Cardio, Cortisol, and Menopause: Why More Isn’t Better

You’ve probably been told that cardio is the key to weight loss — that more miles, more sweat, and more time on the treadmill equals results. But if you’re a woman in midlife wondering why all that effort is leaving you exhausted instead of leaner, here’s the truth: Your hormones have changed, and your workouts need to as well.

Let’s talk about the sneaky role of cortisol, why it spikes during endless cardio, and how that can actually hold you back during menopause.

⚡ First, what even is cortisol?

Cortisol is your main stress hormone. It’s produced by your adrenal glands and plays a key role in metabolism, blood pressure, and energy regulation.

It follows a natural rhythm — high in the morning (to get you moving) and gradually falling throughout the day (so you can unwind and sleep). But when cortisol stays elevated — whether from emotional stress, lack of sleep, or too much exercise — it turns from helpful to harmful.

🧠 The menopause connection

During perimenopause and menopause, oestrogen and progesterone drop — and those two hormones used to buffer your stress response.

So now? Your body is more sensitive to stress than it used to be.

That means the same hour-long cardio session that felt fine at 35 might leave you flat on the sofa at 50, wired but tired, wondering why you’re craving carbs at 10 p.m.

Research backs this up: studies from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation found that midlife women often have higher baseline cortisol levels or a flatter daily rhythm — meaning they stay in a state of low-level stress for longer.¹

Combine that with modern midlife life (poor sleep, caffeine, responsibilities, hot flushes — fun, right?) and you’ve got the perfect storm for chronically elevated cortisol.

🏃‍♀️ Cardio: when good intentions backfire

Cardio itself isn’t the villain — it’s the dose and the timing that matter.

A 2021 review in the Journal of Exercise and Nutrition showed that long-duration or high-intensity cardio significantly increases cortisol levels compared to shorter or moderate sessions.² In small amounts, that’s fine — cortisol rises, you train, it falls back down. 

But if you’re doing that day after day, especially while under-sleeping or under-eating, cortisol can stay high for too long.

And that’s when the problems start:

• 💥 Fat storage, especially around the belly — cortisol tells your body to hang onto energy “for survival.”

• 💪 Muscle loss — high cortisol breaks down muscle tissue for fuel (which slows your metabolism).

• 💤 Poor sleep and recovery — cortisol and melatonin can’t party together. If one’s high, the other isn’t showing up.

• 🍫 Increased cravings — cortisol messes with leptin and ghrelin, your hunger hormones, making willpower even harder.

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Sound familiar? You’re not crazy — your body’s just doing what it thinks it has to do to survive the stress.

💪 So what should you do instead?

The goal in midlife isn’t to burn yourself out — it’s to build yourself up.

Here’s what that looks like:

✅ Lift weights. Resistance training raises cortisol less and boosts anabolic hormones like growth hormone and IGF-1. It builds muscle, strengthens bones, and improves insulin sensitivity — exactly what your changing metabolism needs.

✅ Move, don’t punish. Swap daily long runs for a mix of strength sessions, walking, yoga, hiking, or short cardio bursts (20–30 minutes). Zone 2 cardio — where you can still hold a conversation — keeps your heart healthy without spiking cortisol.

✅ Fuel properly. No more fasted workouts or skipping meals. Protein + carbs before training keeps cortisol in check and helps recovery.

✅ Rest like it’s your job. Sleep, downtime, recovery — these are not optional extras. They lower cortisol and keep your hormones happier.

✅ Listen to your body. If you’re exhausted, irritable, or craving sugar all the time, your body’s not being lazy — it’s signalling stress overload.

🧩 The Takeaway

Cardio has its place. It’s great for your heart, lungs, and mental health — but it’s not the magic fat-burner it once was.

In menopause, your body is working harder to stay balanced, so your workouts need to support that, not fight against it. You can’t out-cardio hormonal shifts, but you can train smarter: less stress, more strength.

💡 Final Thought

You’ve spent years showing up for everyone else — now’s the time to show up for you. And that starts with training smarter, fuelling better, and giving your midlife body the respect (and recovery) it deserves.

💬 References

1. Gibson, C. et al., Cortisol Levels during the Menopausal Transition and Early Postmenopause, Menopause, 2009. PMC2749064

2. Hackney, A. C. et al., The Effects of Different Exercise Intensities and Modalities on Cortisol Production, Journal of Exercise and Nutrition, 2021.

3. Almeida, O. et al., Physical Activity Influences Cortisol and DHEA-S Levels in Older Adults, Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis, 2022.