Fitness is important at any age -- it keeps your body looking and feeling good, it helps prevent a host of chronic conditions, and it boosts your energy. But as you approach the big 4-0, there are some additional reasons why exercise is important.

Exercise helps alleviate some of the symptoms of perimenopause, which can begin anytime during your 40s. Exercise is also a proactive measure against the estrogen loss that will occur later during menopause; it can help prevent related problems such as bone loss. Menopause may seem far away -- but being active now will make it easier when menopause comes knocking on your door.

Revolution Health has fitness tips for women in their 40s:

• Increase your core strength, balance, and flexibility. Improving these areas and maintaining them will help prevent falls and stiff, achy joints as you get older. Activities such as Pilates and yoga will help. AOL Health has tips on strength and flexibility exercises.
• Do weight-bearing exercise. Bolster your bone density by participating in weight-bearing activities such as jumping rope, aerobics, tennis, and jogging.
• Keep up the cardio. Cardio workouts will help keep your heart strong and help you maintain a healthy weight.

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Caffeine has had its fair share of bad press in the past, but this one gets the prize ... the booby prize.

A new study reveals that drinking caffeine over an extended period of time can make a woman's breasts shrink. Regis filled Kelly in on the news during a recent episode and said that he thinks cutting back on the coffee "could help." Why? Because as little as three cups of coffee or other caffeinated beverages a day can impact estrogen levels, subsequently causing breasts to shrink. But don't worry too much -- according to the study author, "They will get smaller, but the breasts aren't just going to disappear." Whew! Good to know.

Coffee has some health perks so if you like a cuppa Joe there's no need to avoid it. But maybe you should opt for decaffeinated.

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Check out your fingers. Is your ring finger longer than your index finger? Mine is. Uh Oh. That means I have nearly double the chance of developing osteoarthritis, according to a recent study.

Size differences between ring fingers and index fingers have already been linked to sexual and physical ability and performance in university exams, but researchers have now discovered that arthritis might also be connected to the size of fingers.

Type 3 Finger Pattern is what it's called when people have the common male trait of a shorter index finger, and it's now been linked to arthritis of the hips and knees. More common in women than men, the mechanism that accounts for this finding -- and one linking this finger pattern with early onset menopause -- is unknown.

Sounds like I could be headed for future health issues. How about you?

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Staying healthy, fit and trim keeps just about any woman looking and feeling younger, but time rolls steadily along when it comes to those ovaries. Yet if Father Time is late when it comes to the arrival of your date with menopause, it can be a plus.

According to one gynecologist, late menopause is a good thing. Even with its corresponding one percent higher risk of breast cancer and potential for unwanted pregnancy, maintaining higher levels of estrogen in the body comes with a strong set of advantages -- delaying osteoporosis, heart disease, strokes and wrinkles. Beyond the physical realm, a new study also indicates later menopause may mean less cognitive decline later in life.

This news makes me want to hang onto my periods forever -- a markedly different feeling from my previous attitudes toward menstruation. I felt a little scared when I had my first period at nearly 13, detested the cramps in my 20s, and then watched my cycles carefully when entering motherhood in my 30s. Now at 40, while regular periods are annoying, I don't want them to end. While the average age of menopause is 51, genes are the best predictor. Ask mom when she reached The Change -- chances are you'll follow in her menopausal footsteps.

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How dark is your room at night? For me, not so much. I'm a little afraid to admit it but I might be, um, just the teensiest bit afraid of the dark ... hey, you, stop laughing! I'm serious. It goes back to my childhood when I watched the episode of Little House on the Prairie where Mary woke up and discovered she was blind. Ever since then, I need to have a little bit of light in my room when I sleep so that when I wake up, I can see something and prove to myself that, yet again, I woke up with my eyesight intact.

But as it turns out, you--and I--should be sleeping in total darkness most nights. It not only helps maintain a deep sleep but it can reduce our cancer risk too, according to Dr. Mercola. Why? It all comes down to your levels of Melatonin, which is affected by how much light you see. Melatonin, in turn, plays a role in Estrogen secretion, which plays a role in cancer, particularly breast cancer. In fact, totally blind women have a 36% less chance of developing cancer than those who aren't blind or who are visually impaired.

Dang. I guess this means I have to give up the nightlight.

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Hormone replacement therapy has been a subject of controversy for a while now. A recent study adds to the issues with this menopause treatment. Reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study followed 16,000 women who were prescribed Prempro (an estrogen/progestin combo). The study found that after women stopped taking the hormone replacement pills all benefits wore off as expected. But the study also found that the women had a slightly increased risk of certain cancers.

Overall risk remains low, so the study results don't change hormone replacement therapy recommendations. Doctors currently prescribe the lowest effective dose for women who have uncomfortable symptoms such as moderate or severe hot flashes.

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I was sure when I saw the article The Grapefruit-Cancer Connection in February's Redbook magazine that I'd discover yet another study proving that diets high in fruit significantly slash the risk of breast cancer. This is exactly what I did not find.

According to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer, grapefruits contain chemical compounds that may affect the way estrogen is metabolized, leading to higher concentrations of the hormone -- a known risk factor for breast cancer -- in the bodies of postmenopausal women. Researchers are not yet sure how grapefruit consumption affects premenopausal women.

Those critical of this study, which put study participants in a 30 percent higher risk category after eating half of a grapefruit every other day, cite a pesticide problem. Even if hormonal factors are present, they say, it could be the pesticides responsible for the real risk.

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Menopause is a fact of life for women. But is it a reality for men too? Most likely, according to eDiets. Male menopause is a little-known effect of aging, and while for years it was thought of as a myth just a part of growing older, Doctors are now insisting that it's a hormonal condition, just like female menopause. But of course, the hormones are different -- women lose estrogen, while men lose testosterone.

So what does Manopause entail? It's a more gradual process than menopause, and it's characterized by the following symptoms:

• Decreases sex drive and/or erectile dysfunction
  
• Irritability or depression
  
• A lack of energy
  
• Increased body fat
• Decreased muscle mass or bone density

But keep in mind that these symptoms don't definitely mean Manopause. Talk to your doctor or find out more from this article from eDiets.

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If you're planning to have your ovaries removed before menopause happens, a new study indicates that you may hive a higher probability of developing dementia later in life.

The reasoning revolves around the production (or lack thereof) of estrogen in those before age 50. Those pre-menopausal women who need to have their ovaries removed for one reason or another may want to give this study further examination.

But then again, there are risks (and benefits) of talking estrogen treatments until age 50 or so. One of the benefits, noted researchers, seemed to be that the production of estrogen by the ovaries as a biological way to ward off future dementia.

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Bad news ladies: Not only does your metabolism slow down as your age, but the loss of estrogen that comes with menopause can also lead to obesity, a study shows. This estrogen loss also contributes to your chances at getting heart disease as estrogen helps protect the heart. These findings were derived from studies involving rats that had their estrogen levels depleted by removing their ovaries. The rats who had their ovaries removed had significantly higher blood pressure and gained much more weight than control rats who had normally functioning ovaries.

So, while you're celebrating the end of tampons, don't go overboard on the sweets. And for those of us who haven't gone through the change yet, building healthy habits today will pay off when we do.

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If you're a women with a twin brother, your chances of conceiving may be reduced by 25%. According to researchers, this is due to the testosterone female twins are exposed to in the womb.

In addition to infertility, there are other interesting side effects -- most notably, that women with male twins seem to be "masculinized." The study found that these women are more likely to exhibit traits, attitudes and behaviors typically associated with men -- which, researchers believe, accounts for the fact that they are 15% less likely to marry than other women.

Of course, it works both ways, so the male twin is also exposed to estrogen -- and previous research has shown that certain physical characteristics, including facial features, can be altered by exposure to hormones of the opposite sex. However, unlike testosterone, both male and female fetuses have similar amounts of estrogen to begin with, so men are less likely to be affected.

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Apparently the Beatles were right when they sang "I get by with a little help from my friends". Well, as far as women are concerned at least. As shows like Sex and the City have shown, women tend to turn toward their girlfriends when they're having trouble with work, kids, boyfriends, husbands and anything or anyone else out there that adds stress to their lives.

I know when I've had a bad day the only thing that I really want to do is get together with friends for a chat. We don't even have to talk about the cause of my troubles. Just having those girls to joke and laugh with makes all the difference. I imagine that most of you ladies out there also have a great group of women friends, or even just one best girlfriend, who you turn to for support and comfort on a regular basis.

Have you ever wondered why we girls gravitate toward each other for emotional support? According to a study by UCLA -- which is reported on here -- when a woman is feeling stress her brain releases chemicals which counteract the typical "fight or flight response" that is prevalent in men, and instead encourages her to stick around and congregate with fellow females. According to the article, the effects of the hormone oxytocin, which is responsible for this reaction, is enhanced by estrogen and diminished by testosterone. So while men would often rather work out problems on their own, women are programmed to go to each other for support.

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Osteoporosis and weak bones are generally thought of as a women's issue, and although women are 4 times more likely to suffer from "brittle bones," with 1 in 12 men getting the disease it's a serious issue for them too.

A common culprit for women who have weak bones is the decline in estrogen after menopause, but what about for men? Surprisingly, most men have higher levels of estrogen than most post-menopausal women, which may be why they generally have lower risk. But those men who have a lower number of active estrogen metabolites also have a correspondingly higher risk of developing lower bone density (low -- high -- low -- did that make sense?).

But don't worry guys, there are no plans yet to start generally prescribing estrogen hormone replacement for men. Not yet anyway...

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After being diagnosed with cancer I read everything that I could about the disease and what contributes to it. The word "steroid" was implanted in my mind as a big "No No" that contributed to certain cancers. Six years later one of my medical doctors studied all of my medical reports even as far back as childhood, when I had a high ANA reading on a blood test. She immediately referred me to a Rheumatoid specialist to determine if I had lupus. Sure enough I was diagnosed with lupus and one of the first things he mentioned was steroids for the inflammation. I threw up my arms in an "X" as if to ward off the medications that could bring more cancer back into my life. He set me at ease a little bit on the various types of steroids and why I needed them to control the inflammation in my joints, pleurisy (inflammation around lungs), and pericarditis (inflammation around heart).

Both alone and in combination, the powerful steroids estrogen and progesterone and their synthetic equivalents (estrogen derivatives and progestins) can cause breast cancer. The dangerous performance enhancing steroids taken by athletes are male steroid hormonal drugs that build muscle. One of their risks is liver cancer. Corticosteroids are different from the "anabolic steroids" that weightlifters and other athletes sometimes take illegally to increase strength and do not cause cancer. Prednisone is the synthetic corticosteroid preparation most often used in the treatment of lupus. And in some instances to help with inflammation in cancer patients to control pain. Those individuals with organ-threatening diseases like heart, lung, brain, kidney, and liver, usually need corticosteroids in order to prevent loss of function in the organ. In addition to prednisone, some other cortisone derivatives include hydrocortisone, methylprednisolone (Medrol), and dexamethasone (Decadron).

Some of the more common side effects of steroids include changes in appearance such as acne, development of a round or moon-shaped face, and an increased appetite leading to weight gain. Steroids may also cause a redistribution of fat, leading to a swollen face and abdomen, but thin arms and legs. The skin becomes more fragile, which leads to easy bruising. An increase in susceptibility to infections may occur with high doses of steroids. Prednisone may also aggravate diabetes, glaucoma, and high blood pressure, and often increases cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. Steroids also can suppress growth in children.

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Good news for women seeking help with their menopause symptoms, but are leery of all the risks associated with taking pills: the French recently published a study that shows hormone patches and hormones gels are less likely than oral medications to cause blood clots.

This comes after scary news back in 2002 that many hormone replacements for women drastically increased the risk of stroke and clots. This latest information not only shows that the method of delivery may play a factor in side-effects, but most likely the dosage as well.

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