Hi Weathergirl,
I'm post-meno (i believe, hard to know on HRT, but before HRT, didn't have a period for 15 months). I also went through it fairly young - I'm 49 - and not long after having a child.
I've been dedicated to exercise since I was about 29, but I have definitely noticed changes in how my body fares. I work out about 4 times a week - a range of HITT, strength and conditioning and boxing - but in order to do this I have to go to bed early and try to sleep (i have sleep issues), and build in lots of time to recover, rest and do yoga stretches. What I find is that my body aches a lot more - as you said - but yoga makes a big difference. I'm not massively into yoga, to be honest, but my body loves it and i feel a huge benefit. So, I would def look at building that in.
The type of exercise I do also differs from pre baby/menopause. Before I ran and worked out on gym machines. My muscle tone was good, I was thin. Now, I'm carrying about half a stone more weight than I'd like, but I'm actually in good shape and stronger than I've ever been. Strength work, resistence, metabolic training, and boxing has all made a difference. But I have to work much harder than I ever have.
I notice that there are days when my body feels literally done in. Then I don't exercise. Despite wanting to keep pushing, I listen to my body now, because I know it's a slippery slope if I do too much.
I'm not sure I answered the question!