How do i restore my iMac 21.5 inch desktop?

Ok so i have one of the 2011 Imac desktop models so i didnt get the dvd's. I want to know how to restore/format my computer and start over because its been running really slow lately. i was told by a apple consultant that if you hold in the "option" key on startup of the computer that it will bring you to a point where you can restore but i dont know what to do from there. Someone just please tell me how to restore/format my Imac so that its like when i first bought it. Lastly i would like step by step instructions on how to do this restore/format. I dont have any important files so im prefectly fine with erasing everything.
Thanks.

Elaus,
OS X is NOT like MS Windows that needs to be re-installed at the first sign of trouble. If your system is slow there is probably a fairly simple reason such as it doesn't have enough RAM or available HD space. The first thing I'd recommend checking is how much FREE RAM the system has, as a general rule of thumb if it's less than 500MB then a simple RAM upgrade will solve the problem. Keep Activity Monitor (Applications - Utilities - Activity Monitor) running. When you notice a slow down open AM and click the System Memory tab and check the amount of FREE RAM. It will look similar to:
If it's less than 500MB then simply upgrade the RAM.

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Thanks den.thed,
Apologies for not replying back sooner - I've been away.
Although your suggestion helped me in getting a copy of Lion that I could use, it didn't help with the restore from Time Capsule issue. I had to download the Lion app onto my MacBook & then transfer it across but it wouldn't let me upgrade my OS for some reason, so I ended up wiping the iMac completely and restoring via my Snow Leopard install disk. For some reason, this time, it let me have the option of using Setup Assistant to access the Time Capsule for a complete restore.
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How do i restore my iMac 21.5 inch desktop?

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