Tone Up In New Year With Exercise Videos

You ate everything in sight during the holiday season, and now you’re paying the price: None of your clothes fit.

It’s time to make good on your New Year’s resolution to lose weight. Fortunately plenty of new workout tapes are available to help your quest. So get off the couch and feel the burn.

Five very buff fitness instructors, all of whom have won National Aerobic Championship medals, host the fast-paced “The NAC System” (Orion, $15 each). The three-video collection offers an intense aerobic workout, a moderate cardiovascular workout with light muscle training, and workouts that tone buns, arms, chest, abs and legs.

You have to be in peak shape to tackle Cathe Friedrich’s “PowerMax” (Step N’ Motion Videos, $20), an intensive step aerobics workout for experienced steppers. To order, call (800) 433-STEP.

For those looking for a more soothing, calm workout, why not check out “Tai Chi: The Empowering Workout” (Goldhil, $20). Hosted and narrated by John Saxon (“Enter the Dragon”), the one-hour workout is led by very mellow master instructor Jerry Alan Johnson.

Saxon and Johnson also are featured on “Chi Kung: The Healing Workout” ($20), which presents exercises aimed to cleanse, cultivate and refine your body and spirit.

Also from Goldhil are three comprehensive yoga tapes ($15 each) hosted by instructor Wai Lana. “Yoga: The Relaxation Workout,” demonstrates methods to lessen stress and massage your entire spine.

The “Beginner’s Workout” ($15) is designed for beginning students and those who want a break from more strenuous workouts. “Toning Workout” strengthens the lower back and tones thighs and buns.

For those who want to combine prayer with their routine, there are the decidedly unique “Aerobic Prayer Series” videos: “Sing My Soul” and “Sing My Soul: Floor Work” (Spectrum Communications, $20 each).

Dr. Irene Lamberti leads these aerobic workouts described as forms “of sacred movement designed to deepen the user’s experience of personal prayer.” To order, call (800) DANCE-61.

Aaron M. Binder’s “Pumping Iron After 50” (Increase Video, $16), includes a 20-minute routine featuring 11 exercises, a companion book and two dumbbells for strengthening hands.

Popular fitness expert Kathy Smith has two new tapes on the market (BodyVision, $15 each): “Lower Body Firming” and “Peak Fat Burning.”

The former utilizes basic exercise principles and works all the lower-body muscle groups simultaneously.

The latter provides maximum calorie burning and conditions the body to continue to burn fat hours after completing the workout.

Actress-model Kathy Ireland works up a sweat on two new videos (UAV, $15 each): “Kathy Ireland’s ABSolutely Fit,” which features five abdominal workouts for men and women, and “Kathy Ireland’s Advanced Sports Fitness,” which presents an intense regimen including sports moves and weight training.

The new “Reebok Rhythm Section” workout line (PolyGram, $13) features “AerobiCaliente” and “Sweat Factory.” The 30-minute “AerobiCaliente” offers an intensive cardio workout set to Latin-inspired dance moves. Diana Maria Lara and Mauro Maschkvich are the instructors.