In a previous blog we talked about the crucial role of exercise, including weightlifting, for preventing prevalence of cancer and improving post-treatment outcomes, as well as increasing bone density and improving our quality of life at a later age. 

With benefits like this, you would think there’s nothing left to stop people from working out. Unfortunately, studies found women in particular experience many barriers to leading active lives, including breasts. What is it about having breasts that stops women from taking part in sports and exercising? 

Breasts As Barriers

Many factors around breasts become barriers even from a young age, such as embarrassment, pain, movement, and feeling self-conscious about body image, all of which ultimately negatively affecting confidence and participation. It starts in adolescence; in a study, 46% of schoolgirls said their breasts stopped them from taking part in compulsory sports, with large-breasted girls being more likely to report this issue. It seems this negative experience remains as they grow into adults.

As shown in a study, 1 in 6 women reported their breasts are a barrier to taking part in physical activity, with a similar trend as seen in the girls study – those with larger breast sizes are even less likely to be active – which is supported by research by the Research Group in Breast Health (RGBH): the larger the cup, the more support is needed. 

Sports bras: est. 1977 

The obvious solution to this problem already exists. Sports bras might have been around since 1977, but the sad truth is, the rate at which sports bras evolved compared to running shoes or computers is incredibly disappointing and has failed to keep up with the modern women. There are many different styles out there and yet women worldwide are complaining about the same issue: there’s always a compromise. Unlike running shoes, sports bras come with two options: highly supportive or comfortable - never both. Each come with benefits and disadvantages ultimately forcing women to choose between health or performance.  

Another problem with sports bras is the lack of standardised sizing. Each brand has its own sizing; a 36E in one brand won’t fit you the same as the 36E in another. Because of this, 80% of women are actually wearing the wrong bra size. Accelerated by the lack of education around what makes a good sports bra and a market saturated with picture-perfect only bras that do nothing but cause more problems, many women feel let down and are on a constant hunt for the right one. And what happens when they don’t find it? They give up on exercising. Because the struggle of constantly chafing, being unable to breathe and feeling wrapped up like an Egyptian mummy just to be able to go on a 40-minute run before work is overpowering any benefit from the exercise itself, and it’s certainly adding more stress than the run can outweigh. 

Introducing sports bra science 

Because of all the reasons listed above and because our founder, Rebeka, has had enough of compromise, she set out on a journey to do what was once thought to be impossible: create a sports bra that’s both highly supportive and super comfortable. A sports bra that can be worn all day, that won’t cause pain, chafing or restrict. People said it was never done before, that others have tried and failed, but she didn’t give up.

What she did differently? She followed the science, which brought her to learn more about exactly just how much women all around the world were affected by bad bras;  elite athletes having breast reductions because of improper sports bras were affecting their performance, but more so, every day women who just wanted to exercise for their health – all held back by sports bras that fail to do their job. 

The research led her to take a huge leap of faith and speak to the experts who published most of these studies – the RGBH at the University of Portsmouth – about working together to design a bra that will allow women to forget they are even wearing one. And so, the Tigers Eye Ultimate Bra was born, and it became exactly that - with many women shocked at the newly found possibility of forgetting about their chests and focusing on their day without pain or discomfort for the first time in their lives. 

If you’re one of those women who wince just at the thought of running or jumping, and you’ve been repeatedly let down by bad sports bras, then this bra was made for you. Let Tigers Eye help you live your best life and finally exercise without breast movement, pain or restriction.