The benefits of exercise are tremendous.  The list goes on and on and on.  But for women experiencing peri-menopausal or menopausal symptoms, exercise can be the thing that helps a woman survive this event more gracefully.   Below is a link to an article from SparkPeople on the blessed subject!  Enjoy the read and remember, they're not "HOT FLASHES", they're "POWER SURGES"
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=438