Two new studies have found that exercise may ease hot flashes as well as — or better than — hormone replacement therapy or drug treatments.

The research — at Liverpool John Moores University in England and other institutions — suggests exercise might lessen both the frequency and severity of hot flashes by changing how the body regulates its internal temperature, The New York Times reports.

For the two new studies, one of which was published in the Journal of Physiology and the other in Menopause, researchers recruited 21 menopausal women who did not exercise but suffered from hot flashes.

Fourteen of the women began an exercise program, while seven did not. The workouts involved 30-45 minutes of moderate jogging or bicycling three times a week.

The results showed that the exercisers were considerably more aerobically fit than those who did not engage in workouts. But the researchers also found the women who had exercised were better able to regulate their body heat and that their hot flashes were less intense and less frequent than those of the women who had not worked out.

These findings strongly suggest that “improvements in fitness with a regular exercise program will have potential benefits on hot flushes,” said Helen Jones, a professor of exercise science at Liverpool John Moores University, who oversaw the new studies.