Besides providing a good workout for your heart and lungs, water offers constant, gentle pressure on every part of the body, which, in turn, helps improve circulation from the outside in, eases joint and back pain, and increases flexibility and range of motion.

Riding a bicycle can be an excellent fitness activity. Cyclists can burn 400 to 700 calories an hour when they're pedaling at a good pace.

Many men and women take up martial arts for very realistic reasons -- not just to learn self-defense skills, but also for the benefits to body and mind.

If you left your jump rope behind after childhood, consider picking it up again. Jumping rope is a convenient, cheap aerobic workout.

Dance and fitness instructors say swing dancing or swing aerobics can elevate your heart rate quickly.

In indoor cycling workouts (also known as spinning classes), participants ride stationary bicycles specially designed to mimic outdoor bikes.

Although many people enjoy water aerobics classes, you don't have to be in a group to work out.

This workout can be done at home or at the gym, using your own body weight as resistance, or with weights.

Circuit training refers to a series of exercises done one after the other with little rest between. A complete series makes up one circuit.

Besides being fun, dance offers a range of benefits—physical, mental, and social—that other activities can't match.