Posted: January 9, 2005

Women's Sports: Keeping Abreast - A Message For The Girls

It's sad but true that time and gravity cause our breasts to sag, they where designed (probably by a man) without the benefit of muscles to lift and keep them firm, we only have suspensory ligaments to help us keep our shape and these ligaments stretch and so our breasts sag, this is inevitable and irreversible, and you could be speeding up the process by wearing inadequate support whilst exercising, it really is important to support the breasts to reduce bounce., many women are still unaware that unrestricted movement during exercise can permanently stretch the "Coopers Ligaments" causing the breasts to sag, forever! No amount of exercising will prevent this, as there are no muscles in the breast you can specifically train; the breasts are linked to the chest via the ligaments, which help to give shape and form. With age and time these ligaments will stretch and the bust will sag, sorry girls it's true, and unfortunately you could be speeding up the process by not wearing adequate support during exercise, lets face it you would not go horse riding or cycling without proper head protection or running without proper training shoes, a good sports bra is a piece of sports kit designed to help to prevent injury and make you feel comfortable.

Fortunately plenty of research has been done recently on sports bras and the conclusion is that wearing a well designed properly fitting sports bra will help to prevent painful bounce and minimise damage to the ligaments, also it helps to prevent women with larger breasts from suffering neck and shoulder discomfort caused by excessive bouncing. By wearing a correctly fitting sports bra, breast movement can be reduced by as much as 50% thus delaying long term sagging. 82% of doctors surveyed agreed that "Wearing a sport bra helps to prevent breast motion, reducing stress on the Coopers suspensory ligament which helps to prevent long term sagging of the breasts" Most importantly sports bras are more comfortable than most ordinary bras when playing sport or exercising.

Having decided a sports bra is a good thing the question is which one? Sports bras are usually designed in one of two formats, the cupless crop top design which holds the bust in position by compression, and is usually made from stretch fabric, and the traditional style of bra with cups that lift and separate giving shape and form. There are many makes of sports bra on the market and one of the best ways to assess them is to visit a specialist sports bra supplier such as www.boobydoo.co.uk where you can find a wide range to compare, they also have an activity chart that can help you to decide what level of support is best for your activity. A good fit is essential, firm and supportive but no so tight it restricts breathing, although you can measure your bust to establish your size and cup size, it is worth remembering that sizes are not industry standard and each manufacturers sizes can vary from each other, so it is important to select your bra from a specialist company who will exchange it free of charge if the size is not right.

In recent years sports bras have benefited from the advance in high performance fabrics that wick moisture away from the skin and keep you dryer and cooler, fabrics such as Coolmax® which has a unique fibre construction that helps to keep you cool and dry. X-static® is a pure silver coated antimicrobial yarn that helps to eliminate bacterial build up, also it is antistatic and has excellent wickability and breathability properties. Supplex® is a soft nylon yarn that handles like cotton, this enables quick drying, up to 40% faster than cotton, it is abrasion resistant to minimise pilling and is easy to look after being wash & wear, crease resistant.

So whatever your sport or activity you have no excuse for not wearing a good, comfortable piece of kit, that in the long run may keep you looking and performing better.

BY: Jane Laycock