Exercise Apparel

Women who engage in any sporting activity, especially jogging and walking, are prone to permanent breast damage. The bouncing motion than occur during these two types of exercise can cause a great deal of stress to a woman’s breast. Breasts are composed of mammary glands, muscle, and mainly fatty tissue. Any muscle is deeper within the breast, which means that what muscle is there does not necessarily help much in the area of support.

Coopers Ligaments are what actually hold your breasts up. All of the repetitive bouncing that takes place during jogging and faster walking stretches out these ligaments. You may begin to get stretch marks, and before you know it, you are in good health but your breasts are sagging down toward your belly button! All of the bouncing may also cause a good deal of back pain. Since corrective surgery is the only available option for those who already have saggy breasts, prevention is the key.

While engaged in exercise, it is essential for every woman to wear a good sports bra. Of which, there are two basic types:

Compression bras basically keep your breasts pressed against your chest. After giving birth, some women who do not plan on breast-feeding will wrap their chest in an Ace bandage. This keeps the breasts pressed tightly enough to stop milk production. This is essentially what the compression bra does. It typically comes in racer-back or regular back, and since it basically looks like a tank top cut in half, it can be worn without a shirt over it.

Compression bras can be found in almost any online retail store. This type of sports bra may suffice for smaller breasted women, but those with larger breasts (or those who can definitely feel a bounce) should choose a sports bra that offers even more support; such as an encapsulation bra.

Encapsulation bras offer defined cup sizes and the breasts are kept separate, similar to a traditional bra. This type of jog bra will offer more support to greatly reduce bounce, and will also assist in reduction of any back pain. Because the encapsulation sports bras may look more like traditional bras, you will probably want to wear clothing over it. Encapsulation sports bras may not be as easy to find in retail stores as the compression bras. You may need to do some research in order to find an actual sporting goods store. Another option, which may also allow you to find a greater variety, would be to purchase this type of sports bra online.

Now that you know the two basic types of sports bras, there are some other aspects of sports bras to keep in mind:

• Be sure that the fabric of your sports bra allows for breathing. You may find bras that have a wick, which will pull any sweat from your body.

• Comfort is important. Be sure that your sports bra is the correct size so that it will not impede with your ability to breathe properly during your exercise routine.

• Be sure that the straps of your sports bras are wider than those of your regular bras. This will help keep the straps from digging into to top of your shoulders, while also offering even more support.

• Some companies recommend replacing your sports bras after a certain number of washed. Pay attention to care descriptions on labels.

Remember that without proper support, the shape of your breasts will be permanently altered. Invest in some good sports bras now so that you won’t have to even consider cosmetic surgery in the future.

Tags: bras for sports, sport bras, sports bras

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at 3:20 pm and is filed under Exercise Apparel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.