People At The Gym...

[Cazzi]

Check out Nordstrom's Rack...

Good prices, but unfortunately, we don't have them in the UK.

I'm waiting for my next "low outgoings" week... then will be looking at figleaves.com I think

[greek_jester]

Good prices, but unfortunately, we don't have them in the UK.

Not the cheapest in the country, but I can usually find something to fit me between these 2 (& I'm a very odd shape - 4' 10.5", 10.75 stone & a G cup).

Bravissimo - a small but expanding range of sports bras, all maximum support (& they do clothing & nightwear - no more 2-3 sizes up for me!):
http://www.bravissimo.com/Default.aspx?language=en-GB

BoobyDoo Sports Bras - if you know your size, the drop-down menu in the top corner of the home page will automatically filter out any bras that don't come in your size. Very useful! There's also an impact chart in the 'find your size' section so that you can get the correct level of support for your exercise regime & bust size combination. Very useful, even if you don't buy from this site:
http://www.sports--bras.co.uk/

[Cazzi]

Not the cheapest in the country, but I can usually find something to fit me between these 2

Thanks, I'll investigate
(from the odd woman who has many different shapes & sizes of clothes.. that all fit )

[Magpie]

I'm only halfway out of my "the only bras worth wearing are sports bras" phase (largely because I'm not convinced that that isn't true). I recommend the Werner's ones. I was very annoyed recently, because their contract expired, and I couldn't find the Catroina Le May Donc bras that I loved, and then realised that the same bras were available without the athlete's endorsement.

Out of curiosity, what are you doing at the gym that a sports bra is necessary? I ensure I wear them because I figure I might sweat and they're a) machine washable and b) something I don't mind being accidentally visible if my shirt gets soaked. (Also because there is occasionally someone else in the changeroom, and if my bra is going on display I'd rather it be one that looks nice, like the sports bras, rather than something with lace or whatnot).

[McGoddess09]

A sports bra is necessary if you are doing the treadmill or elliptical or some type of stairmaster/running machine. Any other time, it's no big deal.

[Mnemjian]

Good prices, but unfortunately, we don't have them in the UK.

Oh... oops! Sorry I didn't think about that Well good luck, anyway.

[Magpie]

A sports bra is necessary if you are doing the treadmill or elliptical or some type of stairmaster/running machine. Any other time, it's no big deal.

Those were only in the warm-up room at the gym we used. I forget about them, because we generally used the rowing machines if possible for our warm-up. (The other location I think had more machines like that, but we couldn't use that gym because all the weights were machines).

[chainedbarista]

as seshat says, don't go by weight (water weight is the first thing lost) but by muscle tone and how your clothes fit within a month or so; not only does muscle weigh more, but it takes up less space, so don't get discouraged by numbers on a machine.

[Magpie]

I go by how much I can lift!

Of course, when I started going I could bench the bar. After a while I discovered that I wasn't lifting properly, so I started being able to lift less than I originally could - we had to go get the weights for bicep curls for me to bench.

There are a few cases where the actual weight matters, but normally how much you weigh isn't a risk factor in and of itself - with heart disease etc it's the lifestyle that leads to the extra weight (diet and lack of exercise) that is the risk, not the weight itself. (I'm very sorry, I'm not sure where to find the studies, I know that at least one was in the last few months though). I'm still technically overweight, but I'm not worrying about that last little bit, because the doctors claim I'm exercising enough, and because I can carry the weight well, so I'm assuming that it works.

[Flying Grype]

There are a few cases where the actual weight matters, but normally how much you weigh isn't a risk factor in and of itself -

Yup -- correlation rather than causation. The unhealthy lifestyle can lead to both heart disease and extra weight. The weight doesn't cause the heart disease. I'm not sure if it's the same thing with diabetes.

People who are fat for reasons other than an unhealthy lifestyle don't generally have the heart disease or the diabetes, so the weight by itself is not going to hurt them. I think what people don't understand is that being overweight can be a sign of other problems, but it isn't a cause of them and doesn't always come with those other problems.

Of course, people are more afraid of looking fat than they are of having their heart or pancreas break down, so fatness is of course the one that the media focuses on (and doctors fall for it too).

My mother and I are both somewhat overweight but we always turn out to have good cardiovascular health, normal blood pressure, etc. at checkups.

[greek_jester]

Out of curiosity, what are you doing at the gym that a sports bra is necessary?

Any woman who has a bust, even a little one, should wear a bra if she's doing exercise. This includes things like hoovering or scrubbing - anything that'll make your boobs bounce or swing.

Apart from being uncomforable, your boobs are held in place by a combination of muscles & ligaments. Excercise can tone the muscles (which can help make your boobs look slightly perkier) but it also puts stress on the ligaments, which will stretch. Stretched ligaments don't shrink again. Good sports bras prevent this, as they keep you from bouncing around. Basically, the more you bounce around when you're younger, the quicker you'll get saggy when you're older.

While illness & pregnancy hormones can affect them, the main cause of droopy boobs is a lack of support when you're younger. In fact, anyone over a D cup should always wear a bra, or at least a supportive top of some kind, as the sheer weight of your boobs can stretch the ligaments.

So says my 64 year old E cup aunt, who has followed these rules all her life, & who has boobs that are perky enough that she can still get away without a bra if she really wants to.

/information dump

[Magpie]

Oh, I understand the need for support in general, lack of pain is good. I just forgot about the fact that people at the gym also do things where more than one or two limbs are moving. The campus gym really only has enough in the way of ellipticals/rowing machines/stationary bikes for people to put in 20-30 minutes on them, not long enough for a serious workout. I forgot that there are gyms that offer those as a service.

[ralerin]

Oh wow, greek_jester, didn't know that about the boobs. Thanks.

[Andara Bledin]

Check out Nordstrom's Rack...

Is there anyone else that is amused by the name, here, when speaking of bras?

Yup -- correlation rather than causation. The unhealthy lifestyle can lead to both heart disease and extra weight. The weight doesn't cause the heart disease. I'm not sure if it's the same thing with diabetes.

Type II diabetes is usually caused by bad diet and (as far as I can tell from doing a lot of varied casual research) has nothing to do with weight at all. As you mentioned, the things that lead to diabetes also happen to lead to excessive weight.

The short version: binging regularly on sugary foods can send confusing signals to the body and you can "burn out" it's ability to produce the correct amount of insulin to deal with the sugar.

^-.-^

[Cazzi]

Today at the gym we had a fire evacuation test at 3pm.. just the right time for a cool off in the car park!
Anyway, after we were let back in, I was happily minding my own business on the treadmill when an older guy strolled past wearing a t shirt with the following printed on it...

Retired
Where's My Discount?

I almost lost my footing!