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I have a bra habit that I didn’t realize was so bad until I got called out by a salesperson. I fold the cups into each other when they’re put away in a drawer, shoved in a suitcase, or apparently standing in line to buy a new one.

“Oh no! Don’t ever do this,” she said as the bra was taken rescued from my hands. She explained that misshaping the cups this way is a quick and easy way to break down the fibers of the bra.

Seems obvious, but what else have I been doing wrong? It stands to reason that we wouldn’t all score a 100% on a bra care exam. So here’s a quick study guide to help you take better care of your bras. You’ll extend the life of the bra and they’ll offer better support. Who knew bras were looking for such a reciprocal relationship?

Boost their rotation.

If you’ve only got one or two daily-wear bras, they’re going to burn up quickly. Keep three or four in rotation, giving bras a few down days between wears to give the elastic time to recover.

Wash carefully.

Handwashing is ideal, but who has time for that? Use the gentlest setting on your washer -- gentle or delicate -- for cleaning your bras. Specialty mesh bags also help protect the bra. Special detergent will make a difference, too. Specialty delicates wash will take better care of the fibers, something like our pure and gentle Soak Wash.

Don’t weigh them down.

When machine washing, follow your grandma’s rules to wash like items together. Bras with other bras and panties only! Washing with heavy items like jeans, sweatshirts, and towels can damage your bras.

Definitely don’t dry them.

Oh man, bra ownership cardinal rule number one … don’t put your bras in the dryer! The heat breaks down the elastic and fibers, irreparably damaging the material. Always air dry them, preferably by laying them flat.

Close the clasps.

Before throwing in the washer, close all of the clasps. This prevents snagging and tears.

Store them flat.

This may be the only time you use flat and your bras in the same sentence, but it’s important! Don’t make the fatal twist & fold mistake that I did. When packing in suitcases or away in drawers, keep them flat and as close to their natural shape as possible. Mine usually hang from a hook in the closet or off the back of the closet door… so hopefully I’m not messing that up, too!

Good news for Charde Heremaia of New Zealand… Enell is one bra company that has sorted out its shi*t. We don’t make “ugly bras” for “big titty girls.” No ma’am! We make beautiful bras that support big titty girls and accentuate the big, awesome lives they’re living. In case you haven’t heard, we’re kinda a big deal.

Charde's rant and call to bra manufacturers is going viral: 

Can anyone blame Charde for her recent bra aisle rant? Not a chance. We’ve all been there. Oh how we have all painfully, sadly, frustratingly been there! The struggle is so real and we applaud her for fighting the good fight.

As a size FF… and really anyone over a C or D cup can relate to … Charde has “had it up to f*ing here” with the entire bra experience. “I’m really done with the black, cream, and white bras. Okay? I want some pretty ones that don’t cost hundreds and thousands of dollars.”

We hear her loud and clear, and the millions of women just like her. Because we are her! We’ve lived that life ourselves, and that’s why we’ve got brilliant shades like biscay green and dazzling blue in sizes up to GG. Look, we’ve got the basic colors covered, too, because sometimes life just demands an ecru bra.

BUT, our exciting limited edition colors just make the world a prettier place for the biggest, baddest, boldest breasts around. Including yours. And yes, even Charde’s.

Tea has been lauded for centuries for a host of health benefits. The wellness boon waiting in each cup of tea is mostly attributed to the rich concentration of polyphenols (antioxidants) found in green and black teas. While real tea is only derived from the camellia sinensis plant leaves, many herbal combinations have been “deemed” as tea since they are stepped in hot water before sipping, too.

Almost liken to yoga or the app store, there is seemingly a tea for just about everything. Any good naturalist is all too familiar with leaning on plants, especially tea, for non-medicinal remedies. And yes, that extends to the breasts. Tea has been linked with everything from making them grow to helping them produce more milk.

Here are a few ways a proper cuppa tea might do a healthy favor for the ladies.

Lactation

Mother’s milk is an herbal tea (meaning there aren’t any actual tea leaves present) that is praised by mothers to support their production of breast milk. The primary, or “active,” ingredient is fenugreek, a leafy plant that is commonly used in Indian cooking. However, in this use, the seeds are often complemented by other herbs to produce the tea. Fennel, anise, and coriander are other familiar ingredients in this bitter-sweet tasting drink that can be served hot or cold.

Cancer

The benefits tea provide in the prevention of cancer -- including breast cancer -- are substantial and even confirmed by the National Cancer Institute. The polyphenols in tea can inhibit tumor cell reproduction and promote cell death. Green teas are linked with activating detoxification enzymes that can protect against tumor development in the first place.

Green tea is especially important for preventing breast cancer. Its antioxidants reduce urinary estrogen, a carcinogen that promotes breast cancer.

Breast Enhancement

Pure spearmint tea (an herbal tea) has had some connections with promoting the growth of breast tissue. It actually works to block testosterone, thereby no longer impeding the growth. It’s certainly not a quick or overnight solution, but women do report seeing some growth.

The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook gives similar credit to fennel seed “tea,” made by brewing no more than a teaspoon of fennel seeds in a day. The natural plant-based estrogen it provides can promote breast growth.

Caution is advised against overconsumption of caffeine, which would be more than 300-400 milligrams per day. That would be about six cups of black or green tea, or three cups of black coffee! Also, staying within that caffeine range allows tea to count toward your daily water intake goals.

We've hit the first days of spring and you've still got your heater running at your house. But everywhere you look, you're challenged to "Get Beach Body Ready!" or to "Get a Bikini Bod Before Summer!" Spring break is approaching, and you're scrambling to find a cover up because you feel like you didn't quite stick to your New Years Resolution as you had hoped. 

Well guess what. You’ve already got the bikini body (you do have a body, right?) Coconut milk or not. Resolutions or not. You have a bikini body that’s ready for the beach. Or is it?

Here are a few really important questions to make sure: 

1. Do you have skin?
2. Is your heart beating underneath that skin?
3. Do you have a desire to go to the beach?
4. Is that desire matched by a desire to not wear street clothes to said beach?
5. Do you promise to wear sunblock, even if it’s the low SPF just so you can say you’re wearing sunblock?
6. Do you have obnoxiously large, yet fabulous, sunglasses?
7. Do you have a floppy hat fit for the Kentucky Derby but makes for great selfies in the sand?
8. Did you get a pedicure? Or at least apply a random color layer over the chipped color? (You know we know you’re taking a picture of your toes with the water behind them with a #BestLifeEver hashtag.)
9. Is your Spotify playlist current with music you’d only listen to at the beach (because you’re a grown woman after all)?
10. Have you packed enough snacks and cocktails and/or mocktails to get you through the afternoon?

Then you, as they say, are BEACH READY!

Every body belongs at the beach. Yes, including yours.

There’s no photoshop at the beach, only real-life bodies. They’ve got big and little boobs, stretchmarks, scars, fat, and bones. They run the color spectrum. They are old and young, wrinkled and supple. They’re hairy; some are waxed clean.

So wear a bikini only if you want to; if you’re comfortable in it. Wear a one piece if you want to; if you’re comfortable in it. Wear a T-shirt and sweat pants if that’s your jam. Don’t wear anything at all -- they make beaches for that, too!

Half the people you’ll see don’t care and the other half are likely as self-conscious as you are. In the end … just do you.

No matter what you decide to wear to the beach, remember that CONFIDENCE IS SEXY so be sure to wear that!

How well do you know your cleavage? Those lovely lady lumps come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Much like the bras, dresses, and tees we adorn them with, there’s a cleavage for every style. Maybe your cleavage has one speed and you’ve grown very familiar with it. Maybe you accessorize with cleavage -- this type for one event like you would heels for a particular date. Or perhaps you haven’t given it much attention at all.

Much like the many nicknames for our breasts that everyone has… get to know a little more about what happens when they get propped up!

Classic

You might see this under a blouse or in a nice sleeveless top. It’s your basic, run-of-the-mill, classic cleavage. A little glimpse of the breasts that’s not too much, not too little. It’s expected, if anything.

Push-Up Cleavage

You know these girls! The cleavage achieved with a padded bra can better fill out a top or maybe it gives a touch of sex appeal. It gives the illusion of more. But more than what onlookers may see, it often gives the woman more confidence.

Extreme Cleavage

Nothing is left to the imagination here! Achieved through a push-up bra, super low-cut tops or dresses, or a bra size meant for an Enell, this cleavage has a lot to offer and isn’t mad about it.

Situational Cleavage

Maybe you meant it, maybe you didn’t. Either way, you flashed a little cleave by folding arms just so, or lying to one side during a movie date at home. The situational cleavage happens when you lean a certain way or give a little shrug.

Floating Cleavage

This stuff is like magic and you might not even know how it happened! We see this all the time in red carpet dresses… the breasts are just there. Perfectly centered, separated, and standing at attention in a way that defies the laws of science. I mean, how do they not jiggle at all?

Underboob

Instead of the usual top-view cleavage, you’ve got a little that slips out the bottom. Usually achieved by going braless, wearing a bikini, or rocking a crop top, this opposite cleavage can still make you feel sexy.

Sideboob

Side glance of the breast with a side of attitude is what this cleavage is serving up. You usually rock this when wearing your guy’s tees with large armholes or oversized tanks with or without a bra.

If you think all of those hours in the gym or miles pounded on the pavement are really good for you… imagine how great they are for your relationship! Couples who sweat together are better together, says a review of research at Psychology Today.

“Nonverbal mimicry helps people feel emotionally attuned with one another,” says one of the studies. People who engage in this feel more emotionally bonded, something you can put to the test when you match a running or walking cadence, align rhythm while lifting weights, or coordinate breath during yoga. And then, who knows what other rhythms you may find yourselves coordinating!

So much of our romantic relationships rely on this shared pace in life. A constant relationship complaint can be that you aren’t on the same wavelength or don’t seem to live in parallel. If you feel like you’ve tried everything else, scheduling workouts together could improve your fitness as a couple. When talking about it, reading about it, or even counseling over it may not have worked, take it to the gym. 

Just think about the end of a workout — heart is racing, body is sweaty, breath is short, and all of your endorphins are elevated. It doesn’t look that dissimilar from a good romp in the sheets!

“People can easily mistake the two and misattribute physical arousal for romantic attraction,” which could work to the advantage of your sex life. And when that’s hitting on all cylinders and you find yourselves in sync, what else can’t you do together?

As a couple you’re constantly working toward common goals in your life, be it with finances, career, or family. If you can achieve all of that together, consider what you can achieve when you’re striving toward shared or similar fitness goals? For some couples that may be losing weight, for others it may be training for and completing a race together. Maybe it’s a particular hike, or simply meeting a number of days or miles per week. It could also just be a shared, overall sense of wellbeing.

This year, as you shop for the Valentine in your life, consider a gift that keeps on giving! The jewelry will stick around, the chocolates will certainly taste great, but a gift of each other’s time and the reaped benefits, well, that’s pretty priceless!

Anyone else ready to roll their eyes and point down their throat if they see one more new year, new you reference? Your body has no idea that the calendar turned, it’s just another day doing what it does best -- keeping you upright!

Your heart and your mind know that the last digit in the year has changed and you may be hung up on making some larger than life commitments to yourself and the corresponding body. Messages to try this new diet or these new exercises or to join a new gym can be overwhelming. But what if we told you that the moves your body really needs have been right in front of you all along?

It’s nothing you haven’t tried before… it’s just probably been awhile since you let yourself.

STRETCH the boundaries of your comfort zone. That could actually be trying one of those new workouts you saw on a magazine cover. Maybe it’s tasting new foods or testing out a new recipe. Perhaps you’re stretching your mind into a new way of thinking or a new approach to loving yourself.

SQUAT down at your kids’ level and play. Have a conversation. Meet them eye-to-eye in their world and see how easy it is to melt out of the chaos of yours.

SIT and breathe. Reflect. Think. Soak in the tub. Lay under the stars. Read a book. Rest by the fire. Snuggle five minutes longer. Stay in shavasana until they make you get up. Just sit and be for a few extra minutes or even hours. Sometimes we do need the stillness. Sometimes fighting ourselves to reach some thousand-step goal isn’t actually necessary.

JUMP for joy! Actually do it. The next time you get great news, succeed at something, reach a new goal, or want to celebrate an A+ on a spelling test, actually thrust your body into the air and jump! Why not? Put your entire self into living the smaller moments, and you’ll feel a rush to live more fully in every moment.

PULL yourself in for a hug. We mean it -- take your right arm and wrap it around your left shoulder. Take your left arm and wrap it around your right shoulder. Squeeze. While you’re there, rub your neck and shoulders. Release the pressure. Love yourself harder. Give back to the body that gives you so much.

PRESS the off button on your phone. Do it for five minutes, do it for an entire weekend -- you decide! There are a lot of pros to our always-on world, but there are a lot of downsides, too. See what it feels like to just step away from the push notifications, bells, and reminders for a block of time now and then.

RUN head first into this new year. There’s no map, there’s no forecast, there’s just this moment and this day, and with any luck we’ll get another one tomorrow. Live hard, loud, big, fully in each day this year. When you do, flipping that calendar this time next year will be welcomed with energy and enthusiasm.