Work out! The lowdown on the latest in fitness activities.

It's a new year and time again to make those New Year's resolutions. One of the most often made pledges is to lose weight and get in shape. The $52.9 billion fitness industry is constantly coming out with activities and products designed to get and keep us interested in working out.

Recent fitness trends have ranged from air bench aerobics and boxing training to Tai-Chi and yoga. But according to the experts, there's still only one way to get in shape: Burn fat and eat properly.

"We're anti-trend," says Brian Moss, president of Better Bodies America in New York. "I think people are tired of the trends; they're looking for the truth--proven exercises that work: weight training, cardiovascular [aerobics] and diet," adds Moss.

Fitness instructor Suzanne Farkas agrees and says that the different trends are just approaches to accomplishing this task. "The key is finding something you like to do," she says. The New York-based instructor points to yoga and Tai-Chi as two activities growing fast in popularity among businesspeople.

According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, fitness walking, free weights, basketball, jogging and stationary biking are among the top 20 sports in the U.S.

But, like the ad says, the key to getting started is to "just do it." The bottom line is a change in lifestyle. "If you decide you're going to have a more physical lifestyle and incorporate it into your life, you're more likely to stick with it and enjoy it," says Mary Ann Hill of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

Marcus James Curry, president of Body Physics, a San Diego-based personal training company, suggests the following 10-step approach to beginning a workout program:

Step 1. Walk for 20 to 45 minutes at a brisk pace (3.5 to 4.5 mph), four times a week. This is called power walking. Step 2. Increase your pace and add hand or wrist weights. Step 3. At 8 weeks to 2 1/2 months, graduate from a brisk walk to a light jog--a 10-to 12-minute mile. Steps 4 & 5. Stay with a light jog and increase your distance. You can begin to introduce resistance training into your routine. Steps 6 & 7. Increase your distance to at least one mile, three times a week. Add a combination of free weights and machines to your workout. Steps 8 9. Move up to a jogging pace--an 8-10-minute mile--covering two to five miles, three to five times a week. You should be working at 55% to 85% of your maximum heart rate. Step 10. After six months, you should be running an 8-minute mile, four to five times a week.

Or, if you prefer aerobics or swimming, check out these two videos:

* The Flo-Jo Workout Mind, Body and Spirit (Paramount Home Video, 800-516-8306, $19.95) is designed for those at the beginner to intermediate level. There's a warm-up and two 20-minute aerobic sessions, plus a calisthenics section.

* Waters: Beginner's Swim Lessons For Adults and Children with Lee Pitts (Lee Pitts Enterprise, $19.95; 800-888-2092) is an award-winning video by African American Red Cross certified swim instructor Lee Pitts. The 50-minute video has before-you-jump-in basics and actual water experiences to encourage would-be swimmers.