Underwear for active women - Sports bras

An active lifestyle becomes an issue from the moment a woman’s bust grows. Research has shown up to 56% of women experience breast pain when exercising. This is due to the large displacement of the breasts, which in addition to the discomfort can cause embarrassment. Breast motion is hard to reduce, as the breast does not contain strong intrinsic structural support. The primary supporting structures in the breasts are the Cooper’s ligaments. With secondary support only from the skin, these can easily be stretched if repeatedly loaded, as occurs during physical exercise. This can cause the breast to sag. It is therefore important to reduce breast movement to limit breast pain and irreversible stretch of the Cooper’s Ligaments.

An Australian study tested a sports bra against a fashion bra, a crop top and bare breasted and found that the sports bra reduced pain and vertical movement by 50% compared to bare breasted exercise. The crop top and fashion bra reduced vertical movement and perceived pain but only by the half the amount of the sports bra.

Research to date suggests to reduce pain and motion of the breasts when exercising, a well-fitted sports bra should be worn.

If you decide to go down this route the first step is to determine your bra size. More than 68% of women do not know their proper bra size and more than 40% of those who buy a sports bra get one which is entirely unsuitable for them.

Second, determine your physical activity level. Generally there are three defined impacts of activity; low impact (yoga), medium impact (tennis), high impact (running). Most sports bra makers will indicate the activity level that their bras are best suited for through a numbering system.

Third, choose sports bra style that suits your body type. The compressed style works by strapping the breast close to the body. This style is ideal for the A and B cup woman. The natural shape style is more comfortable for a larger breasted woman. Finally there are now sports bras in plus sizes for the fuller figure which still give excellent support.

Fabric is important to consider when buying a sports bra. The choice of fabric will depend on your physical activity level and how sensitive your breast skin is. Different fabrics provide different levels of softness, moisture management and fit. Generally speaking any modern sports bra designed for a high activity level will do the job of taking moisture away from the skin to avoid chaffing.

And finally, there are an increasing number of styles to choose from in sports bras. Differences include different back styles, a range of closures, pullovers, and styles that can be worn as outerwear.

Sports bras that are used 3-4 times a week tend to wear out within 6 to 12 months. Hand-washing will help extend the life of your sports bra, but the moment it starts to lose its fit, throw it out.