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I was a runner for decades, regularly chalking up weekly mileages of 25 to 30 miles until I hit my mid-40s. Then my knees started to complain, and I started doing other workouts. Orangetheory, HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts, spin classes and grueling hour-long hot yoga sessions that left me feeling boneless — and exhausted.
I’ve always thought a workout doesn’t count unless you’re sweating and out of breath, pushing yourself hard, hard and harder still. Turns out that attitude — and that kind of exercise regimen — can backfire on you in midlife.
In fact, too much high-intensity exercise can trigger inflammation, heighten appetite and raise your cortisol (stress) levels — and all those factors make it harder to lose, or even maintain, weight in your 40s and beyond. If you’re no longer seeing results from your demanding workouts, it may be time to ditch them for the latest workout trend — something called “zone 2 cardio.”
Zone 2 cardio is getting a lot of attention lately for several reasons. “Our hormones are different in midlife,” explains Jodie Needham, a Wisconsin-based personal trainer, nutritionist and public speaker. “HIIT and other high-intensity workouts are like burning a piece of paper — you get a quick burst. Zone 2 workouts are like putting a log on the fire. They burn more fat, don’t trigger your appetite, and help you regulate your hormones.”
So, what exactly is zone 2 exercise, and how can you use it to help shed pounds, lower stress and even reduce some of the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause? Here’s a closer look at this exercise trend, and why it may be worth a try.
The Drawbacks of Overexercising
If you think high-intensity workouts are where the magic happens, you need to rethink, says Needham. “Short bursts of high-intensity exercise, like for five minutes, are different than 30 to 40 minutes of HIIT,” she says. “What happens with longer, high-intensity workouts is that you raise your cortisol and put yourself in a constantly stressed condition. During perimenopause and menopause, your cortisol is already spiked — you want to learn how to lower your cortisol.”
In addition to placing a lot of demands on your body, high-intensity workouts can also leave you feeling hungry and tired. According to a recent study, they may also make you more likely to experience hot flashes (and no one wants that). They increase the stress on your joints, which can make you more susceptible to injury as you get older.
What’s the Answer?
Enter “zone 2 cardio,” which means exercising at an intensity that keeps your heart rate in the 60 to 70 percent range of your maximum heart rate. (The common standard used to determine your max heart rate is to subtract your age from 220.) That determines your max, and your training “zones” are calculated as follows:
Zone 1: 50 to 60 percent of your max heart rate
Zone 2: 60 to 70 percent of your max heart rate
Zone 3: 70 to 80 percent of your max heart rate
Zone 4: 80 to 90 percent of your max heart rate
Zone 5: 90 to 100 percent of your max heart rate
So, if you’re 50, your estimated max heart rate is 170, and zone 2 cardio would mean keeping your heart rate in the 102 to 119 beats per minute range. If you have a Fitbit or smartwatch, great — otherwise, simply aim for a pace that lets you have a conversation with someone. That lets you know you’re in zone 2.
“The best way to balance your hormones is by doing zone 2 exercise,” says Needham. These gentler workouts “count” as exercise and relax your body instead of stressing it. Our bodies have two systems — the sympathetic system, which activates when we’re under stress, and the parasympathetic system, sometimes referred to as “rest and digest.” When you work out in zone 2, you’re in the parasympathetic system. “Zone 2 is gentle enough to say, ‘okay — this isn’t fight or flight — you’re safe,’” she says. “That triggers less of a hormonal response.”
Zone 2 also helps improve your insulin sensitivity and regulate your blood sugar. It strengthens your cardiovascular system to help reduce your risk of heart disease. And it uses fat as fuel, which can help you shed pounds and maintain a healthy body weight.
Your Exercise Prescription
Needham recommends 60 to 90 minutes of zone 2 cardio two or three times a week. While an hour may seem like a long time, your zone 2 workouts should feel comfortable, not demanding. The key is long and slow as opposed to short and fast, she says. “When you do that, everything calms and regulates. Try things like long walks, casual bike rides or playing in the pool for an hour. You’re doing movement that isn’t too demanding.” In addition, you should perform strength training moves two or three days a week.
We lose muscle as we get older, and strength training helps counteract that loss and maintain lean muscle, which is more metabolically active and burns more calories than fat. Throw in some zone 2 cardio, which burns more fat, and you’ve got the exercise prescription to help you prevent, or reverse, menopausal weight gain — without even breaking a sweat!
What kind of exercise do you try to get every week? Let us know in the comments below.
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