A wise woman I know has been heard saying that she’d rather run a marathon without shoes than without a bra, and I couldn’t agree more. The problem for so many women is that they’re almost certainly not wearing the correct size in an everyday bra, never mind a sports one. And that’s before we discuss where to buy one, types of sports bra, and how it should fit.
Fortunately I’m a pro, and here are some of my initial top tips…
Firstly, not all “sports bras” are sports bras. High street fashion brands and specialist activewear ones alike are terrible for marketing what’s actually a crop top as a sports bra. I have no problem with crop tops – I love wearing them over a bra for extra coverage and colour, but they don’t support your breasts like a bra can and should, so they’re misleading when sold as such.
What sets bras apart from crop tops is adjustability and sizing. Crops will be sized as a dress, or using letters. Bras will be sized… as bras! Bras will also have either a clasp or a zip on the band, and adjustable shoulder straps, to ensure correct fit (remember, garments like this have to be tweaked to fit our bodies, as we are moving beings not mannequins). Remember also that the very nature of moving around whilst participating in physical activity will mean that readjustment of the fixings is needed periodically.
Next stop, the band. It should be tight. Sorry if that’s bad news for you! But they do need to be snug as the band technically does 80% of the bra’s job in terms of support. You obviously have to be able to breathe and move, but you should be able to get it done up on the loosest hook when first buying, without getting more than two fingers under the band.
The cups need to contain all of your breast tissue, so the wire (or the outer edge of the cup if non-wired) needs to sit on your rib cage, rather than any soft tissue.
Everything else is preference! Whether you like racer back or standard, wired or non, pink or green or black or any other colour is now up to you.
Want to know more? I’m happy to help