Another great guest blog post from Jennifer Klein, owner, Secrets from Your Sister!

This month’s blog has been inspired by the sudden and untimely death of Madam Rochette, mother to Joannie Rochette, 2010 Olympic bronze medalist for women’s figure skating.

February is Heart and Stroke Month. Not having heart disease in my family, this foundation was never on my list to donate funds to until I fell upon The Heart Truth.

I was quickly made aware that heart disease, ‘Once considered “a man’s disease,”’ is labelled that no longer. In fact, I read that the number of deaths from heart disease and stroke are virtually the same for men and women in Canada! The website states that more women die of cardiovascular disease than any other condition.

'RUN ' from Shock Absorber offers upper bounce protection

Aptly named, The Heart Truth opened my eyes and showed me a reality I don’t think I will easily forget. Not being one to keep secrets, I decided to donate $2 from every sports bra sale at secrets from your sister for the months February and March to The Heart Truth.

This website offered a few more statistics that I felt were truly shocking, such as, ‘more than half of Canadian women aged 18 and over are overweight or obese.’ To top that off, ‘close to half of women over the age of 12 are physically inactive.’ The Heart Truth states that physical activity is one of the most effective ways to reduce risk of heart disease and stroke. What can we do to help women and girls become more physically active?

In the business of bra fitting the first thing that comes to mind is helping girls and women to invest in a great sports bra! I have heard time and time again how women stopped playing sports or stopped being active because it hurt their breasts, creating great embarrassment and resentment of their bosom. The support they received was not what they needed and it wasn’t possible to run around holding themselves for that extra lift. Nor was it practical to bind themselves with a tensor bandage in order to keep the ladies in place.

Times have changed. Sports bras have evolved. All sizes of breasts can be accommodated from an A cup to a J cup! The innovation and technology are so advanced, that modern sports bras can be a truly engineered project. One thing to keep in mind when shopping for a sports bra, if the bra doesn’t fit, you’re not going to get the support you need.

When shopping for a sports bra it is best to have a fitting, especially if you have a fuller bust or you have felt that you never get the support you want. A fitter will find the right sized bra to fit your exact body dimensions. She will discuss with you your level of activity and what you find comfortable and what you do not. She will ask you to jump up and down, move your arms back and forth and to take a deep breath, all to help you decide which style will best suit your needs.

'BALL' from Shock Absorber - another great supportive sports bra

In my 11 years of business I have always been very strict on the sports bras carried in the store. I prefer to have the best. There have been many sports bras that have been sold in our store but there is one feature of the design that I find essential; the band that goes across the top of the bosom to help reduce the upward bounce factor. Our top-selling bras have always had this design. It is not always just enough to flatten the bosom to the body. The fact is our breasts move in all directions when we exercise and need to be supported all around. If you want the best, look for that top band feature as a starting point.

It’s nice to be healthy and strong. It’s easy to take the stairs rather than the escalator. Short walks are fun and refreshing. Visit The Heart Truth website (www.thehearttruth.ca) to learn more about how you can take charge of your health and care for your heart!

Styles available at secrets from your sister that incorporate the upper bounce protection feature in their design:

Active • Anita Sport • Energiser • Run – NEW • Ball – NEW

As of Christmas my Tiffany charm bracelet is up-to-date. My goal has been to buy (or be gifted) a Tiffany charm for my bracelet after each marathon or significant race I run. Since I began doing this I have been searching for the perfect running shoe charm and finally on my recent trip to the mall beside this building I found it.

Only issue is that I have had to violate my Tiffany bracelet with another brand. But this Agatha charm is perfect and to my knowledge Tiffany does not make a running shoe charm, so I had no other option.

Perfect find for the runner in your life.

PS: This is also the place to find charms for all occasions.

With the New Year fast approaching many of us have great plans for New Years workouts and regimes. Now would be a good time to assess all of your gear to make sure you are ready for the new season ahead.

How to tell if you need a new sports bra…

Just as we need to refresh our running shoes, our sports bras need updating too. We get so used to wearing them, that often as the bra stretches, we just get used to the new support – that is, less support. The kilometres are not going to be the answer for a bra. You must try a few techniques to see if the bra you are wearing needs an improvement.

1. When you hook your bra up are you on the tightest set of hooks?
2. When you run do you notice that there is a lot of movement from your bosom?
3. Do you find you want to hold your breasts when going up or down stairs?
4. Do you want to pull down your bra?
5. Do you find you need to put another few compression layers over the bra you wear?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, you may want to review the fit and wear of your bra. An easy way to see what the bra is doing for you is to pop it on and stand in front of a mirror. Jump up and down or run on the spot. This will give you a pretty good indication of what the bra is doing, or not doing. If you feel like you could have more support maybe it would be a good time to take a look at some new sports bra styles.

It’s always a good idea to try a few different models of sports bras on. This allows you to see what kind of support you like. A few tests that should always be done are:

1. Run or jump on the spot
2. Move your arms back and forth
3. Cross your arms over your chest
4. Take a deep breath

What you are doing is assessing how the bra will feel on your body when you are in different positions. It is good to do this while deciding what bra is the best for you. A fun test would be to bring your current sports bra and test the difference in support. You will really see how a new bra can make a difference.

Your body deserves the best – whether it be shoes or a sports bra. Without either the workout is a lot less fun and much more difficult. Beat the winter blahs and gear up with the right tools to help you achieve success!

Coming this January!
A new and revolutionary sports bra from Shock Absorber will be available this January 2010. The designers have taken almost everything into consideration for these new styles. The new interiors are completely soft and non-abrasive, a complete improvement from previous styles. The support you get is all around, it encapsulates and contains. The compression is comfortable and offers a good shape.

Store Top Seller:
Freya Active Sports Bra – This encapsulator ranges from cups C-H, 28-40 back. It is simple but it does the job and can be worn as an everyday bra!

This post was wrotten by Jennifer at Secrets from Your Sister. Definitely check out what they have to offer this holiday season!

I have to admit I never really gave much thought to sports bras in the past. For most workouts I tended to just throw on a Lululemon tank top that had built-in support. I confess I even have run in a regular, no real support bra – I thought I could get away with this as I’m not the chestiest of people. 

The only times I really wished I had a proper sports bra was when I wanted to wear one of the many race t-shirts I had acquired over the years. 

But then this summer when I was coaching one of the For Women Only Running clinics at the Running Room I started to think more about why I didn’t even own a proper sports bra when we covered the topic in the clinic. Weird especially since I spend so much of my time doing high impact sports. 

I had to do something about this.

Last week I went for a sports bra fitting with the founder of  Secrets from Your Sister, a bra fitting store, in Toronto. The hour or so that I spent getting this fitting done I believe may have changed my life. I tried on a variety of sports bras, learned how to put a bra on (yes there is a right and a wrong way), learned I was wearing the wrong size and did jump tests to see how the bra would perform while bouncing around. I then even got to try on the bra with a tank to see how I looked – nice touch.

After trying on a number of bras I settled on the Shock Absorber bra and decided to test drive it on this Sunday’s 23 km run. Within 10 minutes of running I knew that this bra was going to work for me. It fit perfectly and offered the right amount of support during the run. As I mentioned I’m not the chestiest of people, but even I noticed a difference in the amount of bouncing that I no longer did. I also can attest to the fact that this bra held up well during torrential rain (unlike my drowned iPhone – never take an iPhone on a workout.)

The one thing I was concerned about with this bra was armpit chafing. I was a little concerned about the tightness in the arm area, but nothing ever happened. 

I am now obsessed with asking friends how they put on their bras and also obsessed with looking at runner women’s chest. So many of them have chests that are all over the place that I almost feel like going up to them and saying -

“Please go get a fitting at Secrets from Your Sister.”

Secrets from Your Sister has multiple locations in Toronto. To organize a fitting please visit their website for contact information.