In this article, we looked at heavy handbags as the cause of pesky headaches, incessant back and neck pains and general body aches and pains. What can one do to counter the effects of these handbags, a important part of a woman’s life?
- Put into consideration your lifestyle, day to day work and the distances you walk before settling on your style of handbags.
- Opt for bags with wider straps to distribute the weight to a fairly bigger surface area.
- When shopping for handbags, keep the buckles, belts and other adornments to a minimum. This will give you a sleeker looking bag as well as a lighter one.
- Have miniature sizes of your perfumes, lotions and makeup specifically for your handbag so you do not need to be hauling around the full versions which are obviously much heavier.
- Shop for smaller bags – Having bigger bags will logically make you want to fill them up. You’ll find yourself throwing in more and more things that you don’t need, just because you can.
- Use all the pockets in your bag so that the weight is distributed evenly.
- Shop for light weight bags. Some handbags even when new and empty are a weight unto themselves.
- Plan your next day in advance so that you know just what you need and avoid carrying unnecessary stuff ‘just in case’.
- De-clutter your handbag weekly and get rid of all unnecessary items. You will need to be very diligent and ruthless in this. Throw out old receipts and make up that you no longer use. You’ll be surprised that you might be carrying foundations and mascaras that have since expired. Go through your bunches of keys and take out the unnecessary ones. Just take out every single unnecessary thing.
- Switch your bag between shoulders in realistic enough intervals so that no shoulder gets unfairly overloaded for extended periods of time.
- If walking long distances, consider carrying your bag diagonally so that the strap lies on the shoulder and the other end of the bag lies on the opposite hip.
- Adjust the straps of your bag to get as comfortable as possible without your body having to strain to accommodate either too long or too short straps. This applies even for not so heavy bags.
- Always arrange the items in your handbag in a balanced manner. It’s easy to just toss things into the bag without minding where they land but this may end up unbalanced, so that it’s heavier on one side than on the other. You may not even notice the discrepancy in the weight distribution but your body sure will.
- Consider backpacks. These will not win you any fashion awards and will certainly not go with all your snazzy night out outfits but backpacks can save you on health issues. They’re made to distribute weight more evenly throughout the back. Be sure to use both straps to carry them as opposed to hanging them loosely on one shoulder. Make sure too that it does not hang too low but rather rest comfortably in the middle of the back. Depending on your lifestyle and activities, it may be necessary to purchase a backpack with a waist belt. Also opt for one with a padded back to prevent sharp edges from digging into your back.