4 Things You Can Do During Your Lunch Hour to Promote Weight Loss

No matter how crazy-insane your workplace might be, your lunch hour is your time—to chill out, fuel up, and take a well-deserved timeout from the all-consuming work world. And even if you don't actually get a full 60 minutes (these days, fewer people do), you can still make time during your break for easy weight-loss moves. These four tips will keep you on course to reach your goal weight or maintain your current fit, healthy shape. Unless your boss has literally chained you to your desk, you can do these!

Do a Metabolism-Boosting Workout
If you can spare 20 minutes in the middle of the day, you can rack up fitness results. All it takes are some full-body, high-octane moves that utilize lots of muscle groups, plus free weights that are slightly heavier than what you're used to—so you score bigger results in less time. Try this ultimate lunch-break workout—it'll help you torch calories without leaving you too sweaty and red-faced.

Meditate Away Stress
De-stressing is always a good idea—but it's extra important when it comes to shedding pounds because knowing how to manage stress has been shown to affect how many pounds you lose. Even just five minutes of closing your eyes and breathing deeply can help. No need to cross your legs and start chanting; it’s all about doing whatever helps you block out physical and sensory distractions. These myths about meditation will help you get started.

Pick Up a Healthy Snack for Later
Pop into a convenience store or supermarket, and purchase healthy, no-prep-required snacks to stash in your desk drawer or office kitchen area. Having them ready for when you're low on fuel and desperate for a snack—say during the 3 p.m. witching hour or while working late—will keep you from going on a vending machine bender and packing on pounds.

Take a Selfie
Seriously—before you get back to your desk, go somewhere private (with a flattering background!), and snap a selfie. Experts say that looking at selfies can be a great stand-in for weighing yourself regularly—seeing evidence of your slim-down will help keep you motivated, and if you do happen to start veering in the wrong direction, you'll notice before it seems too intimidating to take off the extra pounds. (And as an added bonus, you won't become fixated on an arbitrary number.)

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