Listener Menopause Exercise Question: Are You Exercising Too Much, Too Little, or Just Right?”

Recently, a listener asked a menopause exercise question, "I'm doing strength training three times a week for 30 minutes. Is that too much?

If you have wondered, or wonder what is enough, too much or the Goldilocks for you, this is for you.

Based on a study in Ireland called Menowell (not to be confused with the bars), almost 70% of us get our information from friends and 50% get information from social media.

So, beware. Even researchers right now are spending a lot of time and energy getting eyeballs and making shocking statements. Instead of merely sharing the facts, they’re being as inflammatory as the influencers they claim not to be.

Quick Overview: Menopause can bring bone loss, muscle loss, metabolic changes, mood shifts & symptoms like hot flashes and sleep troubles.

Promise: By the end, you'll know how to calibrate exercise for maximum benefit and minimal burnout, even if you’re not experiencing any of these.

Why exercise is non-negotiable?

• Exercise is medicine.
• Muscle is medicine and an endocrine organ.
• Muscle is HRT if you allow it to be.
• Like any other medicine, the right dose and timing are crucial.

How much is too little?

I could answer in a very generic way: Minimum WHO/HHS guidelines:

• 150 min moderate aerobic + 2 strength sessions weekly
• Under 150 min weekly leads to missed benefits like bone density maintenance and cardiometabolic protection

This is not a generic podcast and you’re not a generic woman. So, let’s answer with the uniqueness you deserve.

• Whether you’re exercising too little or too much your body leaves both objective and subjective data.

Red flags of Undertraining and Overtraining:

• Persistent fatigue
• Ongoing symptoms
• Plateau in strength/mood/weight.

More Answers to Your Menopause Exercise Questions

When exercise becomes too much:

• Excessive high-intensity sessions >3× weekly without recovery ups injury risk—especially for connective tissue for women in midlife.
• Overtraining stress can aggravate symptoms, disturb sleep, mood, and adrenal health, appetite/cravings and libido.

Finding the sweet spot:

• Measure muscle and body fat (See Resources for my smart scale picks.)
• Measure waist girth
• Measure bone density through Dexa scan

Do-It-Yourself checklist:

1. Track energy, sleep, mood, focus, libido, digestion, elimination (See Resources for Flipping50 Progress Tracker)
2. Between your objective and subjective measures, are you getting what you want? Not just immediate but long term?

References:

• Cooper, D., Ward, K., Kavanagh, R. and O’Connor, S. (2023) ‘‘MenoWell’: A pilot 6-week novel, online, multimodal exercise and health education programme for women in all stages of menopause living in Laois, Ireland’, Physical Activity and Health, 7(1), p. 303–318.

Other Episodes You Might Like:

• Previous Episode - Essential Oils for Menopause Hormones | Essential How-to for Essential Oils
• Next Episode - Simple Ways to Know if You’re Following Protein Rules in Menopause
• More Like This - Exercise and Hot Flashes and Other Menopause Symptoms

Resources:

• Join the Flipping50 Membership for evidence-based workout programs. Opening soon! Save your spot!
• Monitor your progress with Flipping50 Progress Tracker.
• Try OneSkin for SPF on face, lips and body.
• My top picks for 2025 Smart Scale Picks for Body Composition.
• Don’t know where to start? Book your Discovery Call with Debra.
• Join the Flipping50 Insiders Facebook Group and connect with Debra and the community.