structured exercise)

Both exercise groups trained three times per week for 12 weeks. The researchers tracked five key markers:

Waist circumferenceBlood pressureTriglycerides (fats circulating in the blood)HDL cholesterol (the "good" kind that helps protect your heart)Fasting blood sugar

Both workouts moved the needle on waist size, cholesterol & blood sugar

After 12 weeks, both groups saw meaningful improvements across three key markers:

Waist circumference: Both workouts reduced belly fat to a similar degree (about 2.6–2.8 cm on average)HDL cholesterol: Both groups raised their "good" cholesterol levels, with Nordic walking showing a slightly larger bumpFasting blood sugar: Both groups lowered blood sugar meaningfully, and both did significantly better than the control group, which saw no change

Where each workout had a distinct advantage

Beyond the shared improvements, each workout produced results the other didn't.

Nordic walking pulled ahead on two cardiovascular markers:

Triglycerides: Levels dropped meaningfully, pushing the heart harder during the fast intervals appears to activate fat breakdown in ways steady-state exercise doesn'tResting heart rate: The heart became more efficient over time, a sign of improved cardiovascular fitness

Strength training had the edge on body composition:

BMI: Came down more than in the Nordic walking groupBody fat percentage: Dropped nearly twice as much, likely because building muscle raises how many calories the body burns at rest, a meaningful benefit as muscle naturally declines with age

How the workouts were structured

The Nordic walking sessions weren't a casual stroll with poles. Each 60-minute workout alternated between fast and slow intervals; participants pushed hard during the fast phases, reaching 75 to 85% of their maximum heart rate, and recovered during the slower segments. This interval structure is what sets it apart from regular Nordic walking, which tends to stay at a lower, steadier pace.

The strength training sessions ran 45 to 60 minutes and used dumbbells to work major muscle groups throughout the body. Participants completed three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions per exercise, three times per week.

Choosing the workout that fits your life

Both workouts work. The real question is which one you'll stick with.

Nordic walking suits those who prefer outdoors, want something easier on the joints (the poles distribute load away from the knees), or want cardiovascular benefits alongside the metabolic ones. Strength training is the better fit if you prefer structured workouts, want to prioritize building and maintaining muscle as you age, or are already comfortable with weights.

Pairing them together may be even better.

The takeaway

For postmenopausal women navigating metabolic changes, both high-intensity interval Nordic walking and strength training produced meaningful improvements in waist circumference, HDL cholesterol, and fasting blood sugar, with each workout offering its own distinct advantages. Nordic walking had a broader reach across cardiovascular markers; strength training delivered greater reductions in BMI and body fat. The best choice is the one that fits your life and that you'll keep doing consistently.