Work driving you crazy? Here's a habit that's good for your sanity and your health.

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In the days when Marilyn Monroe was the ultimate pin-up girl, the ideal figure was an hourglass one: Big in the bust, small in the waist, big in the hips. You don't see that kind of shape much on the red carpet these days. Instead, the bobble-head look seems to take precedence.

But even out of the spotlight, in the homes of the average folk, it seems the hourglass is disappearing -- we're carrying more weight in our tummies than our hips, according to recent studies, and our hip-to-waist ratios are going down, especially in cultures where women tend to be more financially independent. And our jobs are to blame.

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The office never seems as bleak as it does during the first week back at work after the holidays, huh? If that statement sums up how you feel today, you're really going to hate me when I tell you this: Working your nose to the grindstone is good for your health.

According to this article from The Daily Mail, "Those who are industrious and ambitious are likely to live up to four more years than the impulsive and free-spirited among us ... They succumb less to the temptations of drink, drugs or risk-taking - which helps guarantee their health."

The long and short of it? The more you work, the more healthy your lifestyle. Which means, of course, that you're more likely to be fit and slim. So what are you waiting for? Get back to work!

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Recently, TV star Katherine Heigl raised a few eyebrows when she said, "I'm finished with the whole idea of having children of my own. It doesn't seem like any fun. I don't think it's necessary to go through all that." Isn't pregnancy supposed to be a gift? A miracle? More meaningful than just some tedious inconvenience?

But Heigel is not alone -- according to The Daily Mail, many women are choosing adoption over pregnancy. The reasons are many but a couple are especially common: To keep their career on track and maintain their figure. Says one adoptive mother: "I am quite slim, so yes, a lot of it is pure vanity. I don't like the thought of changing my body for a child. Giving birth and the idea of all that pain filled me with dread."

Is not giving birth because of vanity a selfish move? Or a practical one? In the end, it all comes down to personal choice, but I'm curious -- what do you think?

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Compared to a job like deep-sea welding, working in an office behind a desk seems like a pretty safe career move. You might think that there's little chance for injury, but don't forget that there are still are a few dangers: Weight gain from inactivity, depleted eyesight, poor posture, and let's not forget probability of severe mid-afternoon fatigue.

Divine Caroline has some excellent rules for avoiding some of the dangers of the desk job:

• The 20/20 Rule - Save your eyesight by looking away from your computer every 20 minutes for 20 seconds at something three feet away.
• The Floating Mouse Rule - When moving your mouse, move your whole arm instead of just your wrist.
• The Mini-break Rule - take a 30 to 60 second break every 30 minutes -- use this time to take a short walk or do some stretches.

They have even more excellent tips to share ... click here for more info.

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Wellness programs are gaining popularity with employers (about 1/3 of companies in the U.S. now offer them) and for many, it's a real blessing, after all who wouldn't want a free gym membership sitting out there that they can use or not, or free health screenings and flu shots available right on the job site?

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Do you have a soda habit? I went through a period when I used to work in an office and I would drink cup after cup of loaded coffee all morning and bottle after bottle of Diet Coke all afternoon -- talk about sugar and caffeine overload! I have since pretty much cut out soda (and am still working on cutting down on so much coffee) but it wasn't an easy transition. For me the habit-breaking point came when I moved into a home office that (thankfully!) didn't come stocked with a Diet Coke vending machine calling my name from across the room.

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We've all experienced "brain failure," that embarrassing moment when you can't remember something totally mundane and regular -- like how to spell a simple word or where you parked your car. Having a better memory is something pretty much everybody would enjoy, especially when it comes to doing your best at work. Giving your noodle a boost is something you can do in as little as 30 seconds, so there's really no reason you can't fit an exercise or two into your daily routine. Try one of these exercises from Natural Health to get started:

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Smarts: most of us think we have them but surprisingly, few really do. Although it's true that your intelligence is in good part determined by factors out of your control (like genetics and whether or not your parents let you eat lead paint chips as kid), it's also true that you have more control over your brain power than you probably think. All kinds of daily decisions affect how well your brain works and how "smart" you are, including everything from what you eat to how you act to what exercises you choose for your workout. Are you maximizing your mental potential? If your coffee cup is too big or you often try to multi-task while working out you probably aren't. The following is a list of a few of the ways you can make the most of what you've got in the smarts department (don't worry, they're all pretty easy!).

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You're probably doing your best to squeeze healthy eating choices and exercise into your work day, but are you doing it for all the right reasons? The majority of people are motivated to exercise and eat better by the desires to look better, feel better, and live longer, but did you know that adopting a fit lifestyle can actually help your career? Yep, hitting the gym can improve your work performance right along with your bench press stats.

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Health and fitness are big topics nowadays and because they're important to us in our everyday lives, they're also important to us in our work lives -- we spend too many waking hours at work to not worry about how our jobs are impacting our healthy living goals.

But what about thinking the reverse: how is your health affecting the success and happiness of your work life? Namely, do you think your weight is affecting your career?

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We're all stressed way too much -- I don't think anybody disputes that. Our schedules are too busy, our jobs too demanding, our family times too rushed. And although it seems like we're always talking about how we need to take it easy and relax,how often do we really make good on that? One bubble bath once every six months just isn't going to cut it!

The best stress relief happens when it's built right into your life, and the trick is to form a set of habits that you do on a regular basis without really thinking about it. You don't have to think "this action is meant to decrease my stress" in order to reap the relaxing and re-energizing benefits from it. Here are 5 ways to build stress-relief into your life:

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In a survey by CareerBuilder.com 49% of office workers said they had gained weight because of their jobs, and 28% of those people reported putting on more than 10 pounds (ouch!). Do you fit into one (or both) of those two groups? 49% is scarily close to a majority! It's no wonder so many of us struggle. Want some help? Try these 8 tips and tricks for losing weight (or at the very least keeping it from creeping on) while at work:

Out of sight, out of mind!
Apparently cutting down on how many times you grab a piece of candy from your (or your coworker's) candy dish at work is as simple as using an opaque candy dish with a lid. If you can't see the candy inside you're less likely to crave a piece of it (71% less likely!).

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Would you consider your job stressful? Do you blame your career for any of your skin problems and signs of aging? Are you having a hard time finding a skin routine that really works?

I realize that stress comes from all different areas in life, but I swear that 90% of mine has always come from my work. I'm 30 years old and just started to finally get really serious about skincare, and I would love to know just how many of my wrinkles were first formed somewhere back in my employment history. I just know that those 12-hour nursing shifts and that boss who used to turn bright red while yelling out commands must account for at least half of them!

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The health of our planet is interconnected with our own personal health, so whether we like it or not, committing ourselves to a healthier, fitter lifestyle also means committing ourselves to a healthier, greener lifestyle. And although the whole "green thing" is starting to catch on in people's homes, it doesn't seem to have the same steam when it comes to workplaces. It's not clear whether it's because people think environmentally-friendly efforts at the office are someone else's problems or because they are simply discouraged by their employers lack of commitment, but whatever the reason, the environmental gap between home and office is shockingly large.

In a poll, 85% of people said that when they're at home, they turn their computer off when they're not using it as an effort to conserve energy but on the flip side, only 53% of those same people shut their office computers down at the end of each day. And that's just one small area -- the numbers are just as bad (or worse) for things like shutting off lights in empty rooms and avoiding excess waste when it comes to coffee and donuts.

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