Going strapless
I started a weight-loss experiment a few weeks ago and haven’t looked back since. It wasn’t me that needed to lose weight but my bag. I don’t have an arduous commute to work but I believe every little improvement helps, it other words, it all adds up.
So instead of carrying clipboards, books, folders to and from work, I only take the bare essentials and sometimes my laptop. For this to work I have two sets of clipboards, pens, and other miscellaneous tools, one at work and one at home.
But one of the most interesting changes to what I carry came when I took the shoulder strap off my bag. I did so to take the weight loss to an extreme but it probably has made the single biggest difference. I find that hand carrying the bag is more comfortable to carrying the bag over my shoulder. Also my walking pose due to the release of weight has improved. The one disadvantage is that I don’t have both hands free unless I get a seat on the train but the trade-off is worth it. It is interesting because it is counter-intuitive at least to me. Like tying my shoe laces, I have been doing something wrong for most of my life.
I have tried not using a shoulder strap and just use the handle on various bags that I’ve owned before but I have to say I prefer using a shoulder strap and my current bag only has a shoulder strap.
But I do agree that keeping the weight down on a bag is very important.
I usually keep in my bag a small bottle of water, eye-drops, hand-cream, lip balm, sun-glasses and maybe a magazine. When I go to work I keep my lunch (usually a sandwich) in there. However there are times when it inevitably will get full and heavy if I go shopping but what can you do in those cases?