Double Bra Day

I've been trying to go for a run on a regular basis these days. I sweat, my body does not make my desire for consistency with running easy, though. About once a month, for about a week, my body makes exercise particularly difficult.

A good sports bra can help with one particular aspect of my exercising difficulty, but even the best can fail with a small-chested, large-breasted woman who participates in a lot of high-impact activities such as running, ultimate, plyometrics, jump rope, and burpees.

Years ago, a fellow large-breasted ultimate player had breast reduction surgery, I can only assume so that she could play ultimate better and in less pain (she was a top player in the nation and the world). She had been playing with two bras regularly, wearing three on her big-girl days. I have at times followed in her steps, knowing that wearing two bras means I can exercise. The trick, however, is wearing the second one correctly.

When the second bra is the same band size as the first bra, the band is too tight for comfortably breathing. Not being able to expand your ribcage when exercising has dire health consequences, as I learned when I was first playing ultimate. I wore a bra with a band too tight, and developed chest pains. X-rays revealed I had hyperinflated lung fields, which could lead to impaired muscle function and heart dysfunction. Pretty scary stuff! I subsequently bought a correctly fitting bra recommended by another large-breasted teammate and played ultimate for years without too many issues.

Eventually, however, my sports bras wore out, and I went on a hunt for new ones. I bought 6 different kinds (these things are not cheap) before asking for advice from various other large-breasted, exercising friends. Kate came through for me, having also been on the hunt for a good sports bra recently, too. So, I bought a dozen of them, including, I am delighted to say, one with a band one size too big.

With this "too big" bra, I can double up on the bras, wearing the second one slightly looser but still sufficiently tight. I have less bounce, can still breathe, and, hooray! still go for a run, big-girl day be damned.