Zone 2 & VO2 Max for Women Over 35: Less Time, More Payoff

What is the minimum effective dose of cardio you actually need for a healthier heart and a longer life? In this episode, Alisha Carlson breaks down the exercise science on VO2 max, the fitness metric most strongly linked to longevity, and reveals why short, high-intensity workouts can rival much longer sessions. If you’re a busy woman juggling weight training, HIIT, Zone 2, and everything else the fitness world insists you need, this episode gives you research-backed permission to do less, and still get real results.   WHAT YOU’LL LEARN  - Why VO2 max is one of the strongest predictors of longevity researchers have identified - What the research actually says about exercise intensity versus duration for improving VO2 max - The minimum effective dose of cardio according to peer-reviewed studies, not fitness influencer guesswork - Why short bursts of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can match the results of much longer moderate workouts - How stress, cortisol, and exercise intersect in midlife, and why more exercise isn’t automatically better exercise - How to build a sustainable fitness routine as a busy woman without falling into the all-or-nothing trap   THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF… - You’re overwhelmed trying to fit weight training, HIIT, Zone 2, and everything else into one week - You’ve heard "more exercise is always better" and want to know what the research actually supports - You’re navigating perimenopause and want evidence-based movement strategies, not guesswork - You’re stuck in an all-or-nothing mindset around fitness and want a sustainable way out - You want to protect your long-term health without adding more hours to an already full scheduleReady to take this deeper and apply it in real time to your real life? go to TheStrong(HER)Way.com to get started