Intermittent Walking Training and Cardiometabolic Health in Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Women

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare premenopausal and postmenopausal women regarding the effects of a 10-week moderate-intensity intermittent walking training (MIWT) program on aerobic capacity and selected cardiometabolic and inflammatory markers. The main question it aims to answer is: Does a MIWT program induce differential improvements in aerobic capacity, body composition, lipid profile, and inflammatory markers between premenopausal and postmenopausal women? Participants in the premenopausal group will perform a 10-week MIWT program, three sessions per week. Participants in the postmenopausal group will perform the same 10-week MIWT program, three sessions per week. Each training session consists of 5 repetitions of 6-minute walking (6MWT) at 60-80% of the baseline 6MWT distance, interspersed by 6 minutes of active recovery between repetitions. Body composition, aerobic capacity (6-minute walk test), heart rate, blood pressure, lipid profile (total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides), and C-reactive protein (CRP) will be assessed before and after the intervention in both groups.