Buying a Sports Bra

Buying a sports bra is part of outfitting yourself for exercise or your favorite sports. It can make working out more comfortable and also keep you looking good.

Why buy a sports bra? What do sports bras do that normal bras don't? Women who exercise regularly know that running, jumping, and other active sports make breasts bounce and jiggle. And that can lead to breast soreness, not to mention attracting attention that you may not want. Sports bras are specially designed to minimize the jiggle and stop the bounce.

Small breasted women don't need as much support as their larger sized sisters. Less breast tissue means less bounce, and women with small breasts may also be less self-conscious about the jiggle. For women with A-cup or B-cup breasts, a stretchy shelf-style bra may be enough. Women with C-cup and larger breasts will probably want to look for more constructed bras, with shaped cups and adjustable straps.

Which bra to wear also depends on which sport you do. Walking and cycling cause a lot less bounce than running and aerobics. Choose a more supportive bra for higher-impact sports.

Buy your sports bra in the same size as your regular bras. If you're not sure of your size, use a tape measure to check your chest and bust size.

First, wrap the tape measure around your chest just under your breasts. Make a note of the measurement, and add five to get your band size. This is the number part of a bra size. Bras only come in even-numbered sizes, so you may need to round the number up or down. Going to the higher size usually works, but try on both the larger and the smaller size to see what's best for you.

Next, measure around the fullest part of your breasts. If your breasts sag, it may be helpful to do this while wearing an unpadded bra. The difference between this measurement and your band size gives you the letter part of your bra size:

• less than 1 inch is AA
• 1 inch is A
• 2 inches is B
• 3 inches is C
• 4 inches is D
• 5 inches is DD

Again, if your measurement is between two sizes, try both on to see what fits.

Look for a bra with good ventilation. If the bra traps sweat against your skin, it can chafe and even cause a rash.

Check out your silhouette. How do you look? Do you care? If the bra makes your breasts look flat or unattractive, you might wind up avoiding putting it on. It doesn't do you any good if it sits in your drawer!

Adjust what's adjustable. Some bras come with multiple clasps and straps, allowing you to customize the fit. Go ahead and try out different configurations before buying a sports bra. If you've changed everything around and the bra still isn't comfortable, it's not the right one for you.

Decide what you'll wear with it. Some sports bras can be worn on their own, without a t-shirt to cover them. Other look too much like underwear.

Work it out! If you're buying a sports bra at a store, you've got some privacy in the dressing room. Jump around, swing your arms, even jog in place. Make sure that the support feels strong enough and nothing's digging into your skin. If you're buying sports bras by mail, consider ordering a few different kinds and taking them for a test drive before you settle on one style.

The elastic in a sports bra is what lets it move with your body while supporting your breasts. There are many stretchy fabrics available. Lycra Spandex and Supplex, a nylon product, are often used. Some bras blend the stretchy fabrics with base fibers like cotton or polyester. How the bra is made affects the fit at least as much as the fabric. You'll need to try the bra on to find out if its combination of shape and fabric is right for you.

The most important thing to look for is a fabric that will wick moisture away from your skin, encouraging sweat to evaporate. CoolMax is a polyester fabric that's especially good at keeping skin cool and dry.

Sports bras do wear out after a while. They lose elasticity, the fabric stretches, and the stitching starts to come undone. You should replace your bra as soon as you feel it's no longer doing a good job of supporting your breasts. Even if you haven't noticed a change, it's a good idea to replace your bras every six to twelve months. You'll probably be surprised how much more supportive a brand-new bra feels.

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