Picking the Perfect Purse

According to the American Chiropractic Association, 80% of Americans will experience back pain in their lifetimes. And let's be honest— we're all guilty of carrying a purse heavier than a small child at least once in our lives, even though we know it's not good for us.

As a rule of thumb, your purse should not weigh more than 10% of your body weight. Some of us carry these too-heavy bags regularly, not realizing that we're damaging our spines and shoulders. Here are some ways to reduce the fallout.

Change your purse size depending on what you're doing. Carry clutches for parties and smaller purses when running short errands. When larger bags are needed, consider a cross-body style, as it distributes weight more evenly than a strap slung across one shoulder.

If you use a large purse daily, you may want to consider a backpack-style bag. Make sure it has two straps, both of which are adjustable and padded to distribute the weight evenly across your back and shoulders. Otherwise, you may find yourself slouching one direction over the other, which could lead to overuse injuries on that side of your body.

To lighten your load, prioritize what takes up space in your bag. For example, do you always need your laptop, e-reader and cellphone, or can you make do with just one of those devices? Consider what you can take out of your purse before running an errand, and leave things you can live without at home.

Limit repeat items such as multiple pens and varying shades of lip gloss to one of each, and sift through your accessories to determine if they're vital. You can also drastically reduce the weight of your bag by ditching the change. Dump the coins littering the bottom of your purse into a jar. Who knows —maybe you'll build up enough change to buy a new purse!

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