Last week a co-worker told me Lane Bryant was having a rockin’ sale on bras. Buy two and you get two free. I’ve never shopped at Lane Bryant but my co-worker said the band size starts at 36 so a win for me.
the current state of my favorite bras
Here’s the thing, in my previous experience, when purchasing bras for larger breasties, they were not so cute. Black, white and beige are typically the colors of choice and even those aren’t too fancy. I’ve also been trying to buy some at Target but so far my luck has been sub par. I headed out to Victoria Secret a few months back and while I found some cute ones the support piece was a little iffy. Oh and there was quite a bit of spill-over, which at times made me feel harlet-esque.
that was money down the drain
On Saturday night I checked out the website and was pleasantly surprised by the selection – they were pretty! I ran out there on Sunday with my ATM card in hand. I was ready. Once there I started loading up on a variety of over the shoulder boulder holders. I wasn’t exactly sure what size I would be so I grabbed a large number. I asked for a dressing room and the lady there noticed. “When was the last time you were sized?” Me: “umm…” She jumped right on it and fitted I was.
Have you ever noticed how you are different sizes in different stores? I find this very annoying. I mean they are mathematical measurements! Or maybe it’s just that each store’s product fits differently? Man, this is so frustrating. Anyway, she helped me pick some out and then explained that different styles maybe need different sizes. Okay… I went in not feeling very optimistic. I tried the first on and the first words out of my mouth were:
MY BOOBS LOOK FANTASTIC!
Yes, I did yell this rather loudly. I’m not exaggerating – who knew the whole “lift and separate” was the real deal? The salesperson came in and agreed with me. She helped with some minor tweaks but other than I stumbled upon brassiere GOLD.
I tried on a few other styles and found three that worked really well for me. Funny side note, two of the three were the same size and the third fit well but had to be a cup size smaller – shenanigans friends. Just goes to show how important it is to try on each one you are thinking about buying.
So the moral of the story? When purchasing your under lovelies, set aside some quality time to spend at the store and even change up the stores. I was there for a little while and tried on quite a few items. Try on different styles – don’t just try on one and think that same size will fit in all styles. Stand in the dressing room and admire your perky bosom in all of its glory. Take notice how the when you put your old fun bag contraption on that the new ones definitely give your knockers some SPUNK! Lastly, the next day when I wore said new torture device boob sling, I couldn’t believe how different I felt. My posture was better. I felt more confident. I looked thinner. I felt more supported. There wasn’t massive amounts of embarrassing jiggling. So freakin’ worth it.
Yesterday morning, I woke up EARLY and even got out of bed to do a mini workout. Yes, I did a double take in the mirror as well. When the alarm clock went off at 6:15 am and then again at 6:30 am, I was fairly determined to go back to sleep. I grabbed my phone and went through some facebook and e-mail and then I was awake (well, sort of). Again… should I get up? Sleep for another hour?
I had an early morning meeting and needed to get a few things ready for it. So, I actually got out of bed and did some burpees, butterfly sit-ups, planks, some other ab thingy and push-ups. It didn’t take too long but it definitely woke me up further. I have no idea if this will become a habit but I can see the appeal. Yesterday was rest from running and coming home from work and not having to think about an impending work out was nice.
This weekend, I completely failed my breasts. I’m not kidding. I totally disregarded my advice from Monday. I ran on Sunday evening at 8:30 pm when it had finally cooled to a nice breezy 83*. I had been rearranging my furniture all day and I didn’t feel like changing from my older/slightly too small sports bra and didn’t think it would be that much of an issue for a short run. Oh silly, silly Amy! Once again, HEED MY ADVICE! I did get the run finished though, despite the heat (and chaffing). I was also wearing the white t-shirt that I had on all day and by the end of the run, it was a disaster. My vacuum cleaner exploded a bit earlier in the day, moving the furniture, an unfortunate incident with a very squirty orange and then the run. I probably should simply burn the shirt!
yep… this is how it went
Other than that, I rested up on Saturday. I got 4 runs in this past week! I am very proud of myself. My “getting my sh*# together” plan is working! The apt overhaul is also underway. I moved all of the furniture around yesterday and I’ve created some distinguished living spaces. I now have a living room that is separated from the kitchen by my couch and a shelf (acting as a couch table). There are a few tight-ish traffic spots but overall, it really adds to the illusion of space. Pics coming soon!
There is still more to do. Organizing, throwing away, giving away and selling some of my stuff. A friend is helping with the selling part so all I have to do is take pictures and she will take care of the rest. Funny enough, I can now see the changes coming together so it doesn’t feel as daunting and I am more interested in putting forth the effort. Thankfully, when I moved everything around, it ended up looking like the image in my head – YAY! Midway through, I was thinking I was going to have to move everything back or it wasn’t going to fit. Needless to say, I did a little jig!
Oh my gosh… I’m a bit gif crazy – see ya later alligator
*Disclaimer: if you arrived at this post because “big boob” was in the title then it’s quite possibly not the type of blog you are looking for. There aren’t any pictures of naked breasts. Just thought I would break it to you upfront. But thanks for the page view!
After last week’s rant, I realized I have a giant opinion on running with bigger breasts. I also realized I might have some decent information to pass along to other women who are trying to figure out how to “lock and load” and run with a little less, ahem… bounce in their steps. Here are my rules and advice for running with a larger chest.
1) Buy a good running bra: I cannot emphasis this enough. Go to a running store and ask for some suggestions. Swallow the embarrassment and find out from a salesperson which ones are best sellers or get positive reviews from other runners. Then grab a giant handful. Yes, you will need to try several on so give yourself some time. I always grab the band size that I wear in an everyday bra along with one size bigger. Then I also pick up a cup size smaller than what I wear in an everyday bra along with the same size and even one size bigger. I take different brands and styles. See what I mean? This process takes some time.
this is the racer back moving comfort bra – I really like it
2) Try these babies out! In the dressing room, jump up and down, run in place, bend over – whatever you need to do to attempt seeing how this bra will perform. And face the mirror. It’s important to evaluate how much bounce is happening and if when you are jumping your breasts are spilling out the top or if there is too much jiggle.
3) Small, medium and large are not sizes! The best bras for larger chests will be an actual cup size. I used to attempt to get the ones in a small/medium/large and I realized quickly these were not very supportive. They also have bras that are “uni-boob” style, more individual cups and underwire/no underwire. I have asked which are better and again it comes down to fit and what you prefer. At this point, I really like the “uni-boob” style because it feels like I am more supported and compressed.
4) Fit is important!Moving Comfort has a great guide to a better fitting sports bra. They give solid tips and even say it isn’t their brand that fits best, no worries. Find the right bra for YOU. Two of the tips I found most important were: A) if the bra band slips/sits high on your back (in an arc) then the band is TOO LOOSE. B) if you are spilling out the top or the sides the cup size is too small.
5) Be prepared to drop some cash. I agree it’s a bit unfair… the sports bra industry has us over a barrel. We need the support and we are going to pay for it. However, I consider it an investment. I want to support my chest/body. Also, there is a lot of design and engineering that goes into creating these bras so I am willing (although at times begrudgingly) to pay for it.
6) Tank tops with a built-in bra are not for us! Okay, they are for us but not by themselves – we still need a sports bra. I do like the added support of a built-in bra but I have seen women running in JUST this that really need added support.
7) I haven’t found Target, Old Navy to be very supportive. I know this is annoying because it’s easy to pick these up but they just don’t have all of the bells and whistles necessary for good support IMHO.
8) Bodyglide is your friend! Let’s face it – when you are bigger busted, your boobs can rub together or underneath and this chaffing is very rude. I do think separating sports bras probably help with this and might be something I look into in the future. But I don’t think this will ever take the place of anti-chaff cream so I am a Bodyglide woman.
yep, it happened more than once
9) If you don’t pay attention to fit or are wearing a size too small or too big bad things can happen.
this was horrifying
Trust me – I yelped so loud in the shower, I am surprised my family didn’t hear me in WA. The thing is, I didn’t even feel this happening when I was running. And I didn’t pay attention to #1 on the list and was just too embarrassed to buy a bigger cup size bra so I wore one that I still sort of fit into. Big mistake. Diaper rash creams and Bodyglide were two of the best solutions I found to healing the above nastiness. Neosporin did not work for me – it seemed to keep it too wet. Also, it took a few days before I could even wear a real bra so learn this lesson through my mistake!!
10) Fluctuating even 7-10lbs can put you in a different size. I did not realize this hence the unfortunate incident above. If it fits it must be okay! Well this mindset is simply not true. I read this somewhere and when I got the bigger size I was shocked to see how much better it felt and supported me on the run.
11) Punch people in the face – Yep, people are going to honk their horn, drive by you slower (creepers), or heckle you while you are running. Why? Well, I have no idea why they think is appropriate – maybe they think of it as a compliment? I don’t have a solution for this one except carry on with your run and try to ignore it. Or get a BIG dog. I plan on doing this someday. And I will teach it commands in German because this sounds scary even if I am telling the dog to run up and give the mean person a kiss!
12) Smaller chested women still need a sports bra! Granted, I don’t know as much on this subject however, I do have eyes and all too often I see women not wearing a sports bra at all or not wearing one that seems to be helping. Hello! Think of your body! Think of your future body! I’ve heard GREAT things about the “Handful” bra and this is where Target/Old Navy ones might be possible. But plenty of the big name running folks have good sports bras as well. Invest!
original handful bra
13) I don’t put any of my bras in the dryer – I air dry all of my sports bras (and regular ones) and make sure I don’t add fabric softener to these loads. The fabric softener makes them less sweat absorbent/wicking. Also, I usually only wear a sports bra twice – sometimes less if I am super sweaty – before I wash them.
14) Once you find the right bra for you, you can look for a cheaper source – since I know which sports bras work well for me, I can order them from Running Warehouse and pay a lot less money for them. Or Moving Comfort (and other brands) will have super sales where I stock up. HOWEVER! If #10 is even a possibility DON’T stock up! I went ahead and bought a different style of bra because they were on sale and thought this was why I had horrible chaffing. Turns out it I was wearing the wrong size. Bummer. Now, I have bras for when my chest shrinks a bit but until then they are sitting on the shelf.
Those might be all the tips I have right now. If you made it through this whole post, Congrats! Honestly, as a female, I think it’s really important to take care of our breasts. There are a bunch of science-y articles that talk about mass, force and all of the physics about the impact of running on our breasts. And I know there are better articles out there on finding the best sports bra but this is a decent list, if I do say so myself!
Yes, I did yell this rather loudly. I’m not exaggerating – who knew the whole “lift and separate” was the real deal? The salesperson came in and agreed with me. She helped with some minor tweaks but other than I stumbled upon brassiere GOLD.
I tried on a few other styles and found three that worked really well for me. Funny side note, two of the three were the same size and the third fit well but had to be a cup size smaller – shenanigans friends. Just goes to show how important it is to try on each one you are thinking about buying.
Amy's Recipe for Disaster 