Influencer Emily Breeze Calls Out Critics Attacking Her for Working Out at 9 Months Pregnant
Emily Breeze/Instagram Emily Breeze Watson
Emily Breeze Watson is a two-time CrossFit Games athlete, a fitness trainer and the mom to three kids with another on the way — so she knows better than anyone what's best for her body. But that hasn't stopped people from sending cruel messages criticizing her for working out at 38 weeks pregnant, and Watson is done with letting it slide.
On Thursday, soon-to-be mom of four posted a video of her weightlifting workout that day, and called out the body shamers who attack her for exercising at 9 months pregnant.
"People still sending hate messages on my fourth pregnancy 🤷🏻 🙄 🤯," Watson captioned the video, which included screenshots of the comments she's received, from one person calling her "disgusting," to others saying that her workout is "so dangerous" and claiming that she's "gonna kill it" or that "people have miscarriages from this kind of strain."
Watson said that she's "still holding it down for every single woman who knows the power of MOVEMENT during PREGNANCY ✌🏼."
"NORMALIZE FIT PREGNANCIES!!!" she added.
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In another video, Watson emphasized that she knows what she's doing.
"I personally know the benefits of a FIT PREGNANCY. This is my fourth. So to all my mamas feeling up to walking, running, lifting or whatever the hell you want to do for exercise…GO FOR IT!" she said. "Stay active mama!!"
Watson also, unfortunately, is used to the criticism, which she's endured through every one of her healthy pregnancies. When she was 6 months pregnant with her second child, daughter Merci, now 2½, Watson told PEOPLE that she "was surprised about the lack of support so many women receive" and the misinformation about working out while pregnant.
"I think it's very outdated information," she said. "We do have doctors and grandparents and friends who think that exercising while pregnant is taboo."
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"I've gotten comments like, your heart rate shouldn't be above this number, or you shouldn't lift above this number. I just find these statistics or these numbers that they're throwing out there to be very arbitrary," she added. "Why that much weight? Why that heart rate? My doctor has never told me any of those numbers because we as women are so different. We all just operate and work at such different levels. So I think it's difficult to have one number that works for all of us."
Watson said that she's lucky to have a doctor who understands her body and is happy to see her exercise through her pregnancies. The key, she said, is "to listen to your body."
"You're going to have some great days and some low-key days," Watson said. "Some days you're doing to be doing high-intensity exercise and other days it'll be a walk in your neighborhood. You have to listen to your body and stay true to whatever movement your body can handle."
