Hello everybody
This is week 4 of our 6-week travel series. This week we will talk about the impact handbags and small day bags can have on shoulders and necks.
Travelling can involve many hours out and about, sight-seeing and exploring new cities and places. We often take a small day bag with us to carry the essentials for that day. If you have a heavy day bag over one shoulder, it can pull on the muscles around the shoulder and neck, leading to neck soreness and shoulder pain.
Here are a few tips that may help avoid this happening to you:
* Use a cross body handbag or day bag with a wider strap while travelling. It distributes the weight of the bag across two shoulders and your trunk rather than one shoulder taking the load.
* When you are lifting or carrying a few heavy items, set your shoulder blade, keeping it strong by pulling it back and down. Also, keep your posture and neck upright and don’t allow your head to poke forward when carrying something heavy.
* Strengthen your shoulders and arms a few months before you set off travelling to reduce your chance of injuries. Try these simple exercises:
o Push-ups. If you can’t do a floor push-up, start with push-ups against a wall, then progress to floor push-ups from the knees.
o Triceps dips on a chair.
o Neck retraction exercises – tucking your chin in and lengthening the back of your neck.
Hope this is helpful
Deb
