If you are a woman who likes to run and cycle, or you feel like you shouldn't be doing cardio, this blog is for you.

We all know as women we should be prioritising strength and HIIT style training. But if you love to run, cycle, or do triathlon, your training already involves plenty of cardio which is not necessarily of the HIIT style. So, it feels like a good time to remind ourselves of the health benefits for women that also come with this type of cardio.

Reducing the risk of heart disease

Heart disease is a broad term for conditions affecting the heart. The most common type is coronary heart disease, where the arteries supplying blood to the heart become narrowed or blocked, restricting blood flow, and it's the most common cause of heart attacks.

Before menopause, women generally have a lower risk of coronary heart disease than men, largely thanks to the protective effect oestrogen has on blood vessels and cholesterol levels. Once menopause happens, that protection reduces and the risk rises, partly through weight gain around the waist and rising cholesterol (British Heart Foundation). Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women worldwide (Mahowald et al., 2024).

However, cardio has some important benefits for reducing this risk. A study tracking over 122,000 people found that the fitter someone was, the lower their risk of death, and this kept being true even for the fittest people in the study, there was no point where being fitter stopped helping (Mandsager et al., 2018).

Running shows a similar benefit pattern. When researchers talk about mortality, they simply mean the risk of dying within the study period, whether from any cause, or from something specific like heart disease. A review pooling more than 230,000 people found that runners had a 27% lower risk of dying from any cause and a 30% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease specifically, compared with people who didn't run. What's reassuring is that this held true even at small amounts of running, just 5 to 10 minutes a day, at whatever pace felt comfortable, was linked to a 45% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease (Pedisic et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2014).

Cycling tells a similar story. People who cycled as part of their daily commute had a 52% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than those who didn't (Celis-Morales et al., 2017). The UK's Chief Medical Officers (CMO) put the general figure at 35% lower risk of cardiovascular disease for anyone meeting recommended activity levels (UK Chief Medical Officers, 2019).

Impact on blood pressure

Blood pressure matters more as we age, and especially after menopause. Oestrogen has a protective effect on blood vessels, and as the levels decline, that protection reduces, raising the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.

A meta-analysis specifically in women found aerobic exercise led to a small but statistically significant drop in resting blood pressure levels. The same study found a 14% increase in VO2 max which is a measure of how efficiently your body uses oxygen during exercise and one of the strongest known predictors of long-term health (Kelley, 1999).

Reducing the risk of developing diabetes

Falling oestrogen after menopause also affects how the body regulates blood sugar and fat, contributing to increased abdominal fat and reduced insulin sensitivity (Slopien et al., 2018). Regular activity is linked to a 40% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes (UK Chief Medical Officers, 2019).

Cancer, including breast cancer specifically

The UK CMO guidelines identify a 20% risk reduction for colon and breast cancer for people who are regularly active (UK Chief Medical Officers, 2019). This is a figure that lines up closely with the running and cycling research above, where runners saw 23% lower cancer mortality and cycling commuters saw 40% lower.

Improvement in bone density

Oestrogen plays a direct role in building bone. As it declines through menopause, bone breakdown starts to outpace bone building, and fracture risk rises.

If you like to run or do weight-bearing cardio, you're already doing good things for your bones. A UK Biobank study found just 1 to 2 minutes a day of high-intensity activity, running for pre-menopausal women, slow jogging for post-menopausal women, was linked to meaningfully better bone density (Stiles et al., 2017).

And if building bone density is a specific focus for you, pairing that running or cycling with some resistance training adds something further. A randomised controlled trial in postmenopausal women with low bone mass found twice-weekly, high-intensity resistance and impact training increased bone density at the hip and spine, while a control group saw bone density decline over the same period (Watson et al., 2018).

A positive impact on our mental health

Cardio doesn't just have a positive impact on our physical health, it improves our mental health as well. A major review pooling 97 systematic reviews found physical activity significantly reduces symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress, robust enough that it's now recommended as a mainstay approach in managing all three (Singh et al., 2023). For postmenopausal women specifically, a 2026 review of 23 trials found aerobic exercise meaningfully reduced anxiety and depression symptoms compared with doing nothing (Zhang et al., 2026).

Recovering well and over-training: what the research says

None of this means there's no limit to the volume of cardio you can and should do however. The key is ensuring that you take enough recovery time, and that it's intentionally built into your training or weekly activities.

Recovery isn't just doing a bit less the week after a hard session or a big event. For someone training for a marathon, triathlon, or long-distance cycling event, it usually means a planned deload, a period where training volume is deliberately reduced and built into the training block itself, rather than something added on only once fatigue has already set in. I've written more about this in why training and exercise don't stop at the finish line. Exactly how much to cut, when, and for how long, depends on the individual and where they are in their training cycle, and this is where the support of a coach is genuinely helpful. A coach knows the actual work you've been doing and where you are in your training cycle, which turns a deload into something intentional, rather than just having a bit of an easier week.

Sleep is one of the biggest levers you have here, and it's not just about the number of hours, though that matters too. A 2024 study measured sleep architecture in menopausal women using overnight sleep studies alongside cortisol sampling, and found that self-reported insomnia and tiredness weren't linked to how well the body recovered, but the actual quality of sleep was. Lower sleep efficiency, less deep sleep, and more time spent awake during the night were all associated with poorer recovery markers (Sahola et al., 2024). Practising good sleep hygiene, consistent bedtimes, a proper wind-down, minimising screen time beforehand, can make a real difference to how well your body resets overnight.

Nervous system regulation plays a part too. Hard training relies on the sympathetic nervous system, your fight or flight response, while recovery relies on properly activating the parasympathetic side, rest and digestion. A 2024 systematic review covering 58 studies found that mindfulness, meditation and relaxation-based approaches had the strongest effects on supporting recovery (Rogerson et al., 2024). This is exactly why things like Yoga Nidra and treatments through Sanctuary are part of what's on offer here.

Muscle care and staying on top of aches and pains matters just as much, and it's an area that's often neglected or seen as a luxury by women in particular. Time given over to stretching, mobility, flexibility, and looking after your muscles is part of what genuine recovery looks like, both after individual sessions and during recovery weeks, not just something to fit in if there's time left over. I've written more on this in why women feel overstretched.

It's also worth knowing what over-training can look like. Signs include persistent fatigue that doesn't lift with a normal night's sleep, motivation dropping off noticeably, disrupted sleep despite feeling exhausted, and performance going backwards despite continuing to train. Any one of these on its own isn't necessarily a red flag, but a cluster of them, especially during a heavy training block, is worth paying attention to rather than pushing through.

The bottom line

If you love running or cycling (indoor our outdoor) and triathlon, the research is on your side. Cardio protects your heart, lowers your risk of diabetes and cancer, and supports your bones. The benefits are never ending so long as your recovery needs keep pace with your training.

Over and above all of this is that there is something else that we should remember.

You are doing something you actually enjoy.

Self-Determination Theory, one of the most established frameworks in psychology, holds that activities we do because we genuinely want to, rather than because we feel we should, satisfy deeper psychological needs, a sense of autonomy, of getting better at something, of belonging. That's exactly what running, cycling or triathlon can offer beyond the physical benefits we have already talked about. Loving what you do is a fundamental part of why it's doing you good and brings joy to our lives.

About the author

I'm Sue Jewell, founder of Run Fit Fordingbridge, a small group women's fitness studio based in Breamore, near Fordingbridge. Alongside small group training, I provide sports massage and endurance run coaching, and our newest addition, Sanctuary, a dedicated women's therapeutic massage space.

My background is as a qualified nurse since 1995, and that clinical grounding still shapes how I approach fitness and wellness today, in that I'm a lover of research and evidence in everything I do. I'm also a qualified personal trainer, an England Athletics endurance event group run coach, a Level 4 sports massage therapist with additional massage qualifications, and I hold a Vegan and Vegetarian Nutrition Diploma.

On a personal level, I came to fitness late, starting in my forties. I'm now 52, a plant-based ultra marathon runner, and I bring my own lived experience of training and midlife change into everything I write, everything I teach, and how I work with clients across Breamore, Fordingbridge and the wider New Forest.

References

British Heart Foundation. Menopause and your heart. Available at: bhf.org.uk

Celis-Morales, C.A., Lyall, D.M., Welsh, P. et al. (2017) 'Association between active commuting and incident cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mortality: prospective cohort study', BMJ, 357, j1456.

Kelley, G.A. (1999) 'Aerobic exercise and resting blood pressure among women: a meta-analysis', Preventive Medicine, 28(3), pp. 264-275.

Lee, D., Pate, R.R., Lavie, C.J., Sui, X., Church, T.S. and Blair, S.N. (2014) 'Leisure-Time Running Reduces All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality Risk', Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 64(5), pp. 472-481.

Mahowald, M.K., Esmail, K., Ezzeddine, F.M., Choi, C., Mieszczanska, H. and Velarde, G. (2024) 'Sex Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease', Methodist DeBakey Cardiovascular Journal. Available at: PMC

Mandsager, K., Harb, S., Cremer, P., Phelan, D., Nissen, S.E. and Jaber, W. (2018) 'Association of Cardiorespiratory Fitness With Long-term Mortality Among Adults Undergoing Exercise Treadmill Testing', JAMA Network Open, 1(6), e183605.

Pedisic, Z., Shrestha, N., Kovalchik, S., Stamatakis, E., Liangruenrom, N., Grgic, J., Titze, S., Biddle, S.J.H., Bauman, A.E. and Oja, P. (2020) 'Is running associated with a lower risk of all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality, and is the more the better? A systematic review and meta-analysis', British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(15), pp. 898-905.

Rogerson, O., Wilding, S., Prudenzi, A. and O'Connor, D.B. (2024) 'Effectiveness of stress management interventions to change cortisol levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis', Psychoneuroendocrinology, 159, 106415.

Sahola, N., Toffol, E., Kalleinen, N. and Polo-Kantola, P. (2024) 'Worse sleep architecture but not self-reported insomnia and sleepiness is associated with higher cortisol levels in menopausal women', Maturitas, 187, 108053.

Singh, B., Olds, T., Curtis, R., Dumuid, D., Virgara, R., Watson, A., Szeto, K., O'Connor, E., Ferguson, T., Eglitis, E., Miatke, A., Simpson, C.E. and Maher, C. (2023) 'Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews', British Journal of Sports Medicine, 57(18), pp. 1203-1209. Available at: BJSM

Slopien, R., Wender-Ozegowska, E., Rogowicz-Frontczak, A., Meczekalski, B., Zozulinska-Ziolkiewicz, D., Jaremek, J.D. et al. (2018) 'Menopause and diabetes: EMAS clinical guide', Maturitas, 117, pp. 6-10. Available at: ScienceDirect

Stiles, V.H., Metcalf, B.S., Knapp, K.M. and Rowlands, A.V. (2017) 'A small amount of precisely measured high-intensity habitual physical activity predicts bone health in pre- and post-menopausal women in UK Biobank', International Journal of Epidemiology, 46(6), pp. 1847-1856.

UK Chief Medical Officers (2019) UK Chief Medical Officers' Physical Activity Guidelines. Department of Health and Social Care. Available at: GOV.UK

Watson, S.L., Weeks, B.K., Weis, L.J., Harding, A.T., Horan, S.A. and Beck, B.R. (2018) 'High-Intensity Resistance and Impact Training Improves Bone Mineral Density and Physical Function in Postmenopausal Women With Osteopenia and Osteoporosis: The LIFTMOR Randomized Controlled Trial', Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 33(2), pp. 211-220. Available at: Wiley Online Library

Zhang, M., Li, L., Zeng, S., Li, Z. and Mao, J. (2026) 'Exercise modalities and dose-response associations with anxiety and depression in postmenopausal women: a network meta-analysis and model-based dose-response study', Frontiers in Psychiatry, 17:1782372. Available at: PMC