A significant percentage of women are worried that the onset of menopause marks a sudden increase in their rate of aging and that physically, their youthful looks will fade overnight. This need not occur, if you learn how to reduce some of the things that tend to accelerate the aging process. The rate at which you age is defined by several factors. The ones that are beyond your control are your genetic inheritance and the age at which you pass through menopause. Factors over which you can exert control include exercise and exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays.

Exercise is essential for women in midlife. After menopause, the body's metabolic rate decreases, causing a tendency to gain weight easily. 50 percent of post menopausal women experience in increase in body weight of at least 10 pounds and in many cases much more. Ideally, a menopausal woman should do at least twenty to thirty minutes of aerobic exercise daily to stimulate your heart, blood circulation and respiration. This can consist of swimming, jogging, or working out on a stationary bicycle or stair-climbing machine.

Many menopausal women find that aerobic exercise can be awkward because of stress incontinence. This means that when pressure in the abdomen is temporarily increased by exercise, urine is passed uncontrollably, soiling the underclothes. This often happens in menopause because a deficiency in estrogen can cause the pelvic floor muscles to weaken and sag, which causes the bladder to be to be insufficiently supported. Exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles can overcome stress incontinence in 40 to 50 percent of cases.

As far as aging of the skin is concerned, there is nothing worse than ultraviolet radiation from the sun. of course, protection from this radiation should begin at a young age, but many women who are now menopausal have no idea whatsoever about the harmful effects of the sun while they were growing up, so it is common to see sun-damaged skin in this age group.

There are two different types of ultraviolet rays, ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays. The latter is stronger in the middle of the day and in summer and is the major cause of sunburn and skin cancer. Ultraviolet A rays are present regardless of the season and time of day and although they do no usually cause sunburn, they do contribute to skin cancer and premature aging, especially with long-term exposure.

To protect yourself from the sun, whenever you are outdoors, use a sunscreen cream or a lotion with a sun protection factor of at least 15. If you are very fair-skinned, you will be safer choosing a sun protection factor higher than 15. Whatever sun protection factor you choose, look for products that specify full spectrum protection. This means that they screen out both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays. Apply the sunscreen to all exposed areas of the skin every two hours - more often if you are swimming or perspiring a lot. Avoid spending time outdoors between 10:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M., when the sun's radiation is strongest, without adequate protection. In addition to sunscreen, wear a broad-brimmed hat and protective clothing, making sure to protect your face and neck, as these areas really show your age. Use good-quality sun glasses that specify broad-spectrum ultraviolet protection to filter out the ultraviolet rays.