If you are like most women, you probably don’t even know that there is a sports bra size. Many of us simply grab the one that looks “about right,” though this can be detrimental to your health.
Sports bras are designed to reduce the amount of movement during active play. No matter what kind of sport you are into, you should never wear a regular fashion bra. Though they may look pretty, fashion bras were not meant to withstand jumping, running, kicking, walking, or any other type of movement. In order to find the right sports bra, you will have to measure yourself properly.
Measuring yourself for a sports bra is slightly different than measuring yourself for a regular bra. The first thing to take into consideration is your chest size. Using a measuring tap, wrap the tape around your chest, under your arms, and slightly above your breasts (if you happen to come up with an odd number, round it up to the next whole number). Once you know your chest size, you can combine it with your cup size and your waist size (these numbers are the same ones that you use to buy regular bras).
In order to find the right sports bra, you must consider your level of activity. Since each sports bra is made for a different type of sport, check the label to see whether it says “low impact (walking, weight training, cycling);” “medium impact (spinning, skiing, skating);” or “high impact (running, mountain biking; aerobics).” Finally, you will discover that there are three types of bras to choose from: compression, encapsulated, and underwire.
Compression bras are best for those women that are A and B cups, since they act to pull the breasts in tightly. Encapsulated bras are best for women with larger cup sizes due to the fact that they provide a natural shape, and underwire bras work for women that have fuller breasts. Though there are also many fabrics to consider, this is often a matter of personal preference. Once you find a sports bra that fits accurately, buy a couple of them just to be sure that you never go without the proper support.
Remember, you should never even attempt any type of physical exercise without the right sports bra. While you may want your breasts to look their best, those fashion bras just don’t cut it when it comes time to give it all you’ve got.
Tiffany Hart writes about
bra sizes, styles, brands and other issues for DivaBras.com where you can find elegant and practical
plus size bras.
