Tips on Carrying Bags

The following post is written by Hope Gillerman, Alexander Technique Teacher and founder of H. Gillerman Organics. For more information, visit her website www.hgillermanorganics.com or www.alexandertechnyc.com/.

Here are my tips on how to manage all that you carry without stress and look good doing it!

TOTING, SWINGING, LUGGING & SCHLEPPING

First, check yourself out in the mirror.
Is one shoulder higher than the other?
Or does one hand hang lower than the other?
Or maybe you see that your head is tilted to one side or your neck looks scrunched.
No worries. You don't need to run off to the chiropractor or put your body in traction. These imbalances could stem from your daily toting habits; the way you carry your shoulder bag or backpack.

All you have to do is adjust and you'll be swinging your satchel with ease.


DAILY ON YOUR SHOULDER

1. When buying a shoulder bag, make sure the bag rests on your shoulder without holding it in place with your hand.

2. If you carry a shoulder bag, practice putting the bag on your shoulder in front of the mirror. Watch that you don't lean to one side or lift your shoulder. Use your other hand to place the bag so it sits comfortably on the top of your shoulder.

3. As you walk around with the bag (on your right shoulder, for example) hook your right thumb under the straps and push forward, keeping right elbow relaxed by your side.

4. Don't squeeze your elbow to your ribs to hold bag in place - the thumb forward pressure should do it.

5. Most important of all: don't carry your bag on the same side every day. If you have been holding your bag on your right shoulder, switch to the left for a while and eventually alternate daily, same would be true for messenger bags.

LET THE SCHLEPPING BEGIN!

Back to school:
Help your kids manage their heavy loads. Its tough, to be sure, to watch their little bodies lugging sometimes as much as 25% of their body weight.

1. Purchase a comfortable, lightweight backpack--a city pack won't work if they have to carry a computer and tons of books and sporting equipment (see above).

2. Teach them to stop leaning forward when they walk, show them how to hold on with their hands.

3. But make it fun. "Head up, shoulders back" is a sure fire way to give your kid bad posture. (This I know from my 30 years experience helping people improve their posture).

4. In Europe, people carry their backpacks on the front of their bodies - kind of like baby carriers. Maybe your kid will opt for this if it feels more comfortable.

5. As an alternative to backpacks, wheelies are great, but they aren't good with stairs.

If you have questions, you can email me or go to my twitter page. And to get ALL my tips and articles check out the Wellness Tips page on my site.

Read more!

Brave Puppy

Most clients at Rhinebeck Pilates have met our "studio mascot", Oscar. He is a cool little brown puppy who is hopefully on a journey to recovery!

About Oscar
A couple weeks ago I was hit with a major brainstorm- we need a new puppy! The reactions from most people when I mentioned my great idea ranged from skeptical to "you're crazy". Maybe its the fact that, at the time, my husband and I were expecting our first baby in 5 weeks-is that what makes the idea sound crazy? Perhaps. But I knew that our dog, Ernie, needed a buddy.

So, with some searching, I came across a little brown puppy with an injured leg. The woman who had him at the time claimed to be unsure of exactly how his leg was injured, and never took him to the vet to find out what happened. He had been limping for about a month. I knew this was the puppy for us! He needed a home.

We drove 4 hours each way to get him, and on the ride home we named him Oscar. A few days later we took him to the vet for x-rays and discovered that he had a broken knee and torn ligaments. Since it was an old injury that never healed properly, the vet suggested amputation. It was a sad day.

Of course we took him to another vet for a second opinion, and she sadly agreed that amputation is most likely the best option. However, she also suggested putting a splint on his leg for 4 weeks and treating him with homeopathic bone and ligament building remedies. We decided it was worth a try, anything to save his incredibly small leg!

Before the splint was put on Oscar, he was a cuddly little puppy, but very shy and withdrawn. He feared most people and other dogs and spent almost the whole day sleeping. It was hard to believe that his injury was so serious, because at times he walked on his leg as if nothing was wrong. But, at other times, he held up his paw and cried. One night he was even crying in his sleep, if you can imagine that.

Once the splint was put on, clients at the studio commented that he was like a totally different dog. He was friendly and outgoing, walked up to strangers and wagged his tail. We all realized that he was previously so shy because he was in pain. Even though the splint looked awkward and uncomfortable, he was much happier with it on.

Oscar Now
Oscar still has his splint on, though it will come off in 4 days. The splint and homeopathic remedies seem to be working- he is running fast, curious and playful, and maneuvering his leg in positions he never did before, which leads me to believe that his range of motion has increased.

The vets are still skeptical that the splint will really help him in the long term- he will most likely have pain and arthritis his whole life. We may eventually decide to amputate if it does seem to cause him too much pain. But for now, we're hopeful that our efforts help Oscar live a life with as much four-legged mobility as possible!

Oscar in the Future
We're looking into getting Oscar a leg brace so he can have support while trying to strengthen his leg again once its out of the splint. Stay tuned for updates!

We will also have to give him some physical therapy for the leg since it will be so atrophied once its out of the splint. The vet suggested we use swimming therapy since its non-impact. A little difficult in the fall/winter, but not impossible. Our plan is to fill a large tub with water, hold him by the torso, and have him tread water. Should be interesting. Stay tuned for news on this, too!

Thanks to everyone for caring about Oscar and asking how he's doing! I'll keep you all posted with Oscar updates here on the blog and the new Rhinebeck Pilates Facebook Page! Read more!