A number of life-threatening diseases become greater health risks for women as they approach the age of menopause. While exercise is not the direct treatment for these diseases and conditions, it can be a valuable asset in their prevention and treatment.

An Excellent Tonic

Exercise has an impact on all of your body systems and supports body functioning as well as mental well-being. The combination is enough to make an enormous difference in helping your body combat all sorts of serious conditions. Here are just some of the potentially lifesaving benefits of following a regular, sustained program of exercise:

• Exercise makes your heart healthier. Your heart is a muscle that grows weak with continued inactivity. The walls of an inactive woman's heart grow thin and are less effective at pumping blood throughout her system. Regular, aerobic exercise builds the heart along with other muscle tissues in the body. The walls of a physically active woman's heart grow thicker and stronger; her heart is healthier and does a better job of pumping nourishing blood throughout her circulatory system, especially under periods of physical or emotional stress.

• Exercise helps keep cholesterol levels down and increases blood flow. Even moderate levels of regular exercise can lower the level of LDL (so-called “bad”) cholesterol in a woman's bloodstream. LDL cholesterol is responsible for the fatty deposits that collect on the walls of arteries, contributing to high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. A regular program of aerobic exercise contributes to clean, clear arteries that allow ample supplies of fresh, oxygenated blood to feed the heart and other body tissues.

• Exercise helps prevent diabetes. Diabetes is on the rise in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 9 million women in the United States have been diagnosed with diabetes, and there are probably 3 million more who don't yet know they have it.

• Exercise builds strong bones. Women who participate in little or no regular physical activity can lose at least 1 percent of their bone mass each year — even before menopause. Participating in regular weight-bearing exercise — including walking, running, climbing stairs, and dancing — can slow and even reverse this bone loss.

• Exercise can help prevent some types of cancer. Research from the American Cancer Society (ACS) reports that even moderate physical activity can lower breast cancer risk. Vigorous exercise has been linked to reduced risk for ovarian cancer and also reduces risks for developing colon cancer.

• Exercise may help prevent or slow the development of Alzheimer's disease. A 1998 study conducted by researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland found that people who exercise regularly are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. Physically active people who do develop the disease are more likely to develop it late in life and experience a slower progression of symptoms.

Beyond the Body

Besides the effect on the brain itself, exercise improves mental well-being in general: Moderate exercise causes the brain to release more endorphins — naturally occurring substances that resemble opiates, and make you feel good and happy. The sense of satisfaction that you get from completing an exercise routine will carry over into the rest of your day, and may help with the discipline you need to stick to your healthy diet.