After several months of working off all the undesirable lumps and bumps that motherhood attracts, I’m worried that intensive exercise could make my breasts shrink. Can you suggest exercises to firm up the bust?
Breast tissue is made up of fat cells supported by a fine, threadlike network of connective tissue. Like any fat cells, they are prone to shrinking if the body burns more calories than it consumes. And just as some women may experience greater shape change in their hips, thighs or tummy, the individual concentration of hormones that stimulate fat loss or fat storage can cause breast shape to change, too.
Connective tissue is also prone to being stretched and, sadly, with age it loses some of its elasticity. Minimise this by avoiding lifting heavy weights, which can overstretch the tissue. Instead, try this home adaptation of the classic gym chest exercise. Lie on your back, knees bent, arms straight and directly over your shoulders, holding a small weight in each hand – try a bottle filled with a third of a litre of water. With your palms facing each other, slowly open your arms wide parallel to the floor, draw them back together and repeat. This will help only if you do it slowly, so take four counts to open and four to close. Keep the elbows slightly bent, holding the weights lightly in the hands to minimise the role of the forearms. Now for the subtle bit: extend the arms out away from the shoulders as if you’re trying to touch the outside of a circle as you open and close. Do 12 to 16 of these three to four times a week.
One of my clients, who was training for the New York marathon, was advised by her doctor to drink a pint of semi-skimmed milk daily while in training to avoid breast shrinkage. She lost body fat, ran her first marathon in just over four hours and had a great bust.
· Joanna Hall is a fitness expert ( joannahall.com). Send your exercise questions to: Weekend, 119 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER ( [email protected]).
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