The halls are decked, the mince pies are warming, and so now it’s about time for Busts 4 Justice to shine a little love on the things that have made my year – the things that deserve a hi-five, a ho-ho-ho, and a big old space in Santa’s sack…
First up, a big festive smooch for my queen supreme of sports support: the Freya Active underwired sports range.
When I first wrote about Freya Active I didn’t really have a great understanding about what I needed from a sports bra beyond throwing myself around a changing room – something perfectly normal for any girl starting out on her fitness adventure. But now I’ve run, jumped, rolled, bent, lifted, cycled, laughed, moaned and even cried (bad sports bra…) through over a year of runs, cycles, classes, gym sessions and sports bra test trials, this still for me has everything a girl could need. It reduces bounce almost to nothing, and separates and lifts with the underwire comfortably offering extra-sturdy support while the fabric works hard to keep you cool when you’re breaking a sweat.
It also, unlike more generic sports bras, it manages to give them a pert, uplifted shape without them sticking out in your way – something essential most people don’t consider until they’re long gone from the store changing rooms and stuck with a bra intent on ruining your downward dog… As for sizing, the bands are actually pretty firm, but I always size down to ensure I’m getting the maximum support from the back band. And actually in spite of a small squish (as we know a lot of Freya ranges do tend to stop at G in 28 bands…), fitting imperfectly it’s still far and away the best sports bra I’ve tried. For the love of g-unit though, however tight you go make sure you can still breathe. And get yourself out of it…
Also available are the soft cup and the racer back versions, both of which aren’t quite so much my cup of tea shape-wise but both offer a great, supple support many will prefer to the underwire version for low impact activities like yoga and pilates…
Additionally, Freya Active are also launching a brand new swimsuit, which I have been lucky enough to try already. A full review will follow soon, but needless to say I think it may well be the supportive, stylish and sporty swimsuit certainly I (and I know a lot of readers too) have been waiting for. I’m excited.
For me, taking up sport has been liberating, empowering and enlivening, and it has only been possible with the support of my ever faithful Freya Actives. Every girl deserves a sports bra this good. Now if we could just persuade Freya to expand their size ranges so that every girl can benefit…
Busts 4 Justice 
I’ve been wondering recently how often people change their sports bra. You often read that you should change your bras every 6 months, which I doubt most women do and as a lingerie enthusiast, I guess I have a larger collection to rotate from, so it makes sense that they last longer (as long as my size doesn’t change), but with sports bras, I’m not so sure. I only alternate between two of them and they are put to more stress.
I only had one sports bra for I think the first seven months of starting up, and it was only at the end that it really started going too slack for me to run in it (now it makes an awesome pilates/yoga bra) – I had started on an extremely tight band which helped extend its life in that respect. I also never machine wash – I take it in to the shower after a workout and let it air dry naturally. I think that helps too. As for how often you change it – I don’t think there’s a hard and fast rule for any bra. I’ve had some bras that have died after a couple of months, and some that are still going strong after years. The important thing I suppose is to constantly evaluate how it’s fitting and notice the way it’s changing over time – in many respects it’s easier with a sports bra than with other lingerie because if you’re not getting the support you need when you’re running you can really feel it!
Thanks! I must admit, that I’m guilty of tossing my sports bra in the washing machine!
Ok, I’m eagerly awaiting your Freya active swimsuit review!! Swimming is basically my go to cardio at the moment because of my knees and it seems like all the swimsuits in my size are plunges that look great but don’t hold up very well after doing laps for an hour straight or water aerobics.
I just got my Freya active soft cup bra in the mail yesterday and will be posting a review soon. I wanted the underwire but brastop.com only had the soft cup and I was ordering from them due to their free international shipping deal awhile back. I can’t compare it to the underwire version but I really love it so far. 🙂
I’m never going back to any other Sports Bra! I’ve had two now, and the first took about 6 months of use before it needed changing, and this was mainly as my bra size changed. It gives the best support and the best shape, so I don’t feel like a frump when I’m in the gym wearing it (deceptively important)!
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