Mom shares why it’s important to workout during pregnancy

By Emma Dunn via SWNS

A superfit mom kept training during pregnancy so she could lose her baby weight in two months and says you shouldn't "neglect your body for nine months".

Izabela Simonsson, 31, has always been active and knew she wanted to keep up with her workout routine when she found out she was pregnant with her first baby.

She kept lifting 60kg deadlifts before dropping down to 40 kg in her third trimester.

Izabela was still training three days before she gave birth - at 40 weeks pregnant - to little Gabriela on June 5, 2023.

She lost the baby weight in two months and "snapped back" to her pre-baby body within four months.

Izabela, a marketing manager, from Copenhagen, Denmark, said: "I was still training three days before I gave birth.

"It's about not neglecting your body for nine months.

"There are so many benefits.

"I'm happier when I work out."

Izabela has always loved training and does a mix of weights and hit workouts.

When she and her husband, Tomas Simonsson, 38, a company owner, found out they were expecting in September 2022 she decided to stick to her routine.

She said: "I tried to read a lot of books.

"It stated it's beneficial for baby if mom if healthy."

Izabela kept safe by sticking to her same workout routine and didn't try anything new while pregnant.

She said: "I had a really good and uncomplicated pregnancy.

"In my first trimester I was laying in bed most of the time.

"It's 45 minutes once or twice a week - it doesn't require much time.

"I maintained the weight throughout the pregnancy.

"I just modified it in terms of weight after the first trimester.

"It was more mobility at the end.

"I was doing more cardio and weights."

Izabela gave birth to Gabriela on June 5, 2023, weighing 8lbs 3oz, and stuck to the eight week guideline before going back to the gym.

She said: "I did some good walks."

She gained around two stone during her pregnancy but managed to shed the weight by three weeks postpartum.

Izabela said: "Within three weeks everything was gone.

"I felt pretty comfortable after two months.

"At four months I felt more lean."

Izabela also believes breastfeeding helped her lose weight but believes there are so many benefits to training while pregnant.

She said: "It's being the best version for yourself and your baby.

"Do what you have to do to feel the best."

Izabela said strangers online were in "awe" of her "snapback."

She said: "There is a misunderstanding from doctors saying you should just lie in bed.

"I approached the pregnancy with fitness.

"Mentally I thought 'oh no, I'll gain 30 kilos and it will take a year to get back into shape'.

"It felt it was impossible to do.

"It was a little bit of proving doctors wrong.

"There were comments about why I'm obsessed with how I look.

"People think it's not normal to snapback quickly - people think it's a bad thing.

"I stay healthy for the baby's sake.

"It's a different motivation when you become a mom."

Izabela found out she was pregnant with her second child in July 2024 and is now 18 weeks along and plans to stick to training again.

She said: "It's healthy for baby and mom."