We're not advocating that you stand up all day while working in your office, but getting up occasionally and performing a few simple exercises, will help you maintain that "just got to work" energy and attitude. Blood circulation is very important for your legs, and these tips may also help you when you're on a long flight, as well as in the office. Just make sure your legs don't go tingly or numb, and you'll get through the day without feeling tired or sick.

1) Remember your posture! Our mothers used to tell us that every day. If you find yourself slumping, you'll get fatigued early in the day and end it with a sore back, to boot. Sitting upright (but not like you have a two by four attached to your back) will keep your vertebrae uncompressed and able to support your back without pain (from slouching or sitting too long). Adjust your computer monitor until you're looking straight at it and not craning your neck up or down.

2) Give one ear at a time some much-needed rest. If your earlobes start to numb up and feel hot, then change that headphone set to the other one. You can get sore shoulders and headaches from too-tight headphones clamped to your ears. Also, one of those light one-ear sets may work better for you.

3) Change your desk goodies around now and then. If you reach for things in the same place every time your body can get tired. Give it some stimulation occasionally. Don't overextend your muscles or they'll get strained and then sore the next day.

4) Give your wrists mini-exercises several times a day by circling them and stretching your hands. Carpal tunnel syndrome may be avoided if you do this.

5) Move around the office for a few minutes as often as you can, and outside is even better. Breathe deeply for a few seconds. The latter is not a good idea if you're next to a tire burning site, or some other polluter. Keep hydrated and you won't feel faint if you have to get up suddenly.

6) Stretch your neck and back and arms and legs every now and then. Stretching is how dancers and athletes warm up and it prevents muscle cramps later. Prolonged sitting in your office chair can be tedious anyway, so stretch and imagine yourself on the stage at the Bolshoi Ballet, or slam dunking on the basketball court.

7) Shrug your shoulders several times. This feels good to stretch out those hard to reach upper back muscles. Take in a few deep breaths and try and hike your shoulders towards your ears. This may sound funny, but it works. Repeat several times.

8) Stretch out your backbone! Sit upright in your chair and clasp your hands behind your head like you are deep in thought. This exercise is great if your boss tends to wander by and then they'll think you are deep in thought about the next great invention for the company. Exhale then twist to one side and look behind you. Don't strain yourself. Inhale, return to the front, then do the other side and repeat several times.

9) Loll your head, but in a controlled manner. Drop your chin to your chest as you exhale. Put your right ear on your shoulder, or at least, as close as you can get to it. Exhale then inhale and do the other side. Do this for several minutes.

10) Stay as active as you can and you'll still have some energy left as you skip out the door at the end of the day. Breathe in deeply with your back straight and your feet flat on the floor. Inhale deeply several times as you stay relaxed.

11) Something called a rotating squat works well for stretching out your back and legs. Clutch your desk front and squat, then rotate your hips. Be careful, as you don't want to tip over. Tighten your butt, one side then the other, as you stand back up. Do this about 20 times if you can.

12) If you get an hour for lunch then go for brisk walk in the fresh air. You can also skate around a park if you have rollerblades. Don't forget the helmet and elbow and knee pads.

You've heard this one before but I will repeat it because it is important — drink lots of water throughout the day and try and eat nutritious snacks, prefer fruit and vegetables, organic as much as possible, to processed foods. If all they have in the snack machine is doughnuts and candy bars, then pass on by and bring your own from home. Of course, if you work at home then that won't be a problem! Keep healthy and at peace, in whatever you do.

This guest post is contributed by Lloyd Burrell, he enjoys writing on the topic of office reception desks: corner computer desks, u-shaped desks and l-shaped desks. You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/officedeskinfo

It's been over 3 years since I wrote a pretty popular post called "I Can Stand My Stand Up Desk," so this is LONG overdue.

I've been meaning to write this for over a year now, since I've been enjoying my new set up for that long and can't imagine finding anything better, hence the actual product name: The Perfect Chair:

I'll let the video do the talking, and if you have any questions or comments, just leave them below…

Introduction

Charles Darwin, once quoted, that a man who dares to waste one hour of his life has not discovered the value of life. And if there's anything that people have been given in equal proportion, it is: brains and time.

And of course, all that matters, is how you use these two aspects in your life, and which undeniably, play an important part in determining whether or not you find success in life or not.

Or meet the goals that you have set yourself and which all boils down to one thing: productivity. And of course, economics deals with this topic in great detail minus the philosophical musings that come with it.

The Art of Efficiency

Almost all of us have run into folks who seem to look at their watch all the time (a habit that most journalists cost George Bush Sr. his second Presidential term) and then there are those, who have lost all track of time.

With time given so much prominence in business these days, it's the latter who don't stand a chance, while the former type finds ways to get things done as best as they can, in as short a time as possible. Of course, they call this 'efficiency', and is often considered as an important factor in completing any task when it comes to economics, business and the like.

And then there's "productive efficiency"…

The Habit of Productive Efficiency

No matter what your profession is, we are all looking for that "ideal state" when writers find words flowing as if from out of nowhere… when musicians are able to compose music in almost no time… and when the proverbial scientist makes a breakthrough in his field of research.

But these are only select moments that occur if at all, very rarely in one's work routine that are examples of productive efficiency where one is able to achieve the most using the minimum amount of inputs and time.

And so the question remains: How does one achieve maximum (or productive) efficiency at one's work? How does one attain maximum productivity with their time?

Is there something that you can do? Or does this "attribute" fall out of nowhere?

The answers to these questions provide anything but objective answers in the form of a yes or no as there's more to this than meets the eye.

Understanding Productive Efficiency

If one is to achieve productive efficiency at their work, there are several aspects that are involved in doing so.

1. "Familiarity" with the type of work

Firstly, one must obtain a certain degree of familiarity with the work that they do in terms of knowledge and psychomotor skills. What this means is that with the right training, one can learn to perform a task at a particular standard within a given time period.

2. Practice is the key!

And with more and more practice, one can reach that point where they can accomplish maximum efficiency in no time at all, and with virtually no help at all.

3. The Environment and Tools

Apart from this, the environment also contributes to productive efficiency as well, and keeping this mind, a writer who is highly skilled will not be able to write if there are constant interruptions nor will one be able focus or produce quality work if the "tools" that you use are ineffective.

4. Passion counts for a lot!

Often, even when one or more of these factors aren't in one's favor, some people do great things by the power of their sheer will and passion. And as remarkable as this sounds, these instances are but a few.

In Closing

As for these factors mentioned earlier, the first three will help you achieve maximum productivity again and again until it becomes a habit. And this is why employers do their best to provide their employees with the first three factors so that they can perform at their very best.

We wake, we work, we eat, we sleep. We wake, we work, we eat, we sleep. We wake, we work, we eat, we sleep.

Sound familiar? Or did I forget something? Oh yes, the commute time we all spend sitting in traffic, cursing the poor old lady that just cut us off.

In recent years, commuting time to and from work has become longer — which, in turn, causes us to spend more time sitting in a car and less time engaging in physical activity (especially when many jobs are fairly sedentary to begin with).

Here are some interesting stats related to work commute times, and, specifically, how they have changed over the past decade:

Commute Time Statistics

• Average Commute: Up 14% from commute time in 1990
• Solo Drivers: Up 3.4% from 1990 averages
• Early Risers: Up 11% from 1990, when this percentage less of workers were waking up before 5am.
• Early Commuters: Up 25% from 1990, when this percentage less of employees left for work between 5am and 6:30pm.
• Walkers: Down 34% from 1990, when this percentage more of employees were walking to work instead of driving or utilizing public transportation.

All of these percentages eventually add up to an increased risk of heart disease, as well as several other physical and mental problems.

When we're rushed, we typically do not reach for the healthiest meal options. When we're rushed, we also rarely find the time to exercise. When we're rushed, our stress levels go through the roof, thereby raising cortisol levels and making it harder to burn fat.

We are a nation of overworkers, which may very well be the reason why we are also a nation of overeaters.

My suggestion is to reexamine your own morning commute time to work and ask yourself, in all honesty, whether you are affecting your health as a result of your decision to restart the cycle: Wake, work, eat, sleep. Oh yeah, and commute.

Feeling slighted these days? Like your boss just doesn't notice or appreciate your hard work? Well, my only suggestion is to either start looking for a new job, or do your best to not let it get to you…or else.

British researchers found that people who feel as though they are always being treated unfairly at work or at home are at an increased risk of heart attack.

By asking a few thousand civil service workers to rate how they feel in response to the following statement: "I often have the feeling that I am being treated unfairly," the researchers discovered that feeling unappreciated has a significant effect on a person's risk of heart attack.

In the study, the participants were asked to rate how they felt they were treated at work; based on a scale of 1 through 6 (1 being treated the most fairly and 6 being treated the least). After tracking these participants for 11 years, the results revealed a much greater incidence of heart attack in the people who believed they were treated unfairly at work than the results expressed by those who felt as though they were treated fairly.

So, what can you do? Make sure you are a valuable asset to your company, then make sure your boss knows it. Put yourself in a position where they don't want to see you go, and you're guaranteed to get more respect and appreciation.

How about you? How would you rate your appreciation at work on a scale of 1-6?

Monday is Blog Carnivals Day. A Blog Carnival is basically a collection of articles or blog posts, all relating to a similar subject, that are gathered together for your viewing pleasure. You can quickly and conveniently see a list of Article Titles and click on the ones that interest you to read the full post. Blog carnivals are a great way to see a wide variety of ideas and opinions on a similar subject. To see a list of all previous posts in the Blog Carnivals category, click here.

Want to see your article or blog post featured in the FitBuff.com Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival? Click here to submit yours now.

Brain Power

Paul Cox presents 10 Ways To Improve Your Memory posted at Excel Training & Consulting.

edithyeung presents Be The Best at Just One Thing posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..

John Hill presents Magic Healing Power of Your Subconscious Mind posted at Universe Of Success.

Eugene Thong presents Become an Educated Consumer! posted at ETF Wellness – A Personal Training Blog., saying, "How to decode confusing and contradictory media headlines on health topics."

Dating

John Hill presents How to Attract a Girlfriend posted at Attracting People.com.

David presents What Kind of Man Turns you Off in a Nightclub? posted at Music Career Success, saying, "What Kind of Man Turns you Off in a Nightclub?"

Exercise

Tupelo Kenyon presents Facing Fear Eye to Eye posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "Eye to eye with a bear while fishing alone is a good lesson in fear, awareness, panic and the law of attraction. It's one thing to wax philosophically about such things, but to be up close and personal with a large, healthy bear in his domain puts personal development ideas to the test in the real world. (Enjoy soothing instrumental music as you read plus songs with lyrics related to each article – all free.)"

John presents How to Get a Big Wide Muscular Back posted at Muscular-Fitness.

John Hill presents Get Bigger Biceps and Triceps for Hardgainers posted at Big-Arms.com.

Stanimir Sotirov presents Fitness and Weight Loss:The importance of warming up posted at All About Your Body And Spirit.

Stanimir Sotirov presents Fitness:How long should i rest between my stes? posted at All About Your Body And Spirit.

Andrew Edgington presents What is the Future for Bodybuilders? (Part 2) posted at Mick.

Aparna presents Water therapy for insomnia and headache posted at Beauty & Personality Grooming, saying, "While water is vital for the internal functioning of your body, it’s also of great value when used on the outside! Did you know that water can actually be used for treating insomnia and to provide relief from headaches? Read on to find out!"

Family

Bill Urell presents Are You Unknowingly Sleeping Next To An Alcoholic Or Drug Addict? posted at Addiction Recovery Basics.

Alex Blackwell presents Finding My Value in Spite of Relationships posted at The Next 45 Years.

Money

Millionaire Mommy Next Door presents The Powerful (and Addictive) Nature of Giving posted at Millionaire Mommy Next Door, saying, "I've come up with an idea that has me covered in goosebumps every time I think about it. And that's a feeling I want to pass on."

Kevin Surbaugh presents About My Medical Problems posted at Becoming & Staying Debt Free.

Nutrition

Rajni Sharma presents How Coconut Oil Benefits Your Health: And Why Nobody Told You! posted at Simple Tips on Health and Fitness.

Rob presents The Koda Kumi Diet; eating your way to weight-loss posted at Dusk and Dawn, saying, "This is a short article about a small change I've made in my life that has been having a continuous, positive effect on my health."

Dean presents Top Ten Fast Food Meals That Make You Fat posted at Mr. Cheap Stuff, saying, "Don't eat these fast food meals."

TheNourisher presents Nourishing the Liver posted at Nourished Magazine.

James presents Diet Loss For those Flat sexy ABS posted at J.V Sports and other news.

Sohail presents Sugar Beverages: Drinks of Mass Destruction? posted at The HealthBlogger, saying, "Sugar Beverages: Drinks of Mass Destruction?"

Nneka presents How to Stop Eating Compulsively posted at Balanced Life Center.

Stanimir Sotirov presents Fitness:Drinking Raw Eggs posted at All About Your Body And Spirit.

Work

Daylle Deanna Schwartz presents Making Your Mistakes Count posted at Lessons from a Recovering DoorMat, saying, "Thanks for the opportunity to submit my article! As a former doormat who evolved into a successful author and speaker, I'm delighted to share my lessons with others."

Paul Cox presents 8 Steps for Making a Change In Your Life posted at Excel Training & Consulting.

edithyeung presents Should I Refer You? posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..

Be sure to tune in every Monday for the next Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival, and if you want to submit your own article for inclusion, click here before midnight (eastern time) on Sunday.

Monday is Blog Carnivals Day. A Blog Carnival is basically a collection of articles or blog posts, all relating to a similar subject, that are gathered together for your viewing pleasure. You can quickly and conveniently see a list of Article Titles and click on the ones that interest you to read the full post. Blog carnivals are a great way to see a wide variety of ideas and opinions on a similar subject. To see a list of all previous posts in the Blog Carnivals category, click here.

Want to see your article or blog post featured in the FitBuff.com Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival? Click here to submit yours now.

Brain Power

Alvaro Fernandez presents Brain Fitness Program 2.0, MindFit, and much more on Brain Training posted at SharpBrains, saying, "Review and commentary on several New York Times articles related to "brain training""

Tristan presents Creating a Winning Mindset With Hypnosis posted at The Synergy Institute, saying, "In this article, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Steve G. Jones, explains how to create a winning mindset with the tools of hypnosis."

Dating

John Hill presents How to Attract Love posted at Attracting People.com.

Exercise

seanjames presents Building Muscle: How is it really done? posted at Practical Jokes, Blogging Tips, Adsense, Insurance and Phew!!, saying, "This is a free article I found on the net. I like it and would like to share it to fellow health buffs…"

Andrew Edgington presents What is the Future for Bodybuilders? (Part 1) posted at Mick.

John Hill presents The Best Way To Burn Fat posted at Universe Of Success.

John Hill presents Consistency Builds Big Arms posted at Big-Arms.com.

John presents Calf Training Tips For Real Growth posted at Muscular-Fitness.

Paul Piotrowski presents Microaction as a Success Tool posted at Self Help Wisdom . com.

Zoe Anderson presents Pilates Words, Terms, and Glossary posted at thinkpilates.com, saying, "Pilates terms that will help you integrate with ease into a pilates based form of exercise. Also included are ways to get started with pilates. Enjoy!"

Cindy Posey presents Limited on Space: Try this Mini-Workout | Go Workout Mom posted at Go Workout Mom, saying, "With a jump rope or not, you can fit in a quality workout in any space. Limited on space and time, this workout with make the most of both!"

Grooming

Aparna presents Beauty and Personality Grooming: Homemade packs for darkened necks posted at Beauty and Personality Grooming.

Nutrition

Kara-Leah Masina presents Is unconscious fear making it hard for you to lose weight? posted at K-L Masina, saying, "Weight loss is about so much more than will-power – it's essentially all about what's going on in the mind and in the emotions. Unlock those issues and the weight will melt away."

Toni presents Good mornings with Lemon Water posted at Wifely Steps, saying, "A glass of warm lemon water is a great way to start your day — it's cleansing, zesty and super healthy!"

Talia Mana presents What's the difference between overeating and bingeing? posted at Centre for Emotional Well-Being, saying, "Guidelines to help you identify when overeating becomes bingeing or binge eating disorder."

Curtis Penner presents How I Used Food To Beat Depression posted at Be Fit And Strong, saying, "Sitting in the waiting room of my family doctor – waiting for a routine check-up, a poster on the wall scared me half to death. It read…"

Lynda Lippin presents Eat Less & Lose More-Why Counting Bites Works posted at Pilates & Reiki In Paradise Blog.

Shaheen Lakhan presents The Cigarette Century and Beyond posted at GNIF Brain Blogger.

Clara Myers presents 10 Step Guide To Looking Old Before Your Time posted at Face Natural, saying, "This is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but true."

Tiffany Smith-Ramirez presents Lose Weight posted at Balanced Ideas For Health, Happiness, & Weight Loss, saying, "You've been dieting and losing weight… out of nowhere you lose momentum… how do you jump back on the horse? Read this blog entry about maintaining your momentum."

Weight Master presents Reason why calorie-restrictive diets are unhealthy… posted at Weight Master.

Work

edithyeung presents Disempowering Phrases Successful People Never Say posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..

Tupelo Kenyon presents Integrity Through Self-Reliance posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "When you live your life as if the whisperings from your soul really matter, you are living life in your own way, on your own terms, based on your own realizations on what is right . . . what is good . . . and what is true for you. You are tuned into your own station. The signal you are receiving and the message you are broadcasting with the story of your life are both on the same frequency. You are joyfully and gratefully choosing your favorites from the buffet of life. (Enjoy soothing instrumental music as you read plus songs with lyrics related to each article – all free.)"

Cade Krueger presents Filling The Hole In Your Life With More Than Just A Business posted at Write To Right.

CA presents Hey, where are the bugs anyway? posted at Atlantic Canada's Small Business Blog, saying, "am sure whether you manufacture software or goods or provide services, you will have come across the above scenario at least once (if not more) in your career. But what is quality a function of anyway? I got two words for you –Value and Culture. These are the foundations upon which depend the success or failure of your business."

Be sure to tune in every Monday for the next Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival, and if you want to submit your own article for inclusion, click here before midnight (eastern time) on Sunday.

FitBuff member Silvia Barrett sent in some great pictures of how her husband turned his boring, traditional desk into a performance-enhancing, posture-improving Standing Desk.

My husband had a large L shaped desk that he built a base frame for, to lift the whole thing up to the right height for him to use it standing up. He loved it! It helped a lot with his back problems.

What's all this talk about a standing desk? Click here to follow my initial experience, and why I liked it so much that I set up a permanent standing desk.

*UPDATE* January 9, 2011 – I no longer use a stand up desk, because I've found a set up that I've been using for over a year now and can't imagine anything more comfortable or more ergonomic… From a Stand Up Desk to the Perfect Chair – How and Why?

Last month I wrote an article titled, "I Can't Stand My Stand Up Desk." You'll probably want to read that to find out why I was even interested in the topic in the first place.

After nearly a month of my experiment, it turns out I Can Stand My Stand Up Desk — in fact, I love it! I've made a quick little video demonstrating how I first set up a temporary solution, just to test it out and see if I liked it, then how I made my own permanent standing desk. I'm in it for the long haul now!

I urge you to at least try a similar temporary setup to feel the benefits of using a stand up desk. I'm more alert, more productive, and can feel a major improvement in my overall posture, simply because my core and lower back have to work more throughout the day, rather than being completely sedentary for hours at a time. For a full list of benefits as to why you should try a standing desk, click here.

I will admit the first two or three days are tough. If you aren't used to standing for prolonged periods of time, your muscles will need to adjust to the added demand, but after the first few days, it's smooth sailing.

Although fairly rare, there are also some ready-made stand up desks if you decide you like the idea and don't want to make one yourself. Here's an example of one I found on Amazon:

If anyone already uses a stand up desk, is interested in trying one out, or has any questions at all about the whole concept, just leave it in the comments.

Getting some medical advice online can always be helpful, as the net is a great source of medical info on various topics. Whether you need advice on something like back health or you know that you are going to go through pregnancy soon there are sites out there on the topic.

There's nothing more macho than a bunch of big, strong guys throwing on the gear, hitting the field, and battling it out during a grueling NFL football practice — all while listening to Mozart. Huh? What was that last part?

That's right: New York Jets coach, Eric Mangini, has Mozart blaring through the loud speakers during practice. Why?

"From different studies, they've shown — I may be a little wrong on the technical side — that Mozart's music and brain waves are similar and that it stimulates learning. They play it a lot at schools around the country, very low, underneath. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but why not give it a shot?" said Mangini.

After hearing this on ESPN, as the sportscasters mocked and laughed at the topic, I decided to do a little research myself. I found what is known as "The Mozart Effect." Some believe that listening to Mozart, or any similar Baroque music, stimulates the brain and can increase intelligence, learning, and cognitive ability.

Unfortunately, most of the claims have harsh critics who have demonstrated time and time again that the so-called "Mozart effect" is minuscule at best. One of the topics most well-known opponents is a researcher by the name of Christopher F. Chabris, who had this to say:

Chabris stated that his meta-analysis demonstrated "that any cognitive enhancement is small and does not reflect any change in IQ or reasoning ability in general, but instead derives entirely from performance on one specific type of cognitive task and has a simple neuropsychological explanation," called "enjoyment arousal." For example, he cites a study that found that "listening either to Mozart or to a passage from a Stephen King story enhanced subjects’ performance…"

My favorite part of that study is the term, "enjoyment arousal." Only a scientist could come up with a phrase like that without seeing the problem it presents to the less mature among us.

On the other hand, one of the reasonings behind the Mozart effect that actually seemed to make some sense was this:

When your body hears the even, one beat per second of Baroque music, your heart rate and pulse relax to the beat. When you are in this relaxed, but alert state, your mind is able to concentrate more easily. Music corresponds to and affects our physiological conditions. During heavy mental work, our pulse and blood pressure rises, and it's usually more difficult to concentrate in this state. The Baroque and Mozart music pieces on the Mozart Effect learning tapes and compact disks have been especially selected for their beat pattern (60 beats per minute), reduce your blood pressure and pulse rate and increases your ability to learn at the same time.

So, even though the actual "Mozart effect" seems to be a bit over-hyped, that doesn't mean classical music can't at least help relax your body and calm your mind. I know I was never a fan, because I thought it was too "old" and not "cool" enough. But, when I decided to give it a try, I was quite impressed at how the instruments and arrangements really do seem to speak without words — not to mention it makes me look smart and sophisticated.

My favorite is the "The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World…Ever!" series. There are about four or five more with similarly brilliant titles like The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe and The Most Relaxing Piano Album in the World…Ever!.

If your faith in the Mozart effect can't be swayed by it's villainous, scientific rivals, you can try the official CD here: Music For The Mozart Effect, Volume 1, Strengthen the Mind

I don't normally listen to music as I work, but I'm going to test it out a little this week to see if I can tell any difference. Feel free to dust off your classical collection and join me in the experiment.