The New Year is right around the corner and with Christmas almost here, there isn't much time to get your New Year's Resolutions finished up. It is no secret that the holidays are the fattest times of the year and that many of us desire to lose weight in the New Year; so often times, weight loss is included in the New Year's Resolutions. This year, no doubt, will be the same. If it is your desire to lose weight in 2010 and look good by Valentine's Day, then here are a few things that you should be doing.

First, you should be drinking at least 2 liters of water a day; that is the equivalent of about 4 bottles of water a day. Each bottle is roughly half a liter. Water will help to flush all the waste and toxins out of your body, and will keep you feeling full throughout the day so that you don't feel hunger pangs.

Next, you should be eating the proper foods. For at least the month of January, cut out all pasta, rice, bread, and potatoes and anything else that is white like sugar. Try to eat only fruits, vegetables, lean meats, etc... Don't drink sodas or any beverage that has a lot of sugar. You can, however drink juices that are 100% juice, though no more than a glass or two a day. Eating better meals will do more for you than any workout and can help you to drop as much as 5 pounds a week.

Exercise is the next part of this equation. Start with 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise every day. This means running, jogging, riding your bike, doing aerobic activity, speed walking, or swimming. The important part of cardiovascular exercise is keeping your heart rate high for the entire 30 minutes. That's essentially what cardiovascular exercise is. Running and jogging do this for you well. Running and jogging also help to get your abdominal muscles in shape which is why it is recommended.

Strength training is the other half of the exercise part of this plan. Lifting weights will help you to lose weight faster. So try and do strength training every other day. Do a combination of arm exercises with weights, squats and lunges for your legs, and crunches for your abs. Make sure that for every exercise you do, you are doing at least 3 sets of 10. As time goes on, these exercises will become easier for you to do so you will need to eventually make the exercises more challenging. You will either want to increase the number of reps that you do, or you will want to increase the amount of weight that you are lifting.

So get started on your New Year's Resolutions. The more preparation you do in 2009, the better you will be for 2010!