Are You Willing to "Break Your Back" for that Oversized Bag?

Ah, the fashionable, super practical, fabulously gorgeous, oversized bags. What on earth would we ever do without them?

Seriously. They work so hard for us busy women - they hold our yoga wear for our favorite pre-work workout, they file away papers, graphs and chats for our super-sized client presentations, they loyally keep our cosmetics and accessories for tonight's date (with the cute guy we met last week from the coffee shop)...not to mention guarding our wallet, mobile phones, blackberrys, makeup, ginormous key chains, large water bottles, moisturizers and nail files...you know...just in case.

I know. Little hearts are coming out my eyes too. I love them!

Nothing really quite finishes off an outfit like a great bag.

However, we would be totally doing ourselves, and our beautiful bags a favor by critically looking at what we really need on a day-to-day basis.

Your slouchy bag isn't going to look so slouchy and gorgeous if you are beating the crap out it and loading it up with non-essentials every day. Think of how stretched out and worn your heels would look if you wore thick, wooly socks all the time. The same applies for the bags. The more we stuff them, the faster they wear out.

Chances are your bag-du-jour cost you a pretty penny. So you might as well take care of it so it will work for you for years. After all, isn't that what fashion is about? Collecting great pieces over time? Think of this article as insurance for your bags. We need to lighten the load we carry every day. Let's start with a few visuals on what the heavy bag is doing to our posture:

KILLER POSTURE: EXHIBIT A

Crazy, right? I am totally resisting the urge to deepen my voice and say: This is your back. This is your back with a grotesquely heavy bag. Any questions?!

Let's draw our attention to a few fun points in this x-ray:

-the glaringly obvious massive adaptation curve through the mid back (right around the ribs)

-the uneven shoulders (what is interesting to note here is the side with the heavy bag is higher than the side without anything)

-the (mildly) uneven hips

-the level and straight head

Peculiar that last point, no?

Let's put it this way - your head is always going to attempt to be level and straight. So, in this picture, this poor bag-loving fashionista has a completely uneven back, along with uneven hips and shoulders, but her head will always be level.

Why this is important is symmetry. If you can imagine the muscles of our fashionista's spine here, her left side is going to have shorter muscles in her neck and her right side is going to be longer. Over time, this can lead to super fun things like headaches, neck pain, eye pain, spinal subluxations...and let's not forget the crappy posture!

KILLER POSTURE: EXHIBIT B

This. Is. Not. Attractive. At. All.

You do not want your muscles to learn posture like this. This posture says defeated, depressed, sad, overwhelmed, dejected, incompetent, lazy...the list goes on.

When we think about projecting our best image, and having people perceive us in a certain light - they will always look at the total package. Looking like you have given up and that you don't even bother to stand straight anymore...well...draw your own conclusions on your success rate from that!

The good news is that there is a 2-part solution to bad posture that really works. The first part is changing your habits. We will cover that here. The second part is exercise. The second part of this solution is the subject of my next article "Killer Exercises for Killer Posture".

So now that you see what too-much-junk-in-the slouchy-bag-trunk can do, there are a few habits you must form to make your relationship with your bag a long-lasting, loving one:

Dr. Stephanie's Best Habits for Oversized Bags:

1. Wear your bag on the right side if you are right-handed, on the left if you are left-handed.

This may seem like a funny one, but we have naturally uneven shoulders, depending on our "handedness". It is usually the case that your right shoulder is lower (if you are right handed), or your left shoulder is lower (if you are left-handed). Without even realizing it, you are probably adding to this uneven-ness by constantly wearing your bag on your non-dominant side (the side that is already higher). Switch it up!

2. Unpack your bag every night.

Buy a gorgeous tray. Put it in your front hallway. Every night, take out your wallet, keys, papers, phones, everything. So now you have the bonus of never losing your keys again, and you will become aware of what is essential and what is not for your daily life.

Same moisturizer coming in and out of the bag every night and you are not using it? Chuck it. Half-drunk water bottle? Toss it or downsize.

3. Wear the strap around your forearm...or your hand.

Keeping the weight away from strong muscles in our upper body that love to shrug and hunch us over (I'm talking to you, trapezius and pectorals) will reduce the stress on the spine.

The key here is hold the bag as close as you can to your body. The further away you hold it, the more your spine will have to bend to compensate and your muscles will have to asymmetrically shorten.

4. See a Chiropractor.

Shameless self-promotion - I know, I know...but this is a total no-brainer! Chiropractors know how to keep your spine healthy and ensure you don't develop bad postural habits over time.

As they say, that's our bag, baby.

Dr. Stephanie, Health, Wellness & Healing
		About the author:
		Dr. Stephanie Estima Galanis, DC, Dip(AC), is a big-hearted, energetic, and passionate healer.  With a background in neuroscience and psychology, she understands how physical injury can, if left untreated, fully integrate into the body.  Dr. Stephanie specializes in whole body wellness, including chiropractic, cosmetic and traditional acupuncture, orthotic therapy and  fitness. She is a fitness champion, having placed 3rd in the New York Regional Division of the prestigious National Physique Committee in April 2008. Dr. Stephanie has a long standing love for cooking and languages and is currently working towards her proficiency in Greek, French, and Italian.