A lot of women are prone to carrying more in their handbag than necessary (us included). It's generally a good thing: it helps up be prepared for anything. But have you ever considered that packing that emergency pair of flats, an umbrella mid-summer, or inexplicably carrying your entire makeup bag around with you all day might be causing you back pain?
In fact, research shows that UK women carry 17 items with them on a daily basis, lumping around a total load of over 3kg. This is 1kg over the recommended amount and is causing 63 per cent of women to suffer with back pain.
A new calculator is allowing women to test where they come in this, by weighing up how heavy our handbags are.
The nifty piece of tech, created by luxury handbag brand Aspinal of London, lets you work out the weight of your own handbag. You just have to select which items you have in your bag on a daily basis and you are given an estimated weight.
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Because - as we know - the things we find ourselves carrying in our handbags are limitless, the calculator features five categories for items including general, parenting, hood, health and beauty, and one for an additional gym bag.
Within these categories, there are hundreds of items to choose from, ranging from everyday objects like mobile phones and purses, to miscellaneous belongings such as Kindles, metal straws and condoms.
If you try the calculator, you're likely to get a surprise: according to Aspinal of London, who carried out the research, most women underestimate the weight of their bag by an average of 323 grams.
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The calculator then cleverly tells you if the weight of your bag is putting you at risk of back pain.
Doug Jones, Sports Physiotherapist at the Manchester Institute of Health & Performance, says: "Back pain is common in the UK with one in three adults getting it every year and carrying heavy bags - especially if you tend to carry them on the same shoulder day-in day-out, it could be problematic for your posture and in some cases, could even cause long term damage."
Research also looked regionally and found that women in Brighton had the heaviest bags on average, weighing over 2.2kg, while Glasgow reported the highest percentage of women experiencing back pain.
If your calculator results show that you're at risk of back pain due to your handbag load, Aspinal of London have offered some useful tips.
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First, consider swapping out your handbag for a rucksack or a cross-body bag. This will help distribute the weight more evenly. Handbags can cause postural imbalance as well as issues in the neck and upper back.
Secondly, you should consider taking breaks from carrying your handbag. It's likely you won't need everything in it all day long, so if you're popping to the shops, why not just take your essentials in your pocket?
Lastly, the brand recommend emptying your bag each evening and only repacking the essential items needed for the next day. This gives you a good opportunity to get rid of bits and bobs that accumulate in your bag and are likely weighing you down.
Featured Image Credit: Unsplash/ Tamara BellisTopics: Life News, Style News, Fashion, Health