She had the perfect response. Photo / Instagram
Fitness blogger Kayla Itsines has dished out a brilliant response to trolls who slammed her for working out while pregnant.
The Adelaide-based entrepreneur, who is 24 weeks pregnant, posted a leg workout to her 10.9 million Instagram followers yesterday with the hashtag #pregnancysafe.
While most of the comments were positive, with fans and fellow pregnant women commending her on how great she looked and thanking her for sharing pregnancy workouts, others were quick to slam the 27-year-old, claiming it was reckless to lift weights while pregnant.
"You are not allowed to lift weights while pregnant?!" one person commented while another said, "I feel the baby crying."
"Isn't lifting heavy weights risky when pregnant?" someone said, according to news.com.au.
"Wouldn't you be at risk of developing diastasis recti — ie separation of your ab muscles? I've read that you shouldn't work out your core or do excessive lifting after first trimester," another added.
After admitting she had seen multiple negative comments and concerns, Itsines, who
has continued to post regular workout videos since announcing her pregnancy in December, decided to clear things up with an epic response.
"For the ladies who are writing things like 'you are not allowed to lift weights while pregnant?!', 'is that safe??'. I want to put this into perspective for you. The weights I'm lifting are rarely over 5kg per hand. I want to you keep that in mind as you read this story."
She went on to use her friend, who is heavily pregnant, as an example, saying how she watched her pick up her two-year-old off the ground, playfully lift her above her head multiple times and put her in the car, as well as unfold her pram.
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"She then drove to a cafe, took the pram OUT of the car, assembled it, took the two heavy bags out of the car AND her child and went to breakfast," Itsines continued.
"No one batted an eyelid, no one said anything, no one helped. I asked her SO MANY times, 'Can I help you, let me help you, I want to help!' She said, 'Babe, I do this EVERY DAY, I don't need your help haha.'
"Ladies, my point is, working out safely while pregnant is a wonderful thing. I have been active my whole life. As long as you have clearance from your doctor, you CAN work out and you can use weights. Just because I'm standing in a gym with a crop top and shorts, doesn't make it any less safe to lift something," she wrote.
Itsines told news.com.au that she has continued to be active during her pregnancy however there are some things that she has had to change.
"Essentially I have increased the amount of low-intensity cardio I've been doing, like walking, and reduced the amount of high-intensity exercise."
The Bikini Body Guide founder, who with fiance Tobi Pearce has a combined wealth of $486 million, said she is still doing her workout program #bbgstronger, but has stopped doing any jumping and excessive ab exercises (apart from side planks).
"When using the machines, I go a weight down from what I usually would do," she said.
"I'm doing my best to maintain a healthy level of fitness and walking everyday, while also listening to my body and doing what feels comfortable and right. There is no point in creating unnecessary pressure physically and/or mentally during this time."
Itsines emphasised that her goal while being pregnant is to maintain a healthy lifestyle and be safe for her baby.
"That means listening to my body and adjusting my workouts accordingly."
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In her Instagram post she went on to clarify to her followers that she has cut back to lifting only half the weight she would usually lift and related back to her story by saying in reality mums often have to lift plenty of things just around the home, including their children, that will be heavier than 5kg.
"So in answer to your questions on my videos … no, the weight is not too heavy, it actually feels too light for me. No, I am not hurting the baby. No, my heart rate is not over 150 (for the ladies asking) and YES, you can use weights while pregnant," she wrote.
"Ladies, you just need to follow pregnancy safe exercises (which I am posting on my page) AND you must first have clearance from your doctor."
For those curious about her diet, Itsines told news.com.au that it varies form week to week.
"In the beginning of my pregnancy I went off certain foods, like curry, some pasta dishes and Thai food," she said.
"But at the moment I am loving cucumbers, tomatoes and lots of stone fruits like peaches."
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Itsines and her fiance Tobi Pearce found out they were having a baby girl in December and are expecting her arrival in May this year.
"Tobi and I couldn't be more excited," she said. "We do have a couple of names in mind but for now we call her baby muffin. We are so in love with her already and cannot wait to meet her."
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