2020-04-01_Health_&_Fitness

FIT BODY

itnessfact:ourbreastsmove
anaverageof10cminthree
directionswhenwerun.Even
smallonesbounce.Andwhile
we’rewillingtoforkouta small
fortuneforsnazzytrainers,statisticsshow
thata whopping9.5millionofusarenot
wearinga supportiveenoughbra.Thenet
resultisnotgood.Poorly-fittingbrascould
leadtopain,chafinganda strainonbreast
tissue,whichcausessagging.Theycould
alsonegativelyimpactyourrunning.
That’saccordingto findingsfromtheUniversity
of Portsmouth,whichrecentlyteamedupwith
BrooksRunningto helpcreatea performance-
boostingrangeof runbras.Usingbiomechanical
analysisto monitorfemalerunners’stridepattern,
Universityof Portsmouthresearchersdiscovered
thatexcessivebreastmovementduringrunning
ledto formchangesthatshortenedstridelength,
causingthewomento runmore.
‘Whenwomenarenotgettingadequatesupport
fromtheirbra,theytryto limittheside-to-side
motionbyrestrictingarmmovement,’explains
HelenSpalton,BrooksRunningEMEAapparel

merchandisingmanager.‘This,in turn,affects

naturalgaitandshortensstridelength.’In fact,

resultsshowpoorbrasupportshortensstride

lengthby4cm,whichcouldaddupto running

anadditionalmileoverthelengthof a marathon!

Sowhyweara brathatisn’tdoinga goodjob?

Theteammayhavefoundtheanswer.After

analysingfurtherdatafroma panelof 922women,

thestudyauthorsreportmostwomenwanta

supportivebra,butfindwearingonetoorestrictive.

‘Womentrustbraswitha traditionalunderbandto

givethemthatsupport,’saysSpalton,’Butat the

sametime,underbandsarethemaincauseof

discomfortastheyareoftentoosupportive.’

Theansweris to investin a brathatreduces

breastbouncewithoutcompromisingcomfort.

Lookformodelsthatboastthefeaturesyouneed,

suchasadjustableorpaddedstraps,compressive

cupsorunderwiredsupport.‘TheBrooksDare

Bracollectionoffersstrapadjustability,traditional

cupandband,ora dualcup,’saysSpalton.Have

a brafittingto makesureyoubuyingtherightsize

anddon’tkeepyourbratoolong.‘Replacesports

brasannuallyoreverysixmonths,depending

onhowoftenyouwearandwashthem.’

FIT LAB

Get some

support

An ill-fitting sports bra could make you run

an extra mile over marathon-distance. Here’s

how to choose the right bra for you^

WORDS: Sarah Sellens

BRAS

WITHOUT

BORDERS

Find a bra that’s

built for your

workout

Under Armour Infinity

High Sports Bra (£50;

underarmour.co.uk)

Wear this little number

to get strategic support

for running, court sports,

aerobics and more.

‘Studies show poor bra support shortens stride length by 4cm’

Freya Dynamic Bra

(£34; freyalingerie.

com) This bra gives

support through

encapsulation rather

than compression.

Brooks Dare Zip (£55;

brooksrunning.com)

This high-impact bra is

easy to take off, thanks

to its front zip design.