Eating a cold sandwich at your desk while you surf Facebook doesn’t count. Shake things up with one of these energy boosters.

 

Ideally lunchtime–the hump of the workday–should involve a change of scenery. For one thing, eating at your desk while you continue to work makes for a long and sedentary day.

With a bit of intention, lunchtime can be a great way to recharge so you’re primed for a great afternoon. Here’s how workers around the country are making the most of midday.

1. Get horizontal. Desk workers tend to slouch, which compresses the spine and ribs, impedes proper breathing, and tightens neck and shoulder muscles. “Laying on your back in semisupine position with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor for 10 to 20 minutes allows the muscles of your neck to release, your chest and shoulders to widen, and your whole body to undo tension built up throughout the morning. You rise feeling light, open, and destressed,” says Los Angeles–based Sharon Jakubecy, who teaches people how to have a powerful presence and communicate confidently through something called the Alexander Technique.

2. Wiggle like a kid. Minneapolis-based chiropractor and yoga and Pilates instructor Martha DeSante suggests getting your hands on an adult-size Hula-Hoop, finding a spot where you won’t break anything, and hooping in both directions “to bring more balance to your body and brain,” she says. “Hooping lets you shake off the stresses of the morning, getting your creative and inspired energy flowing so you can tackle your afternoon agenda feeling refreshed and renewed.”

3. Sing. Think about it–it’s nearly impossible to feel bad when you’re belting out a tune. Not only that, the pulsing of the vocal cords causes a physical vibration that actually works to calm the body. That’s according to Minneapolis- and Los Angeles–based Ariella Forstein, chief empowerment officer with the Ariella Approach, which she uses to coach business people and performers how to increase their confidence and find their authentic voices. Not comfortable singing in the office? Forstein suggests trilling in your car.

4. Learn a foreign language and then plan an overseas trip to practice. According to New York–based career counselor and executive coach Roy Cohen, many study options are perfect for lunch, whether you’re learning online at your desk, in your car on a mobile device, or with others in a language practice meetup group. “If interrupted, it is easy enough to explain, and it is a good career booster,” he says. “You appear motivated and disciplined, and proficiency in a foreign language may be beneficial to your work. And a reward like an overseas vacation is likely to keep you focused.”

5. Meet new business connections. “I’m a big fan of networking over lunch,” says Cory Jones, CEO of San Francisco–based DINKlife.com. “Meet someone new, rejuvenate your passion for what you do, and get to know someone else’s story. I’ve done several lunches with letslunch.com and had good success.”

6. Jump on a trampoline. It’s a little-known fact that Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park has more than 30 locations across the U.S. You can jump and flip to your heart’s content for as little as $8 per half-hour. Check out this video, in which plenty of grown adults are doing it.

7. Get creative. “Pull out some glitter, glue, markers, paint, or paper, and make something,” says Alyson Dias, who works for Fresno, California–based iLoveToCreate and says it takes only a few minutes to make plenty of creative projects.

If crafts aren’t your thing, any creative endeavor will do the trick. Arash Afshar, podcast host at San Diego–based CrappyAwesome.com, heads to the coffee shop over lunch: “I am an artist, so I’ll usually work on some music on my laptop or sketch something in my sketchbook. A small sense of creative accomplishment gets me energized to power through the rest of the workday.”

8. Give yourself a mini spa experience. Kristen Brown, Minneapolis-based author, speaker, and coach on stress management and work/life harmony, says self-pampering works for both sexes: “Rub some essential oil of your choice on your temples, and rub a little into ends of hair to condition. Apply some rich hand cream to your hands, elbows, and other dry areas; dab on some eye cream; and turn on your favorite music. Then take 10 deep breaths through the nose slowly. Bend over in your chair and get the blood flowing with some stretches. Also, be sure to have living plants in your desk area,” she says.

9. Take it to the rink. Mia McPherson, marketing manager for Dublin, Ohio–based OnGuard Systems, says, “Our latest favorite rejuvenating lunchtime activity is ice skating. We found a place near our office that does an indoor skate from about 11:30 to 12:30. We’ll pack a lunch that day and eat in the office so that we can use the lunch hour to skate. I also like that on skate days, I get my exercise and don’t have to drag myself to the gym after work.”

10. Exercise outside with a pal. “The science of happiness indicates that exercising with a friend, ideally in nature, combines three things that will boost our mood and creativity,” says Scott Crabtree, chief happiness officer for Happy Brain Science in Portland, Oregon.

11. Unplug from technology. This sounds simple, but it is remarkably difficult for some people to do. “Connecting with nature for your 60-minute lunch will reboot your brain. Try it and watch what happens,” suggests John Dowd Jr., Cambridge, Massachusetts–based author of Heroes Mentors and Friends.

12. Make a game out of it. Flynn Zaiger, CEO of New Orleans–based digital marketing and advertising agency Online Optimism, suggests playing board games with co-workers (try Balderdash or Cranium) to spark creative juices.

Bob Bentz, president of Advanced Telecom Services in Wayne, Pennsylvania, says people in his office play basketball at 12:30 p.m. on Fridays in the spring and summer. “It’s a great team-building event,” he says. “It also does a great job of bonding the younger and older employees that don’t normally hang out together.”

13. Ramp it up. “My company has a five-story parking garage, and on my breaks, I will walk the garage, starting at the bottom, doing a complete circuit on each floor, and walking up and down the ramps. I do this on my morning and afternoon breaks, as well as lunch,” says Clearwater, Florida–based paralegal Hope Rising.

14. Volunteer. “I’ve been spending my lunch breaks when I don’t have meetings or prior engagements at the local soup kitchen, helping to serve food and hopefully brightening someone’s day…So far, it’s been very rewarding in that I’ve made some new friends, and it affords me the opportunity to help someone turn their life around,” says Jacob Baldwin, search-engine-marketing manager for One Call Now in Troy, Ohio. He also plans to do some resumé coaching at the soup kitchen in coming weeks.

15. Hypnotize yourself. Wait, what? Seattle-based hypnotherapist Robert Schryvers says you can do it in 10 minutes. Here’s how.

16. Juggle. “Juggling is a great way to reenergize during lunch, and I love that you can do it right in the office or outside on a nice day,” says Heather Wolf, founder of JuggleFit in Brooklyn, New York. “Not only is it a light cardio exercise; it also clears your mind so you can come back to work tasks feeling refreshed and focused. And, of course, it’s fun.” Not sure you can pull it off? Here’s a primer.

17. Go to a salon. A blowout–you know, a shampoo, blow dry, and style–will make any woman feel recharged. And both sexes can reap the relaxation that comes from a manicure or pedicure–usually they come with massages.

18. Read a book. Ideally, it would be something escapist, although driven types might feel better getting through nonfiction or self-improvement reads. Whatever you read, do it somewhere other than your desk, ideally near a window or outside in the sun.

19. Take a nap. The biggest challenge with this one is: where? If your office doesn’t have a sofa somewhere private, you can always recline the passenger seat in your car and take a quick snooze there. Set your phone’s alarm to wake you within a half-hour. Longer naps can actually make you feel worse.

20. Be a street musician. Josh Aguilar, a Web designer for TopSpot Internet Marketing in Houston, suggests taking a musical instrument to a nearby park. “Get away from the screen [and] take a container for your tips,” he says.

21. Go home and connect with your kid (or dog or cat). Whatever creature is waiting for you at home will appreciate the attention, and you’ll get recharged spending a few minutes with someone or something you love. Ashley Morris, CEO of Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, says he makes a habit of taking a full lunch break to go home and play with his infant son. Doing so helps him unwind and remember why he works hard every day.

22. Feast on art or books. Martha Bartlett Piland with MB Piland Advertising and Marketing in Topeka, Kansas, says you’re likely to find her at the local art gallery or library over lunch, where she “drink[s] in the stillness.”

23. Get in the moment. According to Amy Jo Martin, founder and CEO of the Las Vegas–based social-media consultancy Digital Royalty, people spend nearly half of their lives recalling the past and fretting about the future. What keeps people in the present is blocking out a few minutes a day for “Ready, Set, Pause,” a concept the company came up with that encourages people to make time for a daily mental break. Ideas for this time-out from stress: Listen to good music, dance, pray, call someone to tell him or her you love him or her–whatever keeps you in the present and distracted from your worries.

24. Get a furry fix. “Go to a pet store and pet the animals or if you happen to be near a place that has animals; watch and enjoy and calm your mind,” suggests marriage and family therapist Lisa Bahar, who’s based in Dana Point, California.

Anxiety, that debilitating feeling that you just can’t relax, is far from just an emotional problem. When feelings of anxiety and worry consume you, it causes physical changes and is even linked to chronic disease such as heart disease, chronic respiratory disorders and gastrointestinal conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).[i]

Anxiety is also closely linked with pain, and if you’re already suffering from chronic pain you should know that anxiety will intensify it, adding to your emotional distress and even increasing related disabilities.

You’re probably all-too-familiar with some of the common causes of anxiety – money, work, kids, relationship troubles, and the like – but what follows are some powerful but largely overlooked causes that could be quietly wreaking havoc on your emotional, and physical, health.

6 Little-Discussed Causes of Anxiety

6. Positive Life Events — Promotion, New Baby, Vacation …

You’ve been waiting years for a promotion and now that you got it you’re filled with apprehension. You’re about to welcome a new baby into your family, but you’re suddenly anxious. That much-deserved vacation is just around the corner, and all you can do is worry …

You may wonder what’s going on when positive life events cause you anxiety attacks, but it’s very common. Any type of change can be stressful, including the good kind. The planning, the implementation, the expectations … it can be a lot to handle without becoming a bundle of nerves.

5. Background Noise

The sound of a jackhammer outside your window at 5 am is obviously stressful, but low-level noise is just as stressful, and far more insidious. We’re talking about the buzz of overhead lights, cell phones ringing in the distance, the whir of traffic, dogs barking … the symphony of background noise that surrounds us nearly every waking hour.

Think about it. There are very few truly silent places left on earth. And even if you don’t realize it, all of that noise takes a toll, with research linking low-level noise exposure to bad moods, lack of concentration, aggression and increased symptoms of anxiety and nervousness.[ii]

4. Light Pollution

Have you ever noticed that when you turn off the light in your bedroom, after waiting a few seconds for your eyes to adjust, the room suddenly doesn’t seem so dark? Unless you’ve invested in room-darkening drapes, or you live in a very rural or remote area, there’s bound to be light seeping in through the window. And there’s probably a glowing alarm clock or two, and maybe even a TV set left on …

As with noise, you’d have to go to great lengths (and probably travel great distances) to find a truly dark area at night. This is the precise reason why stars have “disappeared” for many who live near large cities (did you know the glow from Los Angeles can be seen from an airplane 200 miles away?[iii]).

Light pollution isn’t just an annoyance … it can disrupt your sleep/wake cycle (your circadian rhythm), which is involved in hormone production, cell regulation, brain wave patterns and more. Aside from being directly linked to depression, heart disease and cancer, a disrupted circadian rhythm can lead to insomnia, which significantly heightens feelings of anxiety.[iv]

3. Low-Level Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs)

Thanks to cell phones, WiFi, power lines and more, varying levels of EMFs are literally all around us. The Earth even has its own low-level magnetic and electric fields that exist naturally. It’s estimated that up to 15 percent of the population is predisposed to adverse health due to these natural “geomagnetic” variations,[v] and a growing number of people appear to be impacted by the man-made variety as well.

Among the symptoms thought to be related to EMFs are mood and behavior problems, including irritability and anxiety. One study even linked patterns in ambient EMF activity with suicide rates, and suggests that other sources of EMFs may also impact mental health.[vi]

2. Energy Vampires

Vampires feed on blood in order to gain strength, right?

Energy vampires feed on you emotionally, draining you of mental energy and strength. You know the type – they’re the “Debbie downer” who’s always quick to point out the dark side of any situation (even the ones you’re happy and excited about … they’re the “friend” who always needs another boost and a shoulder to cry on, but is never available to return the favor … the co-worker or boss who belittles you or takes credit for your work … the neighbor who is nice to your face but gossips behind your back the second you leave.

According to Albert J. Bernstein, PhD, who wrote the book “Emotional Vampires: Dealing with People Who Drain You Dry:”[vii]

“As normal people grow, they come to appreciate more and more their similarity to others. Empathy is what maturity is all about. Vampires just don’t get this concept. To them, other people are there to supply their needs.

… Social systems are based on reciprocity … Adults develop a sense of fairness and use it as a yardstick for measuring their behavior. Vampires don’t; their idea of fair is that they get what they want when they want it.

… Adults understand that the more you give, the more you get. Vampires take.

… Human relationships depend on a clear perception of the psychological line between what’s mine and what’s yours … Vampires have a hard time seeing this all-important boundary. They believe that whatever they want should be given to them immediately, regardless of how anyone else might feel about it.”

If there’s anyone in your life who always seems to leave you feeling emotionally spent, drained and unhappy, this is an energy vampire alert.

1. Poison Valves

Poison valves are things in your home and places you visit that impact you negatively, sometimes on a subconscious level, because they are associated with bad experiences in your life. This could be a wedding ring from a previous marriage, a restaurant where you received a phone call with bad news, a chair you sat in a great deal while recovering from illness … the truth is, the list is limitless, and only you know the poison valves in your life.

It can be tricky because, as mentioned, some of their effects can be subconscious. But even if you don’t feel outwardly stressed or anxious upon visiting a poison valve location, etc., you will assuredly pick up on an uneasiness, a sense of unrest or a slight shift in mood. These are signs that the poison valve is doing what it does best … slowly “poisoning” your mental well-being.

Frankly, I don’t believe it is hard if you are willing to
stand up for what you believe in, live in a way that is
congruent with your beliefs, and put some effort into looking.

So in more detail, here is:

Ultimate Guide to Finding Good People in Your Life

Step 1) Identify what you value in people.

Step 2) Identify where this type of person spends time.

Step 3) Go there.

Whether it is a church, gym, beach, dance lessons, bootcamp
fitness class, Chamber of Commerce meeting, local lectures,
weekend seminars, or weekly group meetings.

You don’t meet good people by watching TV...but good people
ARE out there. Go forth and find them.

“When you take action, particularly bold action, the
boundaries of what you believe to be possible (your belief
system) expand. Which, in turn, gives you the capacity to
consider new ideas, new possibilities, and new concepts that
you previously thought to be impossible.” – Robert Ringer

Listen, I’m a lucky man.

The people I know and surround myself with, from my best
friends from high school to the most inspirational fitness
experts in the world to amazing entrepreneurs from all
around the world, are people that I’ve met because I’ve
lived my life with purpose and clarity.

I will not settle for less. I will not live my life
according to anyone else’s expectations. I get ridiculed,
called names, and criticized a lot, but it’s not going to
stop me from living the way that attracts the RIGHT people
into my life.

The decision to do so has been the most important I’ve
made in my life.

That’s why I’m surrounded by positive, high-energy people
who are always trying to improve themselves…and who
support me in my quest to be a better man.

There is my wife, Dawnica, a woman who has
shown hundreds of thousands of people how to eat better. And
she did it by not settling for less and through living by
example without fear of what others thought of her.

Then there’s all the men and women in my businesses, who challenges me every day
to defend my arguments (we have great debates).

All of them inspire me…and all were attracted into my life
by my decision to live by example. Lead by living by example.

You may have people resist you at first, but they will come
around…so many of my best friends from high school
resisted healthy living, but many of them now live even
healthier than me (but not by much, and we make a great
friendly competition out of it).

Live and lead by example. Attract the right people into
your life, both in the ‘real-world’ and on the Internet.

Many of the great people in my life have found me and The Alive Experience

because I put my mission out there. I was proud of it,
and I don’t care who disagrees with me. All that matters are the
good people who are attracted to the mission of helping others.

Nuff Said.