The girls of the Teen Mom reality franchise always seem to have a tough time catching a break, and the latest lady to get the kind of dressing down only the internet can provide is Chelsea Houska, who is getting criticism right on the heels of her supersweet pregnancy announcement. And while some of these women probably couldn't make themselves a peanut butter sandwich without someone calling them out, the topic of the day for Houska is one that many of us will find just as ridiculous: whether or not it's OK to exercise while pregnant.
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The Teen Mom 2 alum took to Twitter yesterday to express her excitement at getting back to the gym, and it didn't take long for the trolls to come out en force and criticize that decision.
Chelsea Houska workout tweet
People often hear the word "pregnant" and then have a knee-jerk reaction to any activity that follows it, unless that activity is "quietly existing in private until the baby comes."
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In a way, we can understand that. It seems like just yesterday, "being in the family way" was synonymous with "transforming into a delicate glass flower," with women being warned against everything from lifting heavy things to avoiding situps at all costs.
The thing is, as we understand more about pregnant bodies, we know that those little tidbits of common knowledge are largely hooey. It'll be a long time until your abdominal muscles factor into your pregnancy in any way, and when they do, it will behoove you to have strengthened them. Nowadays, doctors don't just sign off on pregnant exercise in all trimesters; they actively encourage it.
In fact, during a time when it's hard to get permission to take anything but ginger-infused water and half a Tylenol to ward off some of the nastier side effects of nature's biggest miracle, exercise can be a real boon. So long as you aren't deciding to train for a marathon after a decade of power walking or signing up for your community mixed martial arts league, getting off the couch can be one way to battle fatigue and aches.
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The thing is, when people lunge at the throats of pregnant people whenever they update a social media status to reflect a day of light cardio or an afternoon ice cream treat, they assume above all that these women are either very stupid or attempting a DIY pregnancy and birth.
Instead, the more likely reality is that pregnant women — even pregnant reality stars — have already been to their doctors and gotten the information they need about their diet and exercise choices from them. It's extremely unlikely that Houska is going to suddenly discover tackle football or high-altitude hiking or that if she did, she would blatantly ignore the advice of her doctor.
That leaves her free to ignore the advice of every self-styled internet doctor who comes her way, which is exactly what she should do.
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