Women in midlife who exercise regularly halve their risk of early death, a major new Australian study has found. 

Researchers from the University of Sydney used data from more than 11,000 women born between 1946 and 1951, who enrolled in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. The study is one of the biggest longitudinal studies of its kind. 

The women answered surveys every three years, starting in their fifties, providing insights into their health and lifestyle.

The analysis found the incidence of death was 5.3 per cent in women who consistently met exercise guidelines, compared to 10.4 per cent in those who consistently did not.

The study used the physical activity guidelines recommended by the World Health Organization, which suggests people do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week. 

“This study supports the growing evidence that maintaining an active lifestyle in midlife provides health benefits,” the authors say. 

“Women should be encouraged to meet physical activity recommendations throughout mid-age to derive these benefits.”

Lead researcher Binh Nguyen said the research shows staying active throughout midlife can make a real difference for women’s long-term health.

“Our study shows that maintaining recommended levels of physical activity over multiple years helps protect against early death,” Nguyen said. 

Published on Friday in PLOS Medicine, the study also suggested the magnitude of effect appeared to be similar or stronger for cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality, however the findings for this were less conclusive. 

Previous studies have shown that women don’t exercise as much as they would like to, despite knowing the positive benefits for physical and mental health. In 2024, a major global study found the key barriers to women exercising more included time pressures, low self confidence, intimidating environments, and not feeling sporty enough. Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of mothers said motherhood was the main reason that prevented them from doing regular physical activity. 

In Australia, other research has indicated women are doing much less exercise than men each week – it’s called the “gender exercise gap”, with women doing 60 minutes less exercise than men per week.