Woman are often slaves to fashion.
We are also slaves to our families and carry the load for them as well.
We carry our lives in our handbags.
Open your handbag and you might find anything from essentials such as wallet, keys, and cellphones to the extreme such as our entire make-up collection, multiple hair products, things our kids stuffed in there, and something your husband told you to hold onto last month and you both obviously forgot about.
The experts agree that for some of us our handbag is weighing down our health.
At at recent ladies only event at Kishwaukee Community Hospital I put this theory to the test.
Without changing a thing about my typical daily handbag we put my handbag to the weight test.
With raised eyebrows, a representative from the Unlimited Performance Rehabilitation and Sport Medicine informed me that my mid sized not overly stuffed bag weighed in at just over 7.5 lbs.
The suggested healthy weight of a woman's handbag should be no more than 15% of her body weight.
A quick jump on the scale put us both at ease as it was determined my purse was not weighing down my health. That was good news for me but my handbag was not typical of the average American woman.
Our busy on the go lifestyles are forcing us to carry more and more in our handbags.
That same busy schedule denies us the opportunity to regularly purge what is no longer necessary.
Before you know it your handbag is weighing you down.
No need to fret though the experts agree with a few simple tips you can be "handbag healthy".
Besides keeping the weight to no more than 15% of your body weight experts offer the following other tips to reduce back strain often caused by a heavy handbag:
1. Try weighing a back pack with both straps across both shoulders; back packs should not weigh more than 10% of your body weight
2. Wear your purse across your body; this can be achieved by using what is called a satchel instead of a typical shoulder bag
3. Switch the shoulder that you carrying your handbag on and if possible also carry it at times in your hands also alternating arms
4. Clean out unused spare change and forgotten items to lighten your load
5. Change your purse frequently
If you your handbag is weighing down your health be sure to speak with your doctor for the necessary medical treatments.
Often times massage and/or chiropractic treatments can alleviate the neck, shoulder, and back soreness associated with a heavy handbag.
Ignoring your heavy bad can cause more severe conditions such as one shoulder becoming higher than the other.
Don't go running to your closet to purge those Coach and Louis Vuitton yet.
Remembering the tips above can allow you to have your handbag and your health in harmony.
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