Coopers Droopers - Breast Support

York sports bra retailer, Elizabeth Wells explains the importance of getting the right support for exercise.

What’s all the fuss about?
So you may, or may not have heard about Coopers Ligament. It’s the ligament that holds up and supports the breast, very important as we ladies try to defy gravity!

Why is it important?
Coopers Ligaments run from the nipple to the pectoral muscle; attaching the fatty tissue of the breast to the pectoral muscles of the chest wall. While we can exercise to improve the tone of the muscles behind the breast; they are just this – behind the breast. They form the foundation of what your breast tissue lies upon but they do not support the fatty tissue that makes up your breast. You may have strong pectoral and chest muscles but still suffer from saggy boobs! It is so important that we look after Coopers Ligament giving it extra support when exercising, as well as supporting properly it everyday.

Why do boobs sag?
Without the internal support of this ligament, the breast tissue sags under its own weight, losing its normal shape and contour. Naturally over time, and as we get older this ligament stretches, this process is accelerated by not supporting the breast properly. During exercise the ligament becomes pulled and stretched; loosing its elasticity leading to irreversible sagging. Portsmouth University found breasts moved in a 3D figure of eight, this uncontrolled movement strained fragile tissues and ligaments – sounds painful!

Exercise is painful!
Many women experience pain during exercise – sadly this puts them of doing it! Pain is often across your back, particularly if you have larger breasts, as well as general pain from the breast bouncing up and down and from side to side. A fitted sports bra will minimise pain and discomfort across your back and across your chest as the bust is lifted into place and held snugly, dramatically reducing movement caused by exercise. Now you will be able to exercise at a better quality as your pain is removed thus getting more from your workout!

How can I stop the sagging!
Poorly fitting bras and exercising in non-supportive bras will results in permanent stretching of the Coopers Ligaments leading to irreversible sagging, an average breast can bounce as much as 4.7inches up and down with minimal support! It is so important to get fitted every time you buy a new bra. There are non compression sports bars available in soft or wired styles; it is your choice as to which you prefer. An encapsulating bra minimises bounce and will lift, separate and support the breast a lot better than the old fashioned compression bras (they also have the added advantage of giving a great shape!). The importance of being fitted correctly cannot be stressed enough.

Where Now!
Dr Chris (GMTV) recommends the Freya Active range, which are unique in their non-compression design. There is no sports bra like it, due to its design Freya is set to revolutionise the sports bra market.

Health & Fitness Magazine put their running shoes on to rigorously test the best high impact sports bras and we at Elizabeth Wells are proud to say that Freya Active came out on top receiving 5 out of 5 in all categories which include style, performance and features.

Elizabeth Wells Lingerie, 23 Shambles has a trained bra fitter (who is also a keen runner!) ready to fit you out in a new sports bra which as well as being engineered to fit, makes use of the best fabrics with wicking properties and comfortable to wear. www.elizabethwells.co.uk

When and how to stretch

I was in London on Friday for a Power Plate training course. One of the issues that came up was the subject of stretching. It's an area that causes confusion within the fitness industry as well as to the general public.

Static stretching (holding a fixed position, usually for between 10-30 seconds) at the start of a workout is now generally frowned upon, unless done to address a specific muscle imbalance. Static stretching lengthens a muscle and if done before exercise can cause an instability in the joint.

I use Muscle Activation Technique when working with clients. The principle behind MAT is fantastically simple. If it's tight stretch it. If it's weak strengthen it. The difficult part is identifying if a muscle is tight through overuse or if it's tightened up to protect a joint due to another muscle being weak. If muscle tightness is caused by muscle weakness (which in my experience is often the case) a series of strengthening exercises are more effective than stretches.

Static stretching after exercise is still prescribed by many fitness professionals, particularly in classes. Research suggests that this may not always be a good idea. If the exercise has caused micro tears in the muscles, stretching can increase the size of these tears which isn't a particularly good idea. This is more of a problem with high intensity exercise, though without scanning muscles after exercise it is impossible to tell if any damage to the muscles has occurred.

So am I suggesting that people don't stretch at all. Absolutely not. A full warm-up is extremely important, but this should involve mobility type exercises and dynamic stretches to gently warm the muscles and increase range of motion through the joints in a way specific for the activity to follow.

Flexibility is important, but making time for specific stretching sessions, particularly activities such as yoga which are designed to stretch and strengthen muscles is a much more effective approach.

Is Power Plate for everyone?

Regular followers of the blog will be aware that I'm a great believer in using personality type to determine approach to exercise, and that I'm also an Advanced Level Power Plate instructor. I regularly train clients using Powerplate at a studio in York and a gym in Easingwold.

It therefore seemed logical to look at what personality types are likely to be drawn to Power Plate training and why. The fitness personality colours I refer to are taken from Suzanne Brue's fitness personality quiz. To find out more and to find your fitness personality colour follow the link at the bottom of the post.

Vibration training is considered as a new trend within the fitness industry, the sort of activity that would generally appeal to the Play/Abstract types, namely Silver and Saffron. Equally quick to get bored with an activity as they are to get started, the main principle with this group is to allow plenty of flow and variety within the choice of exercises.

Whilst Power Plate machines have only become widely seen in gyms over the last few years, the concept of vibration training is not new at all. The principle was developed in the late 1960's by the Russians as a way of enabling astronauts to avoid muscle wasting and reduced bone density whilst living and working on the Space Station. It's even been documented that the Ancient Greeks had developed a form of vibration training by exercising on a wooden platform whilst vibrations were created on the platform by sawing the wood.

The science behind vibration training - likely to appeal to the Whites and Purples - is very simply Newton's Second Law of Gravity

FORCE = MASS x ACCELERATION

Instead of using an external mass such as dumbbells, barbell or resistance machine along with movement (acceleration) generated by moving the body (ie lifting weight), vibration training provides the movement through the vibrating platform and the mass is the users bodyweight being held in a specific position.

The exercises used on power plate are fairly traditional movement patterns such as press up, triceps dip and squat. The ability to train without using weights or movement reduces the risk of injury associated with training with free weights. These factors, plus the ability to closely monitor progress by recording time and settings used for each exercise, should appeal to the Blue and Gold personality types who look for safety, tradition and the ability to plan and monitor progress.

The Play/Concrete types - Reds and Greens, preferring mainly outdoor activities would be less likely to be drawn towards Power Plate training. That is unless they are looking to recover from injury. Reds in particular tend to go all out and injury is one of the main reasons for this personality type not exercising. When they can be persuaded to train to avoid injury and improve performance, Power Plate can be a good choice due to the time saving over conventional resistance training, giving them more time to pursue their chosen activity.

Versatility is certainly one of the reasons I have trained so many clients using Power Plate. It's also the reason the machines are being used by such a wide group of people; from physiotherapists working with groups including MS and Parkinsons sufferers and to speed up recovery after surgery, by exercisers who appreciate the ease of use and time saving, through to professional golfers and sports teams including Manchester United and Chelsea.

Discover your fitness personality

Personality Type and exercise choice

When you think about starting to exercise, how much thought do you give to the choice of activity? You may have decided that you want to lose weight, be fitter, feel better or have more energy, but how do you go about finding an activity that will achieve what you want, and just as importantly ensure that you stay active long term. This is especially fitting this time of year when many people have already started and given up on new years resolutions to be more active.

Over the past year I have been incorporating something called Fitness Personality Profiling when working with my personal training clients. It's been fascinating to see how different personality types respond to different types of activities in different ways.

The system of fitness personality profiling has been pioneered by Suzanne Brue, an expert on psychological type and the connection between physical activity and personality type. Suzanne uses 8 colours- Red, Green, Blue, Gold, White, Purple, Silver and Saffron to describe the 8 different personality types that have very different approaches to exercise.

Flicking through a monthly advertising magazine pushed through the letterbox this morning, I noticed a number of new fitness activities advertised in the York area and started thinking how they would appeal to different personality types.

British Military Fitness has just started running outdoor classes in York. Military Fitness classes are run by serving or former members of the Armed Forces. This is the approach that many people think about when you mention personal training. They think of the drill sergeant yelling orders, a bit like Harvey from Celebrity Fit Club. This approach can be very effective in getting results, but is also the reason a lot of personality types shy away from exercise or feel that exercise isn't for them. This type of exercise will certainly appeal to Reds. They love the physical challenge and if they can push themselves to compete against others in the group, so much the better. Greens may also enjoy such a class, mainly for the opportunity to get outdoors, though will also enjoy the physical challenge, provided they can feel that they are competing with themselves rather than being pushed to compete openly with others. Blues and Golds may also be regulars in such a class, provided the environment and activities are considered safe and that they know what they should be doing and what is expected from them. A big difference between the Reds/Greens and Blue/Golds is that the former will expect to have fun and enjoy the activity, whereas the Blues/Golds will be there more for the results. The more abstract types - Silver, Saffrons, Purples and Whites are unlikely to be drawn towards Boot Camp style training.

Another new class advertised is York Dance Factory who run street dance classes. Dance generally appeals to Saffrons and Silvers who love the flow and opportunity for creative expression that dance provides. This type of class may also appeal to Reds as a fun, high energy activity. It is unlikely to appeal to Greens who would generally rather connect with the outdoors rather than their own creative side. The "Job" types - Blue, Gold, White, Purple, will generally not regard dance as being structured enough to provide the monitored improvements that they will look for when following an exercise program.

By knowing your personality type you can ensure that new activities started this year are right for you. Many people feel that they have failed when they give up on a new activity, rather than realising that it just wasn't the right approach for them.

Follow the link below to find your Fitness Personality Type.

Find your fitness personality

Post event sports massage

Having tackled the arduous Yorkshire 3 Peaks and completed the 24.5 miles and 1600 metres of climb within 12 hours, the sense of achievement was incredible, reduced only by the severe tightness in my calf muscles caused by trekking through miles of boggy ground whilst walking the 10 or so miles between Pen-y-ghent and Whernside. As a personal trainer I need to be out training with clients, and as a lot of the work I do involves running and Nordic Walking I needed to be fully recovered as soon as possible.

I went to see Mark Tipping of Body-Fix Wellness Clinic in Barlby, near Selby and couldn't believe the difference half an hour of sports massage made. Most of the soreness wore off almost immediately and my movement improved straight away.

I will certainly be recommending Mark for pre and post event massage therapy to any clients who are taking part in endurance events such as marathons or treks as well as those competing in sports. The benefits of regular massage in speeding up the recovery process and avoiding future more serious injuries should not be overlooked.

Mark can be contacted for sports massage therapy at Body-Fix Wellness Clinic, Selby on 07894 705826

Exercise reduces fatigue and increases energy

Research shows that regular exercise can improve energy more effectively than stimulants such as coffee or energy drinks. Regular exercisers have known this for years, but now this has been backed up with research carried out by the University of Georgia. "A lot of times when people are fatigued, the last thing they want to do is exercise," says researcher Patrick O'Conner, "but if you're physically inactive and fatigued, being a bit more active will help."

In this study, published in Psychological Bulletin, the researchers analysed 70 studies on exercise and fatugie involving more than 6,800 people. The results showed that regular exercise increases energy and reduces fatigue. So next time you're tempted to hve yet another cup of coffee or reach for an energy drink, try getting out for a brisk walk or doing some exercise instead and just see how much better you feel.

Wearing the right bra for exercise

According to research by scientists at Portsmouth University, 9 out of 10 women could be damaging their breasts by wearing the wrong bra. Most bras do not give enough support to prevent irrepairable damage during exercise.

Specialist retailers such as Less Bounce provide full guidance and assistance in choosing the right bra to make sure that you can exercise comfortably.

Having the right clothing and equipment is vital for any sport. Having the right sports bra is often overlooked and the wrong choice can be the cause of pain and discomfort during exercise which could easily be prevented.