Both sports bras and regular, everyday bras should offer you superb fit and comfort. Your bra should never cause pain.
However, a bra for sports really focuses on minimizing the pain caused by breast movement during physical activity. Sports bras are specifically designed to wear when exercising. Their design focus is on support, minimizing movement and wicking away sweat.
Regular bras are designed for everyday wear. Their design focus is on support, shape / silhouette and aesthetics.
However, just as athletic gear has made it into our everyday, so the lines dividing sports bras and regular bras have begun to blur. Just as you might wear yoga pants when doing many things apart from yoga, so you may find yourself reaching for your sports bra when there isn’t any physical activity in sight.
Is there anything wrong with wearing a sports bra when not doing sports? Or, can you wear a regular bra instead of a sports bra when exercising? Let’s take a look...
Advantages of Wearing Sports Bras
As mentioned, sports bras are designed specifically to be worn when exercising. Most sports bras work by compressing the breasts against the wall of your chest. This means that your breasts cannot move as much when you’re running, jumping etc.
Many women cite breast movement as a major cause of breast pain and discomfort during exercise. For women with larger breasts, this discomfort can be so severe that it puts them off exercise altogether. So, having a bra that keeps your boobs from bouncing, can be a difference-maker for your health and wellbeing.
Besides offering extreme support, sports bras are also good for:
Can I Just Wear a Regular Bra? Consider the Impact of Your Exercise...
Some women, especially women with smaller cup sizes, may wonder if a sports bra is really necessary. This may especially be the case as everyday bras have become more performance-driven than simply being fanciful “lingerie”.
The answer is, of course, that it’s a personal choice. Some women go entirely braless, some blur the lines, and some observe strict distinctions between every day, sports and intimate lingerie. Your cup size, comfort, confidence will all inform your decision.
One note: Make sure you wash your bra more regularly if you’re working up a sweat in it. It’s generally recommended that you wash an everyday bra every 3 wears, whereas a sports bra should be washed after every workout. Wearing your everyday bra for these activities and washing it more often will likely shorten its lifespan quite significantly.
Our advice? When making a decision, consider the impact level of the activity you’ll be doing:
No Matter What: Fit is Essential
If you’re choosing to wear a sports bra every day because you find them more comfortable than a regular bra, might we suggest that fit might be the problem?
If you’re wearing an ill-fitting bra, you’ll probably be very aware of it because you won’t feel supported, comfortable or have the shape you want.
Here are some of the telltale signs that your bra is the wrong fit for you:
•Your straps slide off your shoulders, even after you’ve tightened them
•You shift around in your cups
•Your breasts bulge out of your cup or sides
•The band rides up your back
•The underwire hurts your ribcage
•Your bra leaves painful marks on your skin
•You’re plain uncomfortable
At Irotica, we really wanted to help more women avoid this experience altogether. As an online retailer, we know it can be especially daunting to make a bra purchase online. That’s why we developed our virtual fit program. Learn more about it today and book your appointment!
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