Do you like to run? Be sure to read this article about breasts and sports. You will learn a lot of new and unexpected things.
The mammary glands are not muscles and do not help us engage in sports. But with running it's even worse: despite special equipment, breasts can cause discomfort and prevent you from enjoying your run.
In a 2013 study of London Marathon participants, 32% reported occasional chest pain. 17% of them were even forced to cut back on their workouts because of this pain.
But there is also good news! Researchers do not give up and continue to carefully study the behavior of breasts during exercise, sportswear manufacturers are constantly improving bra models, and more and more evidence is emerging that running is part of the prevention of breast cancer. Here's what scientists found—and what every runner should know.
Your body doesn't care about your breasts
“Breasts can be quite heavy,” says Andrea Cheville, director of the Cancer Rehabilitation Program at Mayo Clinic. “And the body doesn’t really support it, because it doesn’t have natural adaptations for this.” Indeed, only skin and a few ligaments.
Other parts of the body are more fortunate: “Take the abdominal fascia for example – it’s incredibly strong. No matter how energetically you run, the internal organs of the abdomen are securely packed in a casing made of durable fibers. But with the bust, alas, everything is different: almost no protection, but full of receptors. So, when the retaining elements are stretched, you also feel pain.”
Cloth
Drawing clothes can be a fun activity. However, this activity can also turn into a nightmare if you do not understand how this or that clothing will look on the body.
For example, a school uniform shirt is quite loose and therefore the fabric falls down, emphasizing only the upper part of the chest.
Another example, a fitted sweater will hug the body, showing off all the bust lines.
If you are drawing a tight suit or swimsuit, you can use the body itself as a basis and add some lines on top of it.
Breasts move more than we think
Michelle Norris, a senior research fellow in the Department of Sports Science at the University of Portsmouth, is researching breast movement during exercise and testing support garments in the laboratory.
The girls being tested run bare-breasted and wear various types of sports bras. Everything that happens to the bust is recorded using 3D motion capture technology.
“We have enthusiastic members who are eager to help with this research – and we are very indebted to them,” says Michelle. In laboratory conditions, Norris and his colleagues found that the chest does not simply bounce up and down - as it seems to the runners themselves - but describes complex figure eights, also moving left and right and back and forth. “Breast tissue does not have a hard or elastic structure, so it can move in any direction.” Which is what it does while you're running around there.
If you add together the movements in all three planes, then - without supporting underwear - the breasts move about 15 centimeters (depending, of course, on the size of the cups). About 50% comes from jumping up and down and 25% each from moving left and right and back and forth. In any case, it works out to be about 15 cm with each jump while running.
How to maintain the beauty of your breasts and avoid sagging?
Keep your royal posture.
The pectoral muscles must be kept in good shape, and a flat back will ensure full blood circulation, which means a normal process that does not provoke the appearance of additional folds and wrinkles. In addition, it is large breasts that most often sag under the influence of their own weight; when a woman hunches over, an additional load is placed on the breasts, causing a loss of their shape.
Don't lose weight suddenly.
Watch your own weight, do not get carried away with strict diets that involve sudden weight loss. As a result, you will not only lose excess weight, but also the necessary one - the breasts mainly consist of fatty tissues, and if you lose them, the breasts will simply sag.
Nourish your breasts.
In continuation of the second point, the rule has a continuation. If your body has reserve for an additional two to three kilograms, gain a little weight and your breasts will take on appetizing shapes. It's no secret that plump people have beautiful breasts. However, don’t overdo it, and especially don’t gain too much weight, otherwise you’ll lose control and end up with either excess weight, stretch marks, or both.
Breast exercises are the main enemy of sagging.
Sports activities aimed at strengthening the pectoral muscles will help maintain and improve the shape of the breasts. Exercises for the pectoral muscle group will support the mammary glands, prevent them from stretching and losing their position, and will allow you to build muscle mass in your chest.
Water massage of the chest is “necessary, like air.”
Water jet massage will help maintain the tone of the skin and muscles of the chest. With this massage you can increase the elasticity and firmness of the skin, improve blood circulation, normalize metabolism and increase lymph flow. Daily 30-second ice baths for the chest have become particularly popular recently. However, this is not a safe method; there is a risk of chilling the mammary glands and developing serious diseases. However, as a contrast shower, this method is quite appropriate, for example, while taking a shower, pour cold water over your chest a couple of times for a few seconds. It is also true that frequent hot baths make the skin, including on the chest, flabby.
Nourish your skin.
Maintain the elasticity of the skin on your chest with preventive care and moisturizing, and make nourishing masks. The skin, being a kind of frame that supports your breasts, can lose its elasticity and become flabby with age. Advertising slogans shouting about bust enlargement and other modeling properties of creams are not entirely frank; in fact, these products prevent aging, sagging breast skin and restore its elasticity, but have absolutely no effect on the size of the mammary gland. However, the visual effect can really convince you of breast enlargement; once sagging breasts will look half a size larger. However, with the same success, you can use traditional methods and recipes without spending hundreds and thousands on expensive drugs. People's councils. As we have already said, exposure to cold has a good effect on the skin of the breast, stopping the process of aging, fading, lethargy and sagging. Therefore, briefly wipe your chest with pieces of ice, make cold compresses from strong tea, a solution of sea salt and water, juice and pulp of fresh fruits, berries, and vegetables. Before applying a compress, be sure to wipe the skin of your chest with a rich cream or just any vegetable oil.
Watch out for the sun.
You should not sunbathe topless, even if you have elastic breasts and the process of sagging is still very far away. Ultraviolet irradiation dries out the skin, destroys collagen, and accordingly accelerates the aging process of breast skin, the appearance of wrinkles and age spots.
Find the right bra.
Premature sagging of the breasts can occur due to an uncomfortable, incorrect bra: too tight or loose. The main function of a bra is to support the breasts, mainly from below, but in no case forcibly changing its shape. Do not overuse bras with whalebone, push-ups and other hard correctors; save them for exceptional cases. Prolonged pressure affects the sensitivity of the breast tissue, prevents proper blood circulation, and can contribute to the appearance of a malignant tumor.
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A quality sports bra is a must
Every runner needs special underwear. But choose it carefully, experts insist. Try on different models and find the best size and fit. If you can’t find anything suitable in regular sporting goods, go to specialized stores. Some girls prefer compression models, others prefer cups. But don’t pay attention to others, the main thing is that it’s convenient for you. And look for a bra with the optimal level of support.
When choosing a bra with cross straps at the back, remember that you need to try it on with the elastic bands as loose as possible. After washing it will stretch - then you can adjust the fasteners.
Speed doesn't matter
What surprised Norris (who is a keen runner herself) was that her chest moved about the same at different speeds. “I thought the faster I run, the more my bust jumps. But the following turned out: at a speed of 10 km/h, the chest describes the maximum trajectory, and then nothing changes.” Here's the moral: When you're going for a long, low-impact run, don't think you can do without a sports bra. Always wear a high support bra.
Can't ignore the pain
Chest pain can be caused by a variety of reasons - including quite harmless ones. But you still can’t ignore it. Many people have chest pain simply because they made a mistake with the size of their underwear - the bra does not cope with its task (see point 3). However, as Andrea Cheville admits, sports bras are really hard to find for women with large breasts.
Also, many girls experience increased breast sensitivity during the premenstrual period. The degree of pain varies from person to person: if you suffer from severe pain, then reduce the load. "This is temporary, so take it easy and don't run while you're feeling unwell," says Cheville.
If you still need a vigorous workout, use over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications. And also monitor the amount of salt you consume - swelling makes the pain worse.
But when unusual pain occurs, immediately run to the doctor. “For women with small breasts, unexpected pain is a major cause for concern,” warns Cheville.
Mammary gland structure
It’s worth starting with the fact that this part of the body can be considered a full-fledged sexual organ, and indeed, with the correct action of men with two female “toys”, the effect of pleasure can be comparable to full and high-quality sex.
If we move a little towards science, then breasts are two identical (there are rare cases of asymmetry) fat deposits together with mammary glands in the upper part of the chest, in the middle of which are nipples that serve as a source of nutrition for babies.
In terms of sexuality and sensitivity, especially when we talk about the bust, all women are completely different. Firstly, as you may have probably noticed in your life, there are all sorts of shapes and sizes, and accordingly, the color and reaction to the stimulus is also varied.
However, not only the mammary glands differ in shape, but also the nipples themselves - in the shape of a cylinder or cone, flattened or tucked, slightly convex or, conversely, convex. Mother Nature has done her best to ensure that men have plenty to choose from.
The small area around the nipple is called the areola and varies in color from bright red to brownish. It is in these places that the majority of all nerve endings on the chest are concentrated.
There is a direct connection from the areola to the brain, so in the process of breast stimulation, synchronous stimulation of the entire organism begins.
By the color of the areola and how the nipple reacts to caress, you can determine how excited the female representative is and how much she likes her partner, but that’s not all. Breasts are a good indicator of a woman’s overall health, so in case of any sores, “pieces of breast fat” will tell you that something is wrong with the girl.
A small branch for those who like to look at sex and women from the scientific side of the issue. The female mammary glands bear a slight resemblance to a bunch of grapes, the number of berries of which reaches twenty pieces.
Between them there is connective tissue that serves as a bridge. Each such “grape” has a small duct through which milk passes, and it ends in a small thin hole in the nipple.
Again, among the many who like to build theories, there is the idea that the mammary glands are similar in internal structure to the prostate gland in men.
Only in the case of their anatomical program is sperm produced, and in the case of women, milk. And after all, all these assumptions have the right to exist, since all the secretions formed in our body, one way or another, use the same materials.
It all depends on how the hormones manage them: whether it is seminal fluid, blood, lymph or milk.
Breast cancer is less common in runners than in sedentary women
New research has found a direct link between exercise and a reduced risk of breast cancer, says Cheville. “Primary prevention helps to avoid the disease in principle,” she explains, “secondary prevention prevents the disease from returning. So, a lot of data confirms that training in the case of breast cancer is both primary and secondary prevention.” A 2014 study found that running was superior to walking in this regard. Higher intensity exercise was more beneficial than moderate exercise. So stop sitting and run to the park.
