TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Offer Your Clients The Support They Need

As a fitness professional, you regularly offer advice to your clients on how to get fit and healthy, but have you made sure that your clients are also wearing the right kit to work out in? Just as you wouldn’t let your clients train in unsuitable trainers, why would you let them exercise without a good sports bra? Whether you are male or female, it’s important that you know how to approach the subject of sports apparel with your female clients. Dr Joanna Scurr explains more...

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Not only does significant breast movement have a negative psychological effect on women, there are also physiological negative effects to be considered. Up to 72% of exercising women report breast discomfort whilst exercising (2). In addition proper support can also help prevent long term breast damage.

Research (3) has shown that 85% of all women who wear a sports bra to exercise, agree that proper support helps to improve their enjoyment of exercise. With no distractions, women can focus on their workout yet surprisingly, 44% of women who exercise regularly are still not wearing a sports bra (4), either because they haven’t got round to buying one, or have never considered it.

Why is it so important for a woman to wear a sports bra when they are exercising? It is a common misbelief that the breasts contain muscle. They do not! The breasts have a delicate support system, made up of skin and fine Cooper’s ligaments.

“Unlike a normal bra, specialist sports bras are made with special sports performance materials which enhance the wearers comfort whilst exercising.” www.exerciseregister.org

ignificant breast movement has been proven to make women feel more self-conscious, embarrassed and reluctant to exercise (1) as they are very aware of how they look, and

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