Do the terms pregnancy and exercise go hand in hand? The safety of intense exercise during pregnancy has been a controversial debate for a long time, and will continue to be researched and argued by researchers, personal trainers, and doctors for years to come.

As a personal trainer, I say, YES; pregnancy and exercise can and should go hand in hand. When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I committed to being fit and healthy. I wanted to give my daughter the best start possible, and I believe I did by remaining fit and eating healthy throughout my pregnancy. In the first trimester, I did a lot of research about pregnancy and exercise. Unfortunately, I did not find a lot of useful information. Most of the articles I found suggested low impact cardio (walking, swimming) and keeping my HR below 140. As a personal trainer and athlete who maintained and intense workout regime prior to pregnancy, I was not satisfied with the information I found. I was determined to maintain a fit pregnancy and find out more about how pregnancy and exercise can go hand in hand.

I have been a personal trainer for 8 years, and my clients have enjoyed a lot of success in the gym. This past year, I started an online personal training business. This allows me to train people from all over the world via Skype. I have my clients use my exercise videos for “at-home” workouts. I have been extremely impressed with the success of my online clients.

Seeing the success of my online clients who are both pregnant and/or moms, has prompted me to take my online personal training business to the next level. I want to specifically target “mommies to be” and show them that pregnancy and exercise is both safe and essential.

So, last night I ordered a ton of professional video equipment (camera, lights, microphones, etc), and I am going to start working on a pregnancy and exercise video series! It will be a 9 month series for pregnant women, and will include pre-pregnancy workouts, and postpartum recovery workouts.

What do you think?!? I am very excited about this new venture. Please vote in the poll below and share your opinion!