Which bra?!

The female breasts are so very important to, well, everyone! That is why we must look after them. The breasts are composed of a whole lot of fatty tissue, glands and muscle. With a lack in structural support, the only thing that holds the breasts in place is ligaments and skin. No matter what your size, the displacement of the breasts is unfortunately very hard to reduce. It is therefore extremely important to reduce breast movement to limit breast pain and more importantly, irreversible stretch of the ligaments causing sagging. This brings us to the question on all of our lips, “which bra will provide the most support for me?”

Choosing a well fitted sports bra is a very personal decision and depends on many aspects of the wearer's perception and opinions. To start, you need to ask yourself so many questions. Like these…

1. What size do you think you are?
Many women do not truly know what size they are. Girls Run Too has a very simple equation to use to determine what size you actually are and all you need is a measuring tape.

2. What style do you like to wear and what does your sporting wardrobe consist of?
There are two main styles of sports bra, the encapsulation and the compress. Encapsulated bras separate and support each breast in its own cup, and sometimes have under wire. Compression bras squash the breasts to the body. Traditionally, it has been thought that encapsulated bras are better for bigger breasted women, however with the explosion of the sports bra industry, this is just no longer the case.

Women that have shoulder or neck problems should stay away from compression style bras as they are often difficult to get on and off and can put extra pressure on the shoulders.

3. What kind of support is needed?
The sports you plan to use your bra with makes a huge difference on your bra choice. Running would have to be the highest impact sport that our breasts are subject to. Thus if you were looking at crossing the bra over with cycling and running, running is the sport you choose for. However, if you are just going to use the bra for cycling, less support is needed and thus you can get away with a little more comfort, especially for longer rides.

4. Do you sweat a lot or have particular preference for fabrics?
Sweating produces salts to be trapped between the skin and the fabric of a bra causing chaffing on some people. This makes it important to choose fabrics for sensitive skin or with flat seams.

What to expect from your bra

Your sports bra should be a snug fit. Although this may feel a bit strange initially, it should not restrict your breathing in any way.

The bra needs to stay in place on your body, and shouldn't ride up at the back or slip down or crease over at the front. Nothing on the bra (such as a seam) should rub or cause irritation and the straps should not dig in or leave red marks.

Good sports bras are made of technical fabrics such as polyester or Supplex that 'wick' moisture away from the body, ensuring you stay comfortable as you sweat. To find the correct fit, it's important that you measure yourself - lots of women wear the wrong size.

Buying a sports bra online

Purchasing a bra online is not a difficult task and to be honest it is easier than searching through the bra shops that stock one style. The key is to ask for help. Good websites, such as Girls Run Too, have well trained staff that know there stuff. They can match you to the right bra once you have asked yourself the above questions.

It is always great to try on more than one size of bra, so you know what doesn't fit. Once you have found the bra that suits you - stick with it, avoiding costly mistakes and unnecessary problems.

How often you should replace your bra depends on usage, washes and the stress you put it under during exercise. Be sensible, as soon as it feels less than firm change it, don't wait for the fabric to wear too thin and the elastic threads to hang out. Breast surgery is more expensive than changing your sports bra regularly.

The Girls Run Too fitting

I visited Jo and Heather at Girls Run Too for a bra fitting recently and was pleased with the attention to detail and service I received. It was a very educational and rewarding experience.

I have large'ish breasts, so finding a sports bra that provides enough support has always been a difficult task. I didn't really know what size I actually was, so the first thing we had to do was find that out.

Once knowing my size, we moved through the required questions and started the game of elimination. Heather gave me a lot of bras to try on. I found out what did/didn't work simply what felt and looked good or bad. I came to learn that the compression type was best for me and the end product was the Shock Absorber B518. See my review on the Shock Absorber B518 here. The new Shock Absorber Shock Absorber B4490 Looks great and I will be purchasing one as soon as Girls Run Too have them in stock.

My perception of sports bra's has changed. No longer do I believe that I must wear an under wire, what they can do with some non-stretch fabric is amazing. Nor do I think that one bra will get me through all of my sports, for three years. I now know that I must change my bra every three months, or have heaps of bras for six months.