We women love our breasts. Men love our breasts. These pretty girly parts are definitely worth taking care of. It should come as no surprise that a very important and critical item in every woman’s lingerie wardrobe is a good sports bra. (Or several of them as the case may be.) If you are active, and unless you want your boobs to start resembling something you might see on a National Geographic documentary, you may want to take heed here. This is important stuff.
Sports bras aren’t necessarily going to be your sexiest bras. They may not be sexy all, but if your man is anything like mine, anything that sits adjacent to “the girls” is all fine and dandy. That being said, this is the time when function outweighs form and you must go for proper fit and comfort. If you don’t, you are just going to be miserable, and that doesn’t do much to get you exercising, which is sort of the point of wearing one of these contraptions in the first place. Being fit and fabulous is a very good thing. Now lets make sure you have the right equipment for your sport.
A good sports bra has several critical components. None of these should be disregarded or overlooked. A perfect fit is really important.
#1. Compression and Support. You might not like the idea of the word compression because it implies discomfort, but this is not the case at all. The secret to a good sports bra is to hold the breasts close to the chest, without any unnecessary overflow in the front, or even worse would be overflow at the armpits. Everything needs to fit inside the bra but you definitely don’t want it to be loose because that will create boob bounce. Bounce in a sports bra is not a good thing. You might have to try on several until you get the perfect balance of solid support without cutting off your circulation or having your breasts boomeranging all over the place. Bouncing will ultimately cause you pain and discomfort and over time your breasts may begin to sag and move south. This is not good. If you are stuck between two size choices, err on the slightly too tight side as over time the bra is bound to stretch out a bit. In fact, be aware of this and when your bra starts to lose it’s holding power, it’s time to chuck it.
#2. Chafing. Whenever you are working out or exercising in a bra, chafing can become an issue if the bra doesn’t fit correctly or if it has annoying seams or labels. Look for seamless sports bras if you can find them in smooth stretchy fabrics. These are the best choices. Be leery of labels as even the most unobtrusive ones can get annoying and itchy during a prolonged run or they may not bother you at all until you get sweaty and halfway through your run. Be aware of all these factors and shop smart.
#3. Shape and style. Everyone is always concerned about the uni-boob look of that most compression sports bras create. Here’s the deal. Are you trying to be sexy or do you want to be comfortable? The point of exercising is to be able to focus on the task at hand, so you can worry about being sexy later. I can’t think of a worse feeling than to be in a regular underwire bra while I am working out hard in a gym class. Of course, it’s always a matter of personal preference but I will take the uni-boob look and be comfortable any day over having a wire stabbing into my ribs. There are some sports bras that do a better job of lifting and separating than others and still are practical for sports and reduce bounce. Look for these if you are worried about being a one-boob wonder. Personally, I don’t care, I just want to work out without pain.
I’ve compiled a few tips that I’ve learned from much trial and error and a whole drawer full of sports bras:
• Try to imitate your workout action in the dressing room. It sounds ridiculous, but if you run for exercise, you must run in the dressing room. All sports bras must get a test drive!
• Wash sports bras on the delicate cycle of your washer and hang them to dry. They will last much longer, as the elastic fibers to break down in the dryer over time.
• Buy the bra so it fits on the loosest hook, then you can tighten it up as it begins to break in and loosen. When you start to notice any bouncing on the tightest hook, then it’s time for a new bra.
• Ignore sizing charts and go by fit. Many sports bras don’t even have a cup size, as they are only sized by the measurement under your breasts. This is not accurate and you must try them on to be sure.
• Take your activity level and impact into consideration. Running or high impact sports create much more bounce than yoga. It’s highly possible that if you do more than one type of activity you may need more than one type of sports bra. The built in bra in a workout top might be fine for Pilates, but you may need more support for your 5 mile run around the lake.
Okay now you have all the facts that you need to go out and get a really good sports bra that keeps you comfortable. If you don’t even have to think about your bra during your exercise, then consider your efforts a success and have a great workout! xo J.
