It’s Tuesday, Stalkers. You know what that means! How goes your toning up?

I was at physical therapy the other day and had the misfortune to witness two women on the treadmill. Woman A was in her 50s. ; Woman B was in her 20s. WA wore shorts and a t-shirt. WA wore capris and a tank top. WA had short hair. WB had long hair. The ONE thing these women had in common? NO SUPPORT. Both looked like they had two bags of marbles in their shirts which were bouncing UP and DOWN and they jogged. ~shudder~ I’m thinking they must roll ‘em up to tuck into their bras.*wacko*

So let’s talk about sports bras.

A sports bra is a bra that provides support to female breasts during physical exercise. They are sturdier than typical bras, minimize breast movement, alleviate discomfort, and reduce potential damage to chest ligaments. Breasts have no muscle, yet without proper support, the skin and Cooper's ligaments (ligaments near the breast which give them their size and shape) can break down and cause sagging. Once your Cooper's ligaments stretch out, THEY DO NOT BOUNCE BACK.

Be sure you have a proper fitting sports bra to minimize the movement of your chest!
The band should be snug but comfortable, should stay in place and should not chafe or irritate your skin. It should not move around your rib cage. The band should be hooked on the loosest or middle hooks, not the tightest. If it's hooked on the tightest, then there is no place to go when the bra loosens up a bit. There should be no sign of your breast spilling out of the side of the bra, nor under the arm. Also, there should be no spillage along the neckline of the bra. The neckline part of the bra should cover the top portion of your breast to enhance support and minimize bounce. Remember, a DD or E cup woman cannot completely eliminate movement due to the volume and weight of her breasts. Remember to adjust the straps if that is a feature.

There are 3 types of sports bras: high impact, medium impact, and low impact.

• HIGH IMPACT means that there is a high degree of bouncing in the activity and the breast is subject to a lot of up and down stress/movement (like running, mountain biking, dance, aerobics).
• MEDUIM IMPACT means there is a moderate degree of bouncing. Activities include the elliptical trainer and power walking.
• LOW IMPACT means that there is little to no bouncing. Activities include yoga, Pilates and weight training.

There ARE underwire sports bras. One with underwire enhances encapsulation and “holds” the breast securely in place in the cup. The underwire should feel comfortable and should be positioned right under the breast, not in contact with any part of the lower breast and not on the lower part of the rib cage where it expands. The channel in which the wire lives should be very plush and soft and offer the wire room to move as the body moves. Hence, we don't have the dreaded "poke through".

The most important bra strap for larger breasted women is an adjustable strap. The more “lift” in the cup, the less up/down movement and less bounce. (This is true for all cups sizes.) Adjustable straps allow the bra to lift the breasts and minimize any bouncing. They can also take pucker out of upper part of the cup if that's an issue. They simply offer a better, more precise fit. Be sure that the straps are not cutting into your shoulders or feel like they are holding most of the weight. When adjusting the straps, be sure that they are not cutting into your shoulders or feel like they are holding most of the weight.

So don't let your 'girls' bounce around like they're on trampolines, ladies. Strap 'em down!!