When Big Bags Bite Back.

Rachel Bilson

You've heard it all before: heavy handbags are bad for your body. What with your wallet, phone, Kindle, planner, water bottle and umbrella, the average woman's bag weighs a whopping 3kg. So what about your gym bag? I don't know about you, but when it comes to my gym haul, you can add training shoes, clothes, a make-up bag, a hair straightener, deodorant and a towel to the load. Honestly, it's a workout just lugging it to the health club.

I used to carry all that weight on one shoulder. Until sharp pains started shooting down my neck and shoulder. The culprit? My bag. But it turns out that's not the only area that feels the strain of a heavy satchel...

Neck: When you carry a bag, your neck naturally leans away from the load to help carry and balance the weight. This causes tension on the carrying side of the neck and compression on the opposite side.

Shoulders and back: The shoulder bearing the load is rotated backwards and raised all the time... This affects the muscles running down the upper back, the shoulder blades and those supporting the spine — they tire and spasm.

Arms: The arm carrying the bag remains very static while walking to keep the load still and balanced... "This is quite different to the natural swinging movement we make when walking," says [physiotherapist Russell Stocker]. "Without the normal arm swing used as a balance mechanism, this can make you slightly unsteady and actually mean you need greater effort to move forwards."

 Hips and legs: The greater the load of the bag, the more pressure on the leg joints. Over a long period, force on the knees can cause wear and tear and joint problems.

So if you're toting your gym gear around every day, maybe try a backpack. They might not be the epitome of style but I saw an article in a recent issue of Shop Til You Drop that said backpacks are making a comeback. It's true, I promise. I admit, I'm not sure they were talking about my free Fitness First backpack, but hey, if they're back on the runway, I say embrace it.