Bras to Balls: 10 Fitness Essentials for Women
By Jennifer Gruenemay, Special to Lifescript
To improve your workouts, you’ll need some real equipment. But you don’t have to buy the biggest, baddest, most expensive home gym system to get in shape. Check out our 10 essentials for every woman’s workout (starting with your bra), plus our top pick for each category…
1. Sports Bra
When you talk about wanting more bounce in your step, we know you don’t mean your chest. Bouncing breasts can be a major exercise deterrent. One in two women complain of breast pain during exercise, according to a 2007 study by researchers at the University of Portsmouth, England.
It’s no wonder: Breasts can bounce up to eight inches vertically, the study also reported. They move side to side and in and out, creating a painful, tissue-jostling, ligament-stretching figure-eight pattern. Ouch!
So what’s a curvy gal to do?
Encapsulation bras get a big thumbs up. They hold each breast separately, rather than smashing them to your chest, as compression bras do. Even better? A bra that encapsulates and compresses.
The pick: Moving Comfort’s Fiona Bra (pictured right) is an encapsulation and compression bra. It’s designed for C cups and up, and is especially recommended for high-impact exercises such as running. If you’re blessed with a smaller cup size, Moving Comfort also carries sports bras to keep those perky puppies well kept.
The price: $44
2. Heart Rate Monitor
Do you run on the treadmill just so you can watch the numbers under “Calories Burned” tick up? Then this device is for you.
Enter your information – height, weight, age – into the watch, strap on the chest transmitter and this handy gadget will display calories burned. Anywhere, anytime, any type of exercise.
