Running While Boobed: The Lesser of Two Pains

Anyone who is on the breast spectrum has probably encountered the problem of too much bounce while running or doing other cardio.  When you're outside of the matrix sized sports bras, the problem is even worse.  Many of us choose to wear two garments to reduce the ache and pain of bouncing to as little as possible.

When I was 20 pounds lighter, it wasn't as much an issue.  I could shop in a store in the mall and get something that would hold me in place, comfortably.  Then I passed my final Air Force PT test, started an affair with Ben, Jerry, and Haagen Daas and it all went to crap.  Now that I'm closer to 200 pounds versus the 175 that I was back then, I have to go to a specialty store for bras or shop online.  In the course of buying bras, I'm more likely and willing to compromise when it comes to regular, everyday or "date" bras but definitely not willing to compromise when it comes to sports bras.  I don't want my breasts to move at all...or as little as possible since that's what I have to live with.

And I enjoy running.  I enjoy working out and breaking a sweat.  I love getting in a great weight lifting session, too, but I often have to compromise portions of form in order to accommodate my boobs.  It's quite frustrating and, sometimes, terrible for the posture because the accommodating posture isn't correct form for the actual movement.  Ugh!

I get an encapsulation sports bra--one that has separate cups for each breast--and top it with a compression bra--one that smooshes the crap out of them.  The result: A serious inability to breathe.  Truly.  I can't take a deep breath when I'm wearing this combination and, when I run, I'd like to be able to take the occasional deep breath.  I'm a big fan of breathing.  I think most people are.  It's kind of necessary to life.

The irony: I can't get to the physical composition again for not wearing this combination of bras WITHOUT enduring it, for the time being.  Huh??  You might be asking.

I can't get back down to the smaller size without doing occasional bouts of cardio so, that being said, I have to endure the lack of breathing until I get back down to that smaller size.  It's coming along but, again, because I LIKE breathing, I don't do high impact cardio all that often.

So...to get there, I get to choose the lesser of two pains:

I can either breathe (and bounce all over the place)

OR...

I can limit the breathing (AND limit the bouncing).

I'll take the latter.

The other 68% probably weren't able to breathe!

Bare Essentials--A Wilmington, Delaware Store Review

I was quite sad when Buttercups closed last year.  They were fairly convenient to where I lived and, pretty much, on the way to my part-time job at Christiana Mall.  They closed at a time that wasn't a big time of bra need for me, though, so I didn't really feel the loss until some months later.  They closed just before Valentine's Day 2016 and it wasn't until I returned from my post-military retirement road trip(s) in June that I was really wishing they were still open.

See, those trips were a total of 2.5 months and 12,500 miles of traveling.  Sitting, really.  And often.  Even when I wasn't driving, I wasn't super active.  As a result, I gained a good 20-25 pounds (on top of the ten that I gained in late 2015 but I digress) and could no longer "make do" with the 36FF bras that I'd been sporting for the better part of a year.  Come June/July of 2016 I HAD to get new bras.  I was measuring close to a 40 band.  BUT, I hadn't yet ventured to Bare Essentials yet so I just got some "make do" bras at the local (overpriced) department store.

Come September, though, I was tired.  Tired of being tired and tired of being the (overall body) size that I was so I hit the gym.  But not after ordering a few different size sports bras from online.  I kept the two that fit and then ventured to Bare Essentials to get some more of the same style.  And, three months later, there was no denying that I needed new bras...again.  I had lost about 20 pounds and the 38FF Elomis were swimming on me.  Even the sports bras, which I purposely bought a little snug, were a bit too big.

Now it was time for some REAL shopping at Bare Essentials.  I was helped by Victoria.  The woman knows her bras.  Even more important, she knows there's more to bra fitting than just band and cup sizes.  I think it helps that her own quest is as "fun" as the rest of us--we, of the sizes that they just don't carry in midrange department stores like Macy's, JCPenney, or the like.

Anyhow, she brought me everything.  Well, except for Elomi Cates and Caitlyns because I was just tired of wearing those styles.  They'd been my "make do" bras for the past six months.  I actually found five or six styles that I really liked and left with a pretty full bra wardrobe.

But, let me tell you about the store.  Bras everywhere.  From floor to ceiling and all along the walls.  Beautifully arranged and in a huge variety of sizes.  They may not have ALL the colors on hand but ordering is easy and they ship right to your house.  LOVE!!  They also carry Spanx and bra-sized swimwear.  The fitting rooms are spacious; though the lighting isn't the best.  It's kind of well-lit but the way the fixtures are positioned, they cause shadows and that can skew how you view the fit of a bra in the mirror. They also have a bathroom that is located conveniently near the fitting rooms, on the main floor, and it feels much like a home bathroom vs the "industrial" feel of many store bathrooms.

The store is easy to get to from Interstate 95, via Hwy 202 N--just make sure you're in the outside lane of either road so that you can turn into their parking lot, as it's right on the southeast corner of Hwy 202/Concord Pike and Silverside Rd.

Most importantly, the prices are comparable and the owner has implemented a reward program that is based upon $$ spent.  You can also Like them on facebook.

So, if you're in the region of Wilmington, Delaware, take advantage of our states complete tax free-ness and pick up some new pretties at Bare Essentials.