running/exercising...and..um... the chest area

Sabine_Stroehm

Am I the only one who's taken to wearing TWO sports bras? For two weeks a month my boobs are so sore the only way I can run/workout is to wear two at a time lol. (I'm a 36C). This is ridiculous!

Annec0911

You're not the only one.... ..I wear a well structured underwire sports bra, with a firm fitting crop top over it....it's critical to do this at all times....the tissues get so stretched!

One sign that I am inching closer to the "end" of this phase is a reduction in cyclic breast tenderness....YEAH....that was such a misery! My dr explained that this is one of the good things about reduced estrogen I used to have different sized bras for different times of the month!

I also found that cutting out coffee significantly reduced breast tenderness.. Not to mention improved my ability to chill out... Dr suggested it was majorily affecting my adrenals as well...I feel a lot better for not drinking coffee...occasional tea is ok (black or green). If I really want the taste of coffee, I have decaf....the decafs these days are a lot better than they used to be...

Sorry..that was a bit of a digression...

Sabine_Stroehm

You're not the only one.... ..I wear a well structured underwire sports bra, with a firm fitting crop top over it....it's critical to do this at all times....the tissues get so stretched!

One sign that I am inching closer to the "end" of this phase is a reduction in cyclic breast tenderness....YEAH....that was such a misery! My dr explained that this is one of the good things about reduced estrogen I used to have different sized bras for different times of the month!

I also found that cutting out coffee significantly reduced breast tenderness.. Not to mention improved my ability to chill out... Dr suggested it was majorily affecting my adrenals as well...I feel a lot better for not drinking coffee...occasional tea is ok (black or green). If I really want the taste of coffee, I have decaf....the decafs these days are a lot better than they used to be...

Sorry..that was a bit of a digression...

Two sizes? Yep. That's the two jog bras I wear!
And yes, I agree about coffee. I cut that out 2 years ago. whew.

BackwoodsMom

I got a compression bra that is good for high impact exercises - motion comfort - and that's worked for me.

nannanorem

so what is a good bra to wear and where is the best place to buy one? I can never seem to find one that fits properly. I am wearing a 40D and that's not a sports bra. I bought some sports bras but they seem so tight and push my breast together, but are comfortable. Any suggestions?

BackwoodsMom

Go to a specialty running store. (We have a Fleet Feet store in our area.) They will have someone there who can help you be fitted correctly. Even if you don't buy the bra there you will know what size you need and what kind fits you best. Plus, the women in the store have a lot of good knowledge!

nannanorem

Thank you. I will look to see where I can find one of those stores.

Sabine_Stroehm

Go to a specialty running store. (We have a Fleet Feet store in our area.) They will have someone there who can help you be fitted correctly. Even if you don't buy the bra there you will know what size you need and what kind fits you best. Plus, the women in the store have a lot of good knowledge!

This is what I've always done. And yet.... sometimes these days...I need two.

tanyaleighcummings

Fleet Feet is also where I got my running bra, when I am sore it is the only bra I can wear. It cradles each breast individually and keeps them from moving at all.
My Turtleshells bra is also a wonder when I am hurting...that is a sports bra with two 'shells' made of a hard plastic. But if I am not boxing I feel a little strange wearing it. I will do it for running but not otherwise. If someone bumps into me they knock against the hard shells...but it doesn't hurt me.

Bikerchickmomma

Title Nine also carry a variety of decent sport bras for all sized women. Yeah, I've worn 2 on many occasions. Better that than bouncing around. That hurts way too much. (Could put my own eye out.....)

Skudsister

And in the UK we larger ladies swear by Bravissimo!

Jane

megleo818

Huh.

Yeah, well if I could fill out my 34A's I might be able to offer some valuable input. But as it is, I have a hard time not looking like a cancer survivor -- not being insensitive -- I actually am so flat-chested that I worry people will think I've had a double mastectomy and feel sorry for me! Most sports bras just mash whatever tissue you do have down as tight as it can, which leaves someone like me looking more like a teenaged boy than anything else. OR they have these weird, hard removable cups that are kind of creepy. So I have the inverse problem as you all do.

It's always something, eh?

workshy000

I have small breasts and they still hurt like hell when I run or do any kind of jumping about. I don't wear a bra normally but I have taken to wearing two whenever I exercise. That was the first and best information I found in this group - before that I was trying to run and hold them in place!

Finding good ones is not easy, especially if you have the added problem of breast cysts or tenderness that make wearing something with a tight band around the bottom untenable.

I wear crop tops that have some elastic but are not too tight (they also are useful for padding my back and underarms when I'm wearing my HRM) Like this: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/JOCKEY-Seamless-CROP-TOP-SPORTS-BRA-Racer-Action-Back-Sz-10-12-14-New-/370591910810?pt=AU_WomensLingerie&var=&hash=item950518bce3

I found this article interesting: http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/body+fitness/news+features/how+to+find+the+right+sports+bra,17071

"Research by bra company Berlei, in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Sport, has found that an unsupported 12B bust can move up and down eight centimetres while running. For a 16DD, it's a potentially agonising 19 centimetres.

"Our research has shown that 35 per cent of women don't think they need a sports bra," says Berlei Sport senior designer Adele Kershaw. "But the breast moves no matter what you do – even walking does damage to the Cooper's ligament, which holds the breasts. And whether you are an A cup or an E cup, once the damage is done, it's damaged forever."

Sabine_Stroehm

Even now: I have a really high quality sports bra. ($50 and designed for high impact sports) some days, since this whole adventure began, I STILL need to wear two bras. Sheesh!

megleo818

I wear crop tops that have some elastic but are not too tight (they also are useful for padding my back and underarms when I'm wearing my HRM) Like this: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/JOCKEY-Seamless-CROP-TOP-SPORTS-BRA-Racer-Action-Back-Sz-10-12-14-New-/370591910810?pt=AU_WomensLingerie&var=&hash=item950518bce3

This might solve my HRM chest-strap dilemma!! Definitely worth a try, because I cannot stand that thing. Editing to ask if you've had any issues with the HRM being able to grab your heart rate through the fabric -- I'm assuming you wear the strap over the bra band. THANK YOU!!

workshy000

I am able to wear it over the bra band at the back and the sides and pull it down at the front so that the actual sensor is on my skin. I use the polar bluetooth strap that has a rubberized back at the censor part. Its stays in place and I don't have any bother with it.

megleo818

Thanks -- I'll experiment ...