Use this 4 step plan to use your lunch hour not only to refuel but to de-stress.

1. Release Your Stress Suckers
2. Sit still and release your inner Budda.
3. Get some Sun and have a Chat
4. Get some Alpha magic Sleep

You have a precious hour in the day where you have a break. Do you reach for that comfort food and relax for an hour or do you use uses this 4 step plan to get the most out of that lunch break for a total de-stress.

Release your inner Zen and boost mood and increase your efficiency.

Do you know that just one hour of de-stressing a day can make dramatic improvements in your overall level of well-being.

We all have lives that are getting busy each day. When sitting at a computer desk only compounds the problem of not exercising and adding more stress to your life.

Professor Steven Palmer, Director of the Centre for Stress Management in the UK says that just one hour of de-stressing a day will have you cutting your anxiety levels by over one third.

Ok, you say, that all makes sense but how can i fit this into my short lunch hour, and eat at the same time, easy, it just takes a plan and a little preparation, let me show you how.

1. Release Your Stress Suckers

You need to get your heart rate to at least 70% this will work out your cardiovascular system which is essential to releasing your catecholamines hormones which will help you de-stress.

Don’t worry you won’t have to to do a grueling workout to achieve this, just some simple exercises.

Swimming or jogging is ideal, it’s very easy to maintain your intensity. So strap your runners on or pull those swimming trunks on and get working.

Note that swimming has the added advantage of releasing negative ions which are released by the water and are proven relaxants, swimming in water is also cooling and good for your mind spirit.

If you can’t get the pool, go for a jog or try the jump squat. they produce high levels of testosterone helping you deal with stress. Just warm up for 4 minutes and pick a weight around a third of what you would use for a normal weight squat, just test a few to see what you are comfortable with.

Drop down halfway then bounce up hard so you jump - land with your knees bent. Do five sets of eight repetitions, remember to rest for thirty seconds between sets.

Including the short warm up this should take under 20 minutes in total.

2. Sit still and release your inner Budda.

Sitting still for just 10 minutes can de-stress you by a whopping 44%. called Mindfulness Meditation, sitting still for a short period of time will do wonders, just focus on a point on a wall and breath deeply in and then out for three seconds each.

If your mind begins to wonder don’t worry just be aware that your mind is wondering and then bring it back focus entirely on your breathing - in and then out. Professor from West Virgina University in the US says this will have a dramatic impact on your de-stress levels.

For only 10 minutes what more effective way can you de-stress.

3. Get some Sun and have a Chat

Having a coffee with a friend in the sun is one of the best paths to a health and balanced life.
For just ten minutes it’s another sure fire way to get some more needed de-stressing.

First drinking coffee with friends make your stress levels plummet. Drinking alone is different, so if you can grab someone get a coffee and have a chat.

Talking also helps release tensions from some issues you may be facing in life, you may also have a laugh or tow is is the key to good levels happiness.

Drinking outside will help you get your daily melatonin hormones that help you sleep better at night.

3. Eat Eggs, Pulses and leafy greens.

It’s lunch time so your hungry, ditch the usual meal and stay well away from comfort food.

Anything rich in carbohydrates should be off the menu for lunch as it will increase your blood sugar levels and leave you hitting that three o’clock brick wall in the early afternoon.

One of the best meals to have is one rich in B vitamins as they manufacture the feel-good hormones Serotonin, dopamine and Norepinephrine. A great meal is a simple a tuna salad (swap for salmon or chicken if you don’t like fish).

You can add mayo for taste,an egg, dark green lettuce and some pluses, like cooked lentils, done well can be a very satisfying lunch. It’s also a relatively cheap lunch so you will not cause more financial stress.

4. Get some Alpha magic Sleep

Do you know that many famously smart people survived on only a few hours sleep, but they were smart and got in it other ways. Inventor Thomas Edison got by on olny 3 hours of sleep a night, he did this by taking very short naps.

This is easy to do without the boss screaming down your ear when he finds you slumped asleep at your desk.

Just close your eyes at your desk. Wait five minutes for dream images to appear in your brain. Dream images might be a future aspiration you desire.

Where would you ultimately like be in your life, whats your biggest dream, don’t think obvious dreams like winning a million dollars try to be more imaginative, like things that give you please.

The more none material objects the better, cars, a bigger house and a larger stock portfolio are just items, think of feelings like the joy of watching your children grow up, or sitting on a sunny beach…

After five minutes of dreaming alpha sleep you will be calm and refreshed. If you come out of this feeling depressed that your life is not what you want it to be then you might actually be depressed and may need to see your doctor about strategies to get you out of a rut.

Maybe cognitive behaviorally therapy could be an option, it’s a very easy way of getting results in a short period of time.