Bra-ving the gym

If you need some motivation to get yourself to the gym you might be interested to learn about a superb new innovation in sports bras that could actually help encourage you to get fit. Not only is it reported to push your workout to new heights, it’s designed to be stylish, comfortable and fit properly.

The Keep Beat Bra could be available in the near future. It cleverly monitors your heart rate with specially placed electrodes in the bra’s elastic, close to the heart ensuring an accurate reading. It sounds too good to be true but it has become a reality. Design student from the UK, Victoria Sowerby is responsible for developing the new performance sports bra. This incredible innovation in sports technology is made out of a state-of-the-art material called “Eurojersey” that actually monitors your heart beat. Your smart phone is placed in the bra’s useful back pocket and syncs with your music via a downloadable app. Not only that, it then adjusts your music to tell you if you need to push yourself further or if you are overdoing it.

Simply put, you choose the music you want to work out to and if you work out at the right pace, the Keep Beat Bra won’t interfere. If you go too slowly, it slows down the music and if you push yourself too far, it speeds it up. You therefore know exactly how you are performing.

You don’t even need to worry about unsightly sweat as the fabric, which uses a special polymer, soaks up your sweat and any bacteria lingering on your skin. It’s completely washable too as the microchip with the technology inside simply unclips when you want to wash the garment.

Ms Sowerby came up with the idea from long distance runners constantly monitoring their own heart rates. Additionally, she conducted her own market research which showed an increase in a wearer’s workout performance by 15% when using the Keep Beat Bra. While there are many gadgets, apps and wearable technology that monitors heart rate, none of these actually motivates a user to do more or advises the user when they are doing too much so this is a first of its kind.

Unfortunately before you race out to the sports retailers, the bra is not yet available to buy but will hopefully be snapped up by one of the big sportswear names in the near future. Don’t bin your sports bra just yet!

Photo credit: Victoria Sowerby