Did you know that a sports bra should never see in a birthday? Sad, I know! But that’s how often you should be changing your sports bra. I have to say, this is news to my ears. As a fitness blogger and instructor, I live in sportswear, so you can only imagine my collection of bras (I have a full drawer dedicated just to them and it’s not the easiest to get shut)! I have ones dating from one week old to, well, three, maybe four years back… Eeeek. The ladies at Brooks would be going mad to hear this. In fact, it was them who opened my eyes to the importance of sports bras- from finding the perfect fit to how regularly we should be replacing them!
Along with a load of runner babes, I headed to Runners Need Holborn last week, where the lovely Brooks team were waiting to kit us out with our new Brooks bras- after a thorough fit session of course!
After trying only two bras, I knew that I had found the one. It fit perfectly around my chest- hugging my body with no gaps, yet not too tight- and the cups fit just right. Typically I’d gone for the black one (it’s just so easy to wear!!) and once we were all fitted, we sat down for a talk on just why being fitted is so important.
So, here’s my best interpretation without absolutely mind boggling you… Breasts have no muscle, instead they consist of ligaments. This means that we can’t exercise to perk up our breasts; we simply have to look after them! When we move, so does our chest and in more than one direction! Brooks describe the movement pattern as a figure eight- so up, down and side to side. By purchasing the correct fitting sports bra, we prevent/reduce movement, hence preventing the ligaments from weakening.
They also told us that women who wear an ill-fitting sports bra, have on average a running stride length that is 4cm shorter than those who have a sports bra that fits perfectly. That’s a whopping 10 minute difference in marathon time! Wow.
After a lot of shocked faces and a look into more of the Brooks styles, we took to the streets of London to put our new bras to the test. Stopping for a group picture mid run of course!!
We were greeted back at the shop with prosecco and had time to mingle, while everyone discussed how great the bras were! All in all it was a very productive evening- we learnt a lot, networked and worked out! What more could you want… Now, I think it’s time that I have a little clear out! Thanks Brooks and to our amazing hosts at Runners Need! xx
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