HOW CAN I TAKE CARE OF MY BREASTS WHEN I RUN?
I’M WORRIED RUNNING WILL MAKE THEM SAG.
→ REGARDLESS of your age, it’s important to look after your breasts when you run. Breasts are made of fatty tissue that’s held in place by underlying muscles, overlying skin and a network of fibres called Cooper’s ligaments. Breast sagging is largely determined by your genetics and how elastic your tissues are, rather than by how much you run, but breasts move in a figure-of-eight motion during running, up to 10cm, so it’s important to reduce this movement as much as possible to prevent the ligaments becoming overstretched. A sports bra is the best way to do this; it’s worth investing time and money to find the right one for you.
Women usually wear a chest band that is too loose and cup size that is too small. Find a shop with an experienced bra fitter and a variety of bras you can try on. If buying online, many stores have free returns, so you can order different sizes and send back what you don’t need. The bigger your breasts, the more support you need. Choose wide shoulder straps to distribute weight, and a mix of compression – to squash your breast against your chest wall – and encapsulation – to support each breast individually. Bras lose their elastic support; if you don’t know how old yours is, it probably needs replacing.