14 Active Dates For Valentine's Day
Benjamin Committed To A Gym Routine And Lost 245 Pounds
Fit Beauty: What to avoid when buying a bra
Posted on Jan 31st 2008 6:00AM by Lauren Greschner
Do you remember back (way back for some of us) around the time we were about 11- or 12-years-old when sexual education started to be a regular unit in health class? Our fearless teachers managed to sit through all of the giggling long enough to explain the many technical details about growing up into men and women. As I've gotten older, I've learned a few things (whether through the experiences of friends or on my own) that I really wish they'd covered back then.
One of those things is the basics behind buying a bra. OK, I suppose it isn't really the education system's responsibility to make sure that you know how to get the right fit but it's still something that I think we girls need to learn as early as possible in order to save years of struggling through life in ill-fitting, uncomfortable brassieres.
According to this (and as many of you have likely experienced), wearing the wrong size bra can have a range of negative effects on your health including sore shoulders, back and neck, bad posture and aching breasts. Granted this isn't an expert's website but I've heard all of the problems echoed elsewhere on numerous occasions.
Plus, and I wonder how many women are actually aware of this, bras that fit will make you look so much better! Not only do your clothes fit better but the right bra can make you appear thinner. Let's face it, it's hard not to notice a women wearing an ill-fitting brassiere when all you can see is droopiness, bunched up back fat or breasts exploding forth from too-small cuts working desperately to keep those boobs inside where they're meant to be.
So, for all of you out there who still haven't made getting the right bra a priority -- whether it's due to embarrassment, expense or whatever -- you owe it to yourself to take the time to find your size and invest in a bra that fits. If you really are too shy to have a professional fit you, grab a measuring tape and do it yourself using the guidelines contained on the page listed above. Above all, make sure you're you're honest with yourself about those measurements whether you want them to be bigger or smaller. You won't be doing yourself any favors by changing the results by a few inches. If you are will to let a professional measure you, make sure you don't suck in your stomach as this will change the size of your ribcage and alter the results.
Once you've got your size figured out and you're ready to shop, be prepared to try on a lot of different bras. Just like finding a great pair of jeans, getting a great bra will take patience as not every one will fit exactly the same way. Also, keep in mind the bra-buying blunders listed here.
According to the article, if when you're trying on bras your boobs are spilling over the top, then the cups are too small. You can ensure the band is the right size by checking to make sure that center of the bra sits flat against your breastbone. If you find you've got back fat then the band is too small, and it's too big if it hangs way down below your shoulder blades.
The piece also reminds us all that pretty bras don't necessarily make good bras. If it's lacy but offers no support, it's best to avoid -- well unless you know that it'll be coming off right away, I suppose! Try to have enough bras for different occasions as a single perfectly fit bra won't necessarily look perfect with every item in your wardrobe and finally, remember that if your bra is causing you pain, it doesn't fit right and needs to be retired for one that does.
Keep in mind that breast size changes throughout your life for various reasons including pregnancy, weight loss or gain, and aging, so a bra that fits now may not in a few years. Therefore, it's a good idea to get re-measured every couple of years or after any major body-shape-changing events.
