Make a break from the old you..

ONE measly hour, just enough time to wolf down an egg mayo sandwich, slurp from your can of Coke and figure out whether to opt for the Kit-Kat or Mars bar.

Sixty minutes – if you're one of the lucky ones who actually has time for a lunch break – to moan about how rubbish your morning was, groan about the afternoon to come and dream wistfully of a few weeks' time when you'll finally hit the beach (volcanic ash and airline strikes willing) for the annual summer holiday.

Now for the reality check . . .

For thanks to those leisurely lunches, by holiday-time you'll probably have consumed at least 300 calories a day from that sandwich, 155 from that "full fat" Coke and as for the Mars Bar . . . suffice to say it's not a recommended snack for those hoping to slip into a size ten string bikini confident in the knowledge you won't attract stares on the beach for all the wrong reasons.

There is good news, however. A raft of innovations designed to zap our fat, melt our spare tyres and iron away our lumpy cellulite – in less time than it takes to munch that calorific lunch – have swamped the city.

It means getting in shape for summer could be as simple as swapping that 600-plus calorie lunch for a leisurely trip to the beauty salon.

So check our essential "fits all pockets" guide to giving your body a lunch break that might make the difference between beach wow and beached whale.

FREE LUNCH

So there's no such thing as a free lunch, but what if you can't afford to blast your body with lasers, wrap it up in bits of fat-busting mud or even pummel it half to death with the latest fancy piece of gym equipment?

If you're a packed lunch kind of person, then you're not going to want to spend your meagre holiday euros on expensive beauty salon treatments.

But just using a slice of your break to hit the pavement for a burst of power walking could be all your body needs to help prepare for the beach.

"First think about 'calories in, calories out' and are you doing enough to burn them off?" says personal trainer Tracy Griffen of Griffen Fitness (07743-741 088). "We're told about lots of products that are supposed to do the job for us, but really, just by putting down the sandwich and going for a walk at lunchtime or taking the stairs instead of the lift can really help.

"It's pretty simple: expend more energy and eat less."

COST: Doesn't cost a bean

WHERE: Right outside

CHEAP AS CHIPS

No pain, no gain – if you want to look good, you have to put in a little effort.

But there's no need to splash out on lavish treatments – Edinburgh Leisure has dozens of lunchtime fitness classes, from pilates to dance-based Zumba. Or choose from boxercise, body combat, bodypump, circuit training or Ab Attack classes.

Classes cost just a few pounds – cheaper if you are an Edinburgh Leisure Card holder.

COST: Classes range from 2.90 to 6.50. Buy an Edinburgh Leisure Card for a 50 one-off payment to receive 25 per cent off certain activities for a year

WHERE: Venues across the city. Visit www.edinburgh leisure.co.uk for details

LUNCH ON THE RUN

So you want to maximise returns on your lunchtime investment? How does a 1,000 calories burned off in an hour sound?

Balmoral Spa personal trainer Will Sturgeon devised a lunch-busting 1,000 calorie workout after listening to the demands of time-poor clients who wanted fast results.

The result is a tough workout, but Will insists it can change body shape in around a month.

It works by combining serious fat-burning exercise with compound resistance training to tone up and build new muscle. The result is a massive metabolism boost which burns off calories more effectively – and keeps burning them for around three hours after you've exercised.

"Increasing the metabolism is key to burn off calories more effectively," he explains. "It's perfectly possible to lose up to half a stone in two weeks with a pre-holiday body blitz. And change your shape too."

He recommends exercising before eating to stimulate the metabolism and adrenaline, so that anything eaten up to four hours afterwards should simply be burned off. And he suggests cutting back on carbohydrates and upping protein to help maximise the workout's benefits.

COST:150 for eight sessions, or 35 for a single one-hour session

WHERE: Willpower Personal Training at the Balmoral Spa, Balmoral Hotel. Contact: 07714-340 068 or go to www.willpowerpersonaltraining.co.uk

HAVE A WRAP

No, not a tortilla wrap. Instead wrap yourself up in anything from Dead Sea mud to herbs, all in the name of a toned tum.

"Slimming" wraps have been around for years, but today's generation claim to take even more inches off the jelly belly – with some claiming up to 14 inches skimmed away in a single session.

A Slim Gel Body Wrap (36, one hour) at Caroline Cleland Beauty Therapy on Comiston Road (www.edinburghbeau tytherapy.co.uk) claims to detox and drain off cellulite, leaving the body toned and looking firmer.

Or try The Beauty Works, Ormiston Terrace, where the Slimming Wrap (50 for an hour) claims to both detox, firm skin and shrink inches.

Pure at Ocean Terminal and Lothian Road use fennel and birch for their Sculpting Body Wrap (52 for 50 minutes), which claims to help cut the inches.

If you can sneak an extra hour away from the desk, Lulu Beauty, Leven Street, says its Universal Contour Body Wrap (65, two hours) shrinks away up to 14 inches after one treatment.

COST: Upwards of 30 for a wrap

WHERE: Available at various beauty salons and spas

LUNCH ON A PLATE.

A Power Plate to be exact. Favoured by Kylie and Madonna, Power Plate claims to help users drop sizes and tone up in just half a lunch break.

Fiona Macaulay of Studio EH1 + says it's a favourite with workers seeking a quick fix, with all the benefits of a workout in a fraction of the time.

"It's very time efficient, you work hard – as hard as you would for an hour in the gym – but it's all over in 25 minutes," she says.

The machines feature a vibrating platform that stimulates the muscles to contract up to 40 times per second.

Described as like working out in the middle of an earthquake, users have to balance against the vibrations while following a training programme that can include squats, push ups, aerobic movements and pilates.

COST: Ask for the Bikini Blitz package, which provides 13 sessions for 99. Or try it out for free with a one-off trial session

WHERE: Studio EH1 at 31 Albany Street and Rutland Court Lane. Go to www.studioEH1.co.uk or call 0131-558 3688

ZAP THE FAT

If "zap the fat" makes you think of microwaving your bacon butty, then you're a lost cause.

However, the maker of Beautytek claims its electric-based therapy can zap away the inches, lift breasts, flatten tummies and reshape buttocks and thighs.

It's exclusive in Scotland to the Edinburgh Floatarium in Stockbridge, where owner Pamela Dunn admits it sounds "too good to be true".

"It's possible to have just one treatment and walk out of the salon a dress size down," she says. "We recommend 12 treatments but there are people who come in, have a session and see immediate results."

So how does it work? "It kick-starts the sodium pump in cells, which in turn gives the metabolism the kick it needs to start burning fat." she adds.

It means increased blood flow, and water and toxins flood through the lymphatic system and out of the body.

COST:70 for a single session of around 40 minutes. Expect to book a course of 12 treatments

WHERE: The Edinburgh Floatarium, 29 North West Circus Place. Contact 0131-225 3350 or go to www.thefloatarium.co.uk

MICHELIN STAR

More Michelin Star than ham roll type? No problem, for if you've got a whacking 2,000 sloshing around, then the very latest in laser fat-busting has now arrived in Edinburgh.

Zerona is being touted as a non-invasive alternative to liposuction, with all the benefits of surgery but without the messy bits.

It works by using a cold laser to liquify fat, which can then be easily expelled from the body.

One of the minor side effects might be diarrhoea but, says Dr An Dau, who has brought the treatment to Scotland, the results can be impressive.

"Some see up to two inches difference on their first visit," she says. "And it's much more natural than liposuction or surgery."

It works, she adds, by using a low level "cold" laser. "It doesn't burn," she insists. "It moves over the body and the stimulation it creates opens a little pore in the cells which enables the fat to leak out into the fluid around. It can then simply be cleared by the body."

The treatment can target stomach, bottom, thighs, bingo wings, moobs, eye bags and even jowls.

Most people need six visits, each treatment lasting around 40 minutes. But the results, according to Dr Dau, can be four inches shaved off stomach and waist.

COST:2,000 for a month-long programme of treatment. However, if you're among the first 20 clients to book, get it for 1,500

WHERE: Lux Clinic, 58 St Stephen Street, Stockbridge. Contact 0131-629 7655 or visit www.luxclinics.com