Likely menopause aids: Walking, yoga

Women who engage in physical activities such as walking and yoga may be able to reduce some of the physical and emotional problems that can come with menopause, researchers say.Writing in the April issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, the researchers say they found improvements in women described as having been sedentary before the study.

The research was led by Steriani Elavsky of Penn State University.For the study, the researchers took 164 women and divided them into three groups. For four months, one group walked, one did yoga and one remained inactive.Menopause, and sometimes the years before and after it, can be accompanied by hot flashes, night sweats, irritability and emotional problems. In some studies, menopausal women who reported being physically active seemed to have fewer problems.In this study, the women taking part in the walking and yoga programs also said the problems associated with menopause decreased and their overall quality of life improved. "Interestingly," the researchers said, "yoga participants also appeared to benefit in the sexual domain."