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You need enough work space to change positions, and your keyboard height, chair and computer monitor should be adjustable.

If that's not possible, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends varying your tasks to avoid long periods of one motion. Also try these tips:

Try exercising.

Here are several quick exercises that can be performed at your desk. Done twice a day, they get rid of tension and fatigue, improve circulation and prevent cramps and aches.

Legs: Stand up and lift up on the balls of your feet and your toes.

Back: Stand up, bend over and let your head and arms dangle toward the floor to stretch the lower back.

Arms: Hold a stapler or a small three-hole punch and do arm curls.

Head and shoulders: Roll your head clockwise and counterclockwise.

Avoid eyestrain.

Reading or typing on a computer for extended periods can lead to eye discomfort and vision problems such as dry eyes (we blink less in front of computers, which causes dryness). Eyestrain symptoms include burning, redness, dryness, blurry vision, uneven vision or eye coordination, halo effects and/or headaches. To minimize eyestrain:

Visit your optometrist once a year and talk about how much time you spend at a computer and whether you need glasses or contact lenses designed for computer use.

Avoid direct light on the computer screen or in your line of vision.

If possible, adjust the room's lighting so that it's neither too dim nor too bright.

If possible, use incandescent rather than fluorescent bulbs.

Adjust the monitor's contrast or consider a glare filter to reduce the screen contrast.

Take a 10-minute break for every hour spent at the computer.

Use rewetting drops if your eyes are dry.

Eat in -- safely and nutritiously.

It's not good to eat at your desk -- it's full of germs, and you should take a break. But if you have to:

Wash your hands. "Your hands carry a tremendous amount of bacteria, and if you can start with clean hands, I think you're halfway there," says Barb Struempler, a nutritionist with Auburn University's Nutrition and Food Science Department.

Keep disinfecting wipes handy. Wipe down your desk before you eat lunch.

Use a paper towel as a placemat.

Bring smart food choices for lunch and snacking. Fresh fruit and low-calorie snacks will keep you in good working order.

Dole out portions beforehand. When you eat while working, you're distracted and might overeat. Measure out portions instead of eating from the container.

Improve your focus.

If your job requires concentration but you're easily distracted, the answer may be that you need even more distractions, but the right ones. Jack Groppel, co-founder of the Human Performance Institute and author of The Corporate Athlete, says losing focus is a common problem. But we can retrain ourselves to concentrate with short breaks and mini-meals -- managing our energy instead of our time.

Groppel's approach is based on the physical relationship between mind and body. Sitting quietly at a desk encourages our bodies to operate at their slowest metabolic rate, he says. If we make them function at a higher rate, we'll increase our concentration and productivity. Here's how to do it:

Eat small, nutritious meals every three to four hours and stay hydrated.

Move around every 20 to 30 minutes by doing light exercises at your desk.

Every 90 minutes get out of your chair and do something that gets you away from your computer.