Are you wearing the right sports bra?
Friday 25 July 2008
Some scientists in Portsmouth have been hard at work for the last three years studying the way breasts move when we exercise. After all that research they can finally tell us what we all already knew...that breasts move all over the shop when we exercise, not just up and down. They also discovered that some breasts move as much as 21cm.
Spurred on by their work, Closer decided to give you all a sports bra low-down, to make sure you're looking after your puppies.
After loose fitting clothing and decent trainers the most important part of any girls’ sports kit is the sports bra. An ill fitting bra will make most fitness training uncomfortable and could even result in back pain, chaffing and sagging breasts. So how do you go about getting the best possible fit for you?
Like any bra it is important to get fitted, enlist the help of the professionals to get a really good supportive bra. It is best to go to a specialist underwear shop or the lingerie section of a department store where they have a large selection of different types of sports bras and someone qualified to fit you.
Your size and body type will decide what type of bra you will need. There are two general types of sports bras. The first is the pullover type that is usually made from thick elasticised cotton that compresses the breasts and the second is the encapsulation type that separates the breasts.
The pullover type of bra is best for those women with A and B cup sizes and this is because it flattens the breasts to provide no-bounce support. They don’t work too well if the breasts are larger than a C cup particularly if you do an activity that involves vertical movement and also they can be quite difficult to get on and off.
The encapsulation style sports bra works better for women with a C cup or larger particularly doing an activity that involves vertical movement because this type of bra supports each breast individually. The encapsulation style bra also usually has adjustable clasps and straps, so not only is it easier to take on or off, but it can be adjusted to fit you better.
And once you have found the right bra for you it’s worth taking good care of it. As time goes by machine washing can take its toll on the fabric of the bra. The elasticity of the fabric will diminish with each wash and it will gradually become less supportive. The average life span of a machine washed sports bra is six months but if you find a really good one, hand washing it and line drying it will make it last twice as long.