By Melody Simanian

Regular exercise, when combined with a healthy diet, can help weight management and weight loss. There are many activities you can join to help you exercise with no monthly fee or membership whatsoever.

Both walking and running are great ways to burn calories and improve cardiovascular health. You can do this right outside your home and around your neighborhood or walk to a nearby park. Hiking in nature can be another great way to burn calories to lose weight and enjoy the outdoors.

Whether it’s on a stationary bike or regular bicycle, cycling is another great way to lose weight and improve cardiovascular health. Cycling is a cardiovascular exercise that burns a significant number of calories. The intensity and duration of your cycling workout will determine how many calories you burn, but on average, a person can burn between 400 to 1000 calories per hour cycling at a moderate pace. It is a low-impact exercise, which makes it easy on the joints and less likely to cause injury. This makes it a great option for people of all ages and fitness levels. Cycling also helps to increase muscle tone, particularly in the legs and glutes. This leads to an increase in metabolism, which means the body burns more calories at rest. To maximize weight loss, it is recommended to cycle for at least 30 minutes to an hour, 3-5 times a week at moderate to vigorous intensity. Combining cycling with a healthy diet is also beneficial in achieving sustainable weight loss results even sooner. Additionally, cycling can be done either indoor or outdoors on either a road bike or a stationary bike.

For all you yoga lovers out there! Yoga can help tremendously with weight loss by increasing flexibility and muscle tone, in addition to reducing stress. First, yoga is a form of physical exercise that can burn calories and increase muscle tone. Certain types of yoga, such as vinyasa or power yoga, can be particularly effective for weight loss as they involve continuous movements and can raise the heart rate to a level that burns calories. Yoga is known to improve flexibility, balance, and overall body strength which can help to boost metabolism and burn more calories at rest. Yoga can also help with weight loss by promoting stress relief and mindfulness. Stress and emotional eating are common causes of weight gain, and yoga's emphasis on breathing and relaxation can help to reduce stress and improve mental well-being.

If you are postmenopausal, the best way to lose weight is through strength training. Strength training helps to increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis in menopausal women by stimulating the growth of new bone cells. As the muscles and bones work together, the stress on the bones during strength training exercises triggers the body to build new bone cells, making them stronger and denser. This can help prevent bone loss that often occurs during menopause. More importantly, strength training helps women improve their balance and coordination which can lower the risk of falls, which is an important consideration for women with osteoporosis.

For the water lovers, swimming is an excellent full-body workout that can help with weight loss and improve cardiovascular health. Swimming is an effective form of exercise for weight loss because it is a full-body workout that burns a high number of calories. Additionally, the resistance of the water provides an extra challenge to the muscles which can help to increase muscle mass and boost metabolism, leading to long-term weight loss. Swimming also has a low-impact nature, making it a good option for people who may have joint pain or other conditions that make high-impact activities difficult. This means that it is accessible to people of all ages, sizes and fitness levels.

The most important thing to remember is to choose an activity that you find fun and enjoyable.

Do you prefer to spend time indoors or outdoors?  Alone or with other people?

There's always a perfect fit for everyone.

Now let’s get to business, it’s time to exercise!