Handbags can be a bane to your neck and back--especially when you pack too much in there and carry it the same way, day after day.
However, you can also put your purse to good use by practicing these simple exercises to keep back, shoulder, and core muscles strong (which will also help reduce the damage that carrying a bag inflicts!). Here are three easy things you can do to stretch, promote good posture and tone your torso.
- Stretch it: Instead of tensing upward to counter the load, let the weight of your purse pull your shoulder gently downward. This simple trick gives your muscles a rest and provides a gentle stretch.
- Hold it: Use your elbow to nudge the bag towards your back. The weight will keep your shoulder back and improve your posture by preventing slumping. Having your shoulder back also increases blood circulation to and from your arm, thus preventing or reversing repetitive stress injuries.
- Flex it: Fight back pain by using your abdominal “inner corset” and intrinsic back muscles to carry the load; by doing so, you save your spinal discs and nerves from damage. Chapter 5 in 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back teaches you how to use your inner corset. Download this chapter for free. As these muscles develop, you will be able to protect yourself from greater stresses to the spine such as bumpy car rides and cardiovascular work outs.
Esther Gokhale, L.Ac. is an expert in pain-free living and the Nautilus Gold Award-winning author of 8 Steps to a Pain Free Back. She's the creator of the Gokhale Method, an anthropologically-based approach to posture and alignment designed to eliminate and prevent back pain and other musculoskeletal problems. She's the founder of the Esther Gokhale Wellness Center in Palo Alto, CA. Visit her at egwellness.com
From: Anna | 7/8/10 at 4:03 pm
Very helpful tips actually. Thanks!
From: Andrea | 7/9/10 at 1:58 pm
It seems that the Chapter 5 Inner Corset links above aren't working; you can download the chapter here: http://egwellness.com/sites/default/files/pdf/8Steps_Ch5.pdf