When you shop for your sports bra, which one do you look at first? The pretty thing that’s so sexy when you wear it? The one that promises comfort? Or the price tag? ?
The idea of the ‘Right’ sports bra for you is to compress you slightly, allowing you to move, jump and run without bouncing while still feeling comfortable while you are working out. You want to find the sports bra that looks good on you, at the same time gives you maximum comfort and support.
Why do you need to get a sports bra that gives maximum support and comfort? When you workout, your breast moves in 3D movements. It does not only moves up and down as most thought it is. But, it moves: up-down, side to side, in & out.
If these movements are not supported carefully, it can resulted in discomfort and strain on the breasts tissues (the Cooper’s Ligament) which in turn will lead to sagging, tissue breakdown and stretched ligaments.
Once the ligaments are stretched, there’s no way it’s gonna recover. It’ll be saggy forever. You don’t want to turn your pretty tight breast to be saggy just because you wore the wrong sports bra don’t you?
What kind of support do you need? It all depends on the kind of sports and the intensity of your activity. If you do Yoga, Pilates, Brisk Walk – these are low-impact activities. Then you can go with the sports bra with the lowest amount of support. If you do spinning, crossfit, running – then you should go for high-impact sports bras as they are designed to give you the most support.
Steps by steps on choosing the Right sports bra for you:
#1 The cups
There are lots of sports bra types in the market. But not everything will give the most support. Sports Bras separate cups (encapsulation) offers more support, reduce bounce and gives more comfort than simple bras.Try not to get the compression sports bra, even if you are a small size because it only supports your bra from up & down and in & out movement, but not side to side movement.
#2 Underwiring?
Don’t you ever pick sport’s bra with underwiring because it will cause more abrasion. It will give that annoying feeling under the breast area especially from high-impact activities such as running.
#3 Your size?
Go with your normal bra size. However, go a bit tighter as most sports bra will actually stretch overtime. If it starts to feel loose, or after 9-15 months of use, it’s time to get a new one.
Quick tip: It’ll be way much better if you can get your sports bra fitted by a bra fitter. It’ll definitely help you get more out of your sports bra. Lilli Lingerie offers free bra fitting if you get their collections of Anita Sports Bra. And perhaps, it’s the only place where you can get professional bra fitting in Brunei.
#4 What kind of straps?
Straps vary, from standard bra straps to Racerback designs.
Crisscross are sexy, but it can only be used for low-impact activities like Yoga, Pilates or walking. It gave minimum support, but it’ll make you look good. But don’t use this for high-impact activities as it won’t give you that much support!
Tank-Top are like normal everyday bras. It’s in the middle between criss-cross and racerback. It gave you good enough amount of support. Most of this type of sports bra have adjustable, so you can easily adjust to fit you properly.
Racer backs offer more support over the back, so they feel tighter and really secure. This is good for high-impact activities. However, since most of this kind of sports bra are not adjustable, you need to properly get the right fit when buying this kind of sports bra.
The idea is, the thicker the straps are, the more support and comfort it’s going to give.
#5 Which Fabric to use?
Choosing the right fabric for your sports bra are crucial for your comfortability. Most sports bras are made up of synthetic materials like polyester mesh or lycra. This is because synthetics materials are great at absorbing sweats so you will feel comfortable throughout your workout session.
Where to get in Brunei?
There are places here selling different brands of Sports bra. With all the tips I’ve shared above, it should be good enough to get you the right sports bra. What we have in our store is Anita Sports Bra where I believe the best sports bra I had tested so far. Anita Sports Bra Collections were engineered and backed-up with proof & scientific data to provide MAXIMUM Support and Comfort.
Here’s what our National Olympian who were SHOCKED by how comfortable Anita sports bra are:
“I have always been looking for a good sports bra until I found Anita. It is very different from all the other sports bra that I have bought because it gave me more comfort and support. With Anita, I feel less pain on my shoulder and neck area when I exercise ? Especially I’m an athlete!! I highly recommend Anita to all the ladies out there who are active in any sports that they do!” – Maizurah Rahim, Rio 2016 Olympian & National Sprinter.
If you workout regularly, from running, yoga, spinning to high-intensity workouts like Crossfit or Muay Thai, then by getting a good sports bra like Anita will definitely help you reach your fitness goal.