With holiday parties around the corner it is time to take down that little black dress and try it on for size! Every woman wants to feel like a million bucks this time of the year. We all want to start the New Year off with a BANG and be the center of attention.

Wearing the holiday dress can be stressful for many, does it make my hips look big? Do my thighs resemble those of a gorilla? Does my butt look jiggley? We are our own worst critics and no matter how hard our love ones try to reassure us that we are gorgeous we want to KNOW we are!

Everyone wants a quick answer, well unfortunately I am not going to suggest going on a cabbage soup diet or an all-liquid diet. I am going to give some tips to have you and your butt looking amazing for your work party. The next time around putting your dress on will have you feeling like a princess.

OK, first things first, these tips are not meant to be short term they can be altered to become apart of your workout and lifestyle routine. Women need to weight train! Strength training and a proper diet will not only have you looking better, it will have you feeling better inside and out. But that is a whole other article.

For the great tush:
Do 1 set of these exercises all the way to failure. If you think you are going to fail then do one more. You will feel better in the end.
1. Power squats: with 10-20lb weights in each hand squat down slowly till you are sitting in a chair. Return to standing but push the arms up to a full extension or a power press. Lower arms and repeat.
2. Dead lifts: You can use a long bar or dumbbells. Keep legs shoulder width apart and back straight. Place weight in front of feet and bend down. Using your butt and hamstrings stand up straight, lower back down keeping weight approximately 3-6 inches off the ground and return to standing.
3. Power jumps: Stand in front of a weight bench or stepper (approximately 24 inches off ground). Jump with one kick movement up to top and hop backwards down. Repeat as rapidly as possible keeping correct form- no slouching.
4. Lunges: Holding 10-20lb free weights in each hand lunge across floor. First moving in a forward motion then return to start position by lunging in reverse.

As for cardio, since there is not much time before the great day we are actually going to up the cardio from 20 minutes to 30 minute spurts. Do cardio you find fun but also allows you to raise your heart rate. If you hate to run then do not waste your time.

The secret to get the most out of cardio workouts is interval training. I enjoy running and for toning the butt and legs sprinting is a great method. Now obviously I can not sprint for 30 minutes straight so I add some time to light jog, heavy jog, and sprint. I never take it all the way to a walk but if you need to then by all means do not over do yourself. Other great toning cardio methods include biking, swimming, tennis, and especially stair stepping.

And last but definitely not least, the diet. Try cutting out 300 calories per day and most high saturated fats and sugars. You will results fast just by cutting out the little snacks you do not think effect you. Drink plenty of water and I suggest even cutting out soft drinks, even the diet ones.

Research has suggested there are chemicals in the diet drinks that make losing weight harder so make it easy by saying good bye!

So there you have it, no big secrets. Just commitment. With this, any woman will be looking amazing slim, toned, and fit in almost no time at all. Feel confident and sexy at that party!