The Truth About Cardio (And It's Not 10,000 Steps)
From walking to winning: your science-backed cardio reset starts here 🏃🏽♀️➡️
Road Trip to Younger is the go-to guide to healthy ageing for women over 50
After nearly 30 years as a journalist and magazine editor, I’m here, with healthy longevity as my ‘beat’ — cutting through the hype, and decoding the science so you don’t have to. Destination: Joyspan—the longest, healthiest and most pleasurable lifespan possible.
We’re the community of women growing younger as we grow (gloriously) older.
This post includes a number of Cheat Sheets and downloads. If the email is cut off, just click the link!
Move Your Body Month
Now we’re getting real!
Exercise—it's nature's ultimate longevity medicine, yet few of us are unlocking its full potential. This practical FIVE-PART TOOLKIT is designed to change all that, putting you on track to unleashing the full power of movement and exercise, and growing stronger after 50.
Inside Part 2: LET’S GO CARDIO!
Your easy 3-Minute Cardio Fitness Test
Master your three cardio gears
Workout: The three-in-one power walk
Try something new: your perfect match cheat sheet
The Fit & Fierce 50+ Weekly Challenge
PLUS 12-page Cardio e-book
FITNESS SORTED!
Part 1: Welcome to Move Your Body Month
The science of exercise’s impact on vibrant aging. Catch up here.
Part 2: Let’s go cardio!
Let's get real! The truth about cardio (and it’s not 10,000 steps!)
Part 3: Resistance training
Power up with the ultimate in resistance-based cardio
Part 4: Weight training
Embrace weights for strength at any age. Plus, your guide to the weights room
Part 5: Functional Fitness
Train your body holistically for real-life capability
MOVE YOUR BODY—PART 2!
“If you have the aspiration of kicking ass when you're 85, you can't afford to be average when you're 50.”
— DR PETER ATTIA
Some quotes change the shape of your brain forever. Some live with you forever. This one, from Peter Attia, introduced me to someone I couldn't live without—my 85-year-old future self. She's been top of mind ever since I read it years ago. And now that I’m 64, she’s only 21 years away.
But it does leave a burning question: what exactly is "AVERAGE"?
I often turn to my 85-year-old self for the answer. Can I feel her cheering me on, or is she giving me the side eye? Sometimes, I imagine her saying, "whatever you can do, honey, it all helps"—that's the one that really gets me moving.
Cardio is a great case in point. Because, when you look at the best and latest science—especially for women 50+—a lot of us are missing out of some really critical benefits And they’re the ones that grossly undercut “granny”.
No one likes to see that! Not for any granny, let alone their own beloved future granny-selves.
This guide is designed for all our grannies-to-be (and nannas-to-be and nonnas-to-be), who are gunning for us to kick ass NOW, so they can kick even more ass, across all their TOMORROWS.
May they rock life, and not just their chairs.
A shout out to my husband David O'Connor (and his Masters degree in Physical Education) for expert guidance throughout this Move Your Body series, and the Fit & Fierce 50+ Challenge.
We've got it wrong
Not totally wrong. Not diabolically wrong. And definitely not beyond-hope wrong. Truth is we're actually in the ballpark. But wrong enough to not be RIGHT.
We need to talk about our exercise routine which, for many of us, begins and ends with counting steps.
Don't get me wrong. There’s so much to be said for the 10,000 step phenomenon (regardless of the fact that 10,000 steps was always arbitrary rather than science-based). The problem is, it's just not enough… and I'm not talking about the number.
What’s wrong is that steps are only part of the story. If all we do is steps at a leisurely pace, in terms of cardio fitness we’ll always be relegated to—here’s that word again—AVERAGE.
You see, as any expert will tell you, with cardio, just as with nutrition, we need a balanced cardio “diet”. If all we do is 10,000 steps it’s like being on the cardio equivalent of the “meat and potatoes diet”.
Or, as you'll soon see, it’s like being stuck in 1st Gear.
The good news? If steps are already part of your life, you're just a few tricks away from greatness. With a little more grunt—from your 2nd and 3rd gears— you've got the ultimate fat-burning, heart-supporting, metabolism-tweaking, youth-inducing granny enhancer. It’s the equivalent of the meat and potatoes diet being upgraded to cardio version of the entire rainbow of nutritious foods that we all need to be ABOVE AVERAGE.
And, if you're one of the 50% of women not currently exercising at all, it's not too late. Take heart with another golden quote from Peter Attia:
”The benefits of exercise begin with any amount of activity north of zero—even brisk walking—and go up from there.”
Why Cardio?
Before we dive in, let's be straight about why a cardio reset is so vitally necessary. The fact is no one benefits from cardio exercise more than you as a woman over 50. Study after study shows it brings targeted benefits to all the areas where you need help most:
Your heart: Reduces your risk of heart disease—the #1 killer of women, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined.
Your metabolism: Targets the stubborn fat deposits that accumulate around your waist and hips after menopause, when hormonal changes redirect fat storage to your mid-section.
Your bones: Activates bone-building cells—critical protection when osteoporosis risk quadruples in the decade after menopause.
Your brain: Slashes your Alzheimer's risk by up to 50%—essential since women account for nearly two-thirds of all dementia cases.
Your sleep: Increases deep sleep by up to 31%, providing relief from broken sleep that affects 85% of women during and after menopause.
For a recap on more specifics on how movement and exercise positively impact the healthy longevity for women 50+ according to the Joyspan Compass, see here.
YOUR COMPLETE CARDIO RESET:
IN FOUR SIMPLE STEPS
Your cardio reset starts here. This four-step plan is designed for your real (already busy) life, with an easy-to-follow science-backed action plan.
We’ve taken out the guesswork so you can focus on getting fit and fierce while moving your body in the right direction. It’s all about maximum results for minimum effort — for everybody and every body.
STEP 1: Where are you now?
Take the 3-minute Cardio Fitness Test
Check with your doctor in case of risk
Find a 30cm /12-inch step or platform (this is slightly higher than a typical step)
Set a 3-minute timer.
Step up-up-down-down at a continuous steady pace.
Say "up, up, down, down" as you step to maintain a steady continuous rhythm. Think of an army marching in a parade with swinging arms.
After 3 minutes, sit down and find your pulse on your neck with two fingers.
Count the beats
IMMEDIATELY AFTER STOPPING: Count pulse for 15 seconds × 4 = Exercise Heart Rate (bpm/beats per minute).
1 MINUTE AFTER STOPPING: count pulse for 15 seconds × 4 = Recovery Heart Rate (bpm/beats per minute).
To calculate your Heart Rate Recovery (HRR): Subtract your Recovery Heart Rate from your Exercise Heart Rate.
Compare your HRR score to your age group in the table below.
PDF DOWNLOAD: Cardio Fitness Recovery Test
PDF DOWNLOAD: Cardio Fitness Recovery Test
What Your Results Mean
Excellent (well above target): Your heart bounces back quickly after exercise—a great sign of cardiovascular health! Keep up your current routine.
Good (at or near target): Your heart recovers at a healthy pace for your age. Regular cardio will help maintain and boost this important ability.
Improve (below target): Your heart needs more practice returning to resting rate. Consistent, gentle cardio will help train your heart to recover faster.
These simple guidelines provide a practical benchmark for your cardiovascular fitness. The most important measure is improvement over time—retest every 8 weeks to track your progress.
Now let's dive into the program that, wherever you are right now, will help you take your cardio fitness to new heights.
STEP 2: Master your three cardio gears
This is where we unlock the full range of cardio’s science-backed benefits—from fat burning, to heart protection, to reversing biological ageing, and much more!
Meet cardio’s three essential gears
1st GEAR: Your Fat-Burner
Why you need it
After menopause, women experience up to a 400% increase in visceral fat—the dangerous type that surrounds organs and raises inflammation aka inflammaging, even without gaining weight on the scale.
How 1st Gear works
A comfortable pace where muscles primarily burn fat—especially targeting those stubborn midlife deposits around the abdomen and hips.
The easy guide
How often: Daily
Duration: 30+ minutes
Intensity: Light.
Talk test: you can have a conversation and even sing.
Up to 65% of your peak heart rate.
See the Three-Gear Cardio Chart, below.
10,000 steps?
One of the few things in life where the myth actually understated reality, here’s the drill on daily steps according to the latest science:
4,400 steps: health benefits begin
7,000 steps: mortality risk reduces by 50-70%
7,500-8,000 steps: the zone for maximum benefits
Think quality: 30 minutes at a moderate pace offers more health benefits than slow walking for longer periods.
Bonus 1st Gear benefits
Builds endurance
Supports cellular repair
Reduces Alzheimer's risk
Delivers nutrients to body cells.
🧐 Explainer
Your body has plenty of oxygen during this comfortable pace, allowing it to efficiently burn fat as fuel. This activates your slow-twitch muscle fibers, improving both fat metabolism and blood sugar control—resulting in better daily energy and a higher resting metabolism.
How to get into 1st Gear:
Walking
Cycling
Swimming
Plus: any movement you can maintain comfortably.
Also see exercises marked ① on The A-Z of Cardio Speed Dating cheat sheet, below.
2nd GEAR: Your Heart-Protector
Why you need it
Heart disease claims the life of 1 in 3 women, making it the #1 killer of women over 50—more than all forms of cancer combined. Yet 80% of these cases are preventable with the right lifestyle approaches.
How 2nd Gear works
As your intensity increases, you build cardiovascular power, teaching your body to deliver oxygen more effectively while building stamina that powers both body and mind.
The easy guide
How often: 2-3 times weekly
Duration: 20-40 minutes.
Intensity: Medium
Talk test: you can only speak in short phrases (4-5 words)
65-80% of your peak heart rate.
See the Three-Gear Cardio Chart, below.
Bonus 2nd Gear benefits
Helps maintain healthy weight
Improves oxygen delivery throughout your body, improving stamina
Enhances your stamina and endurance
🧐 Explainer
At this moderate intensity, your body burns both fat and carbohydrates. Your heart strengthens like any muscle under resistance, pumping more blood with each beat, while your muscles extract oxygen more efficiently. The result? Everyday activities become easier and you develop deeper energy reserves.
How to get into 2nd Gear:
Brisk walking (especially uphill)
Jogging
Dancing
Plus any exercise you can maintain at medium intensity.
Also see exercises marked ② on The A-Z of Cardio Speed Dating cheat sheet, below.
3rd GEAR: Your Age-Reverser
Why you need it
Mayo Clinic researchers found that short bursts of higher-intensity exercise enhanced the function of body cells by 69% in older adults—essentially reversing aging at the cellular level. Without these brief challenges, your body never gets the signal to rebuild and renew itself.
How 3rd Gear works
The rhythm of high-intensity intervals followed by recovery triggers powerful cellular changes, activating pathways that have been shown to restore and regenerate aging cells.
The easy guide
How often: 1-2 times weekly
Duration: 10-20 minutes (includes recovery intervals).
Peak intensity intervals:
Go hard for 30-60 seconds
Talk test: Only one-word responses are possible.=
80-85% of your peak heart rate.
See the Three-Gear Cardio Chart. below.
Recovery intervals:
Take it easy for 1-2 minutes
Talk test: You’ll catch your your breath and be able to talk in full sentences before the next cycle
Bonus 3rd Gear benefits
Preserves muscle that naturally fades after 50
Improves how your body handles blood sugar
Keeps burning calories long after you've finished exercising
🧐 Explainer
3rd Gear’s rhythm of high and low intensity triggers the release of human growth hormone that helps rebuild muscle mass lost during menopause. Limiting the periods of high intensity to 60 secs delivers maximum benefits without the release of age-inducing stress hormones.
How to get into 3rd Gear:
Jogging with speed bursts
Stationary bike intervals
Swimming sprints
Plus any exercise you can maintain at medium intensity.
Also see exercises marked ③ on The A-Z of Cardio Speed Dating cheat sheet, below.
The Three-Gear Cardio Chart
Of course, the talk test is an excellent easy guide for checking you’re “in gear” so to speak. But for those nerds among us (like me), with a penchant for tracking metrics, here's your age-by-age guide to hitting your cardio target for each gear.
Find your closest age then scan across to find your target heart rates for each gear. To make it easy, we’ve done the maths and included your 15-second pulse guide as well.
PDF DOWNLOAD: Three-Gear Cardio Chart
STEP 3: Combine All Gears into One Power Walk
Here’s where we bring all the gears together into one science-based workout. Think of it as a starter pack that you can twist your own way, with your activity of choice. If that happens to be walking in 1st Gear, use the action plan here to transforms your regular walk into a fat-burning, heart-protecting, age-reversing powerhouse.
Frequency: Twice weekly
Duration: 45-60 minutes
NOTE: If you’re new to the exercise and/or higher intensity activity, start small and work up to the times below very gradually.
Before you begin
Take a few minutes to stretch the key muscles you’ll be using. In the case of walking, a good stretch is placing your hands on a wall, one foot forward, one back. Keep back heel down, slightly bend front knee. Feel the calf stretch (which releases foot tension). Hold for 60 seconds on each side.
1ST GEAR: Your Fat-Burner (15 mins)
What to do: Simply walk at your usual steady pace for 15 minutes. This serves as your warm-up while activating fat-burning pathways.
Intensity check: You should be able to hold a full conversation easily (up to 65% of peak heart rate).
2ND GEAR: Your Heart-Protector (20 mins)
What to do: Lengthen your stride, pick up your pace, and swing your arms more. Aim for 20 minutes in this zone. If new to power walking, start with 10 minutes and gradually build up over weeks.
Intensity check: You should only be able to speak 4-5 words at a time (65-80% of peak heart rate).
3RD GEAR: Your Age-Reverser (10-15 mins)
What to do: Alternate between high-intensity bursts and recovery periods:
30-60 seconds: GO! Push hard, like putting your foot down on the accelerator
1-2 minutes: RECOVER Ease off to catch your breath, preparing for the next round
Intensity boosters:
Power up a hill
Climb stairs two at a time
Break into a jog or power walk
Add arm movements for extra effort
Intensity check: You should barely be able to speak a word or two (80-85% of peak heart rate).
To finish
For the cooldown, return to 1st gear for at least 5-10 minutes to allow your heart rate to gradually decrease. Finish with your warmup stretch. Hold each stretch for 30 seconds, breathing deeply to enhance recovery.
STEP 4: Find Your Cardio Soulmate
The Cardio Speed Dating Guide
The ultimate secret of success with cardio is to “just do it” (as Nike says)—day-by-day, week-by-week, consistently. That comes down to finding the exercises we love and staying committed.
This cheat sheet is here to to help you find your cardio perfect match, or better still, perfect matches—those activities that spark joy, and keep you coming back for more.
Think of it like speed dating. Step out of your usual comfort zone and give something new a try. Find yourself some heartthrobs that get your pulse racing in more ways than one.
By all means, forget monogamy! The more activities you do, the more you move, the more you strengthen your body. Working different muscle groups is the key to building true fitness.
Here’s the key guide to finding your perfect match
GEAR LEVEL
① Light (1st Gear)
② Moderate (2nd Gear)
③ High intensity (3rd Gear)
PREFERRED LOCATION
🏠 Home
💪 Gym
🌳 Outdoors
PDF DOWNLOAD: Cardio Speed Dating Cheat Sheet
A Final Word
Talk to your doctor: get clearance before starting anything new.
Progress slowly: don’t run before you can crawl.
Recover: having light days after harder days is smart training.
Be kind to yourself: Baby steps are progress too.
Forget willpower: the real power is in turning up.
Try the 2 Minute Rule: A great tip from James Clear is to simply commit to 2 minutes. Do that for seven days and you've forged a habit.
Sleep: Your body repairs muscles and cardiovascular tissue during deep sleep, making those 7-8 hours as important as the workout itself. See our 2-part guide here and here.
Protein: Muscle recovery and maintenance relies on adequate protein intake and it’s especially crucial for women over 50. See our 2-part guide here and here.
Focus on the afterglow: Pay attention to how you feel minutes, hours, and even days later.
Footwear: Invest in supportive shoes with arch support and cushioning to protect your plantar fascia. Replace every 500 miles/800km.
Do no harm: Prioritise safety—watch your step, hold on when using stairs, and remember that staying mobile is your best long-term investment.
The Fit & Fierce 50+ Challenge
YOUR MISSION FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
Choose one or more of the challenges below.
The Three-Gear Power Walk
Complete at least one Three-Gear Power Walk this week. Track how you feel immediately after and the next morning. Which gear feels most challenging for you? That's your growth opportunity.
The Cardio Speed Dating Adventure
Which new activities on the Cardio Speed Dating Chart intrigue you? Try at least one before the end of May—no commitment required! Share your experience and whether you'd go on a "second date" with this form of cardio.
Essential Cardio Guide
The Cardio Reset Handbook
Your 18-page cardio companion
”Just what I needed. It’s a coach, planner, tracker and journal, all in one!”
Download here
What’s next?
Part 3: Power Up
Discover the Big Four Power Resistance Moves that take cardio to the next level. These are the compound moves that also build strength, transforming your body with minimal equipment!
Do them at home or anywhere you roam—even when traveling.
Multiply your metabolism with science-backed resistance methods
Make muscle-building your secret weapon against age-related decline
Master simple techniques that deliver maximum results in minimum time
PLUS:
Your quick-start guide to each power move
A Note About Safety
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor or healthcare provider before changing your exercise program.
If you experience faintness, dizziness, pain, or shortness of breath at any time while exercising, stop immediately and seek medical advice.
I’m a 42 year old woman who just started exercising regularly again a couple of years ago. This was so helpful to read - thank you!
Thank you. So much good information. I’m going to start today.