Fitness instructor receives criticism for working out when pregnant

Sophie Guidolin received a lot of criticism for posting a picture of her lifting weights, being 6 months pregnant.

Sophie, a 26-year-old fitness instructor is expecting twin girls in August, but that hasn’t stopped her from her rigorous workout.

Despite being cleared by her obstetrician and performed under the watchful eye of her husband Nathan, a strength and conditioning coach, the mother-of-two came under fire on Monday night from critics attacking her choice to lift a 30 kilogram weight.

She responded to the critisism by saying, "A lot of people express concern over women exercising in pregnancy and I 110% understand why. There are so many myths, old wives tales & opinions out there it is hard to understand what is the truth and what is made up. In my opinion, listen to no one except your qualified & trusted medical staff."

Sophie, from the Gold Coast, told Daily Mail Australia that, to her surprise, it was primarily men making scathing comments in response to the picture.

“I had a man comment on my Facebook page saying that what I was lifting was considerably heavy - but considerably heavy to who? Him? My son is 29 kilos - if he falls asleep somewhere, I have to carry him,” she said.

“To me, that's not a heavy weight. It all comes down to what's heavy for the individual and what they could lift prior to pregnancy.” In an interview with Australian TV show The Project on Tuesday, Sophie said she never expected such a cruel reaction to her photos, "Especially considering that most health professionals would recommend what whilst pregnant you do try to stay as fit and healthy and active as you can."

Contrary to the belief of some, exercising while pregnant actually has major health benefits. Sophie says she was really unhealthy during previous pregnancies with her two sons which made the births “horrendous” and she hopes more pregnant women embrace a healthy lifestyle as they’ll see a big difference.