We’d all like to have nicer arms, but continually lifting hand weights or dumbbells isn’t the most fun exercise to do.  Fortunately, there is a way to give your arms better tone without having to lift weights as often.  Even better: you don’t need to buy any additional equipment.  All you need is your handbag.

It’s still idea to strength train with weights or with your own body weight on a regular basis.  This is great for your whole body.  However, there are some simple things you can do with nothing more than your handbag to improve the tone of your arms.

That purse you lug with you everywhere you go and that you fill with everything but the kitchen sink could be your key to taking your current workout to the next level.  The odds are that your purse isn’t light.  Unless you just got it and neatly tucked your wallet, phone, a pen, some sunglasses and your keys into it, it’s also likely filled with a whole slew of additional items, including half a rainforest’s worth of receipts. 

As much as you might feel inclined to dump that purse out now and again to clear out all that extra weight, before you do, spend some time with it just the way it is in order to help you improve the tone of your arms.  At the same time, this handbag workout will actually be better for your body as a whole.

The reason is that the odds are that you carry your purse on the same arm all the time.  This means that only one arm is taking the weight, which is bad for your other arm, but it’s also not great for your shoulders, spine, hips or even knees.  Continually carrying something on one side of your body and not the other leads to poor posture and potential back pain among other symptoms.

So if you want to reduce your risk of back pain, keep up your great posture and tone your other arm, switch up the arm you use to carry your handbag.  Surprisingly, this does actually work. If you want to take that to the next level, change the types of purse you carry and switch sides with that, too.  For instance, use a bag with a shoulder strap on one side, then the other throughout the day.  Then, try a cross-body purse that you carry on one side, then the other.  Next, try a handbag with shorter handles that needs to be carried in the crook of your arm and make sure both arms get attention. 

If you’re feeling especially motivated, carry purses with shorter handles on your forearm or in your hand and do some lifts as you go.  It can’t hurt to give yourself a few bonus bicep curls at the grocery store or tricep extensions while you wait in line at the movies!