Pregnancy fitness in the Middle East continues to be a very new subject. Women are somewhat misinformed about the health benefits of exercising during pregnancy and at times may be advised against it altogether, believing that it may harm them or their unborn baby.

Lebanese and Dutch entrepreneur and international fitness model champion Maya Nassar Maalouf is changing the mindset and habits of Middle Eastern pregnant women with a new online website called XY Pregnancy. Launched only two months ago, Maalouf has been working tirelessly for the last two years to create the first holistic program in the Middle East for pregnant women.

Maalouf is already an accomplished entrepreneur, mother and fitness sensation in the Middle East. She is the owner of her own gym with 600 active members and an online e-shop where she sells online coaching to clients around the world. She represented Lebanon internationally in fitness modeling competitions in the United Kingdom and won trophies and awards for her physique. Maalouf is also a published author and recently released her first book for children.

Maalouf collaborated together with a gynecologist and other health professionals to put together a comprehensive lifestyle program for any healthy pregnant woman to feel strong and empowered. XY Pregnancy contains diet plans for each trimester, an exercise guide for every month of pregnancy, general information and advice, as well as a medical skincare guide.

Maalouf proudly admits that XY Pregnancy is the first and only lifestyle program for pregnant women in the Middle East to date. Her new website is a virtual hub where pregnant women can sign up and have access to everything at their fingertips. Maalouf explains that pregnant women usually need to consult with different health professionals and visit several websites to have access to everything available on her website. Maalouf believes that her website will help any pregnant woman have a better and easier pregnancy.

XY Pregnancy is available to any pregnant woman who wants to gain a healthy amount of weight during her pregnancy and does not have any medical complications. Maalouf highlighted that her program is not suitable for pregnant women with health problems. The same goes for women who are overweight or underweight. Women need to consult with their health providers before starting the program.

Maalouf leads by example and is considered a role model for pregnant women. She is a mother of three and exercised until the day before giving birth with each of her pregnancies. During her first pregnancy, she hosted live pregnancy workouts on her own TV show which aired on MTV Lebanon. She had enormous feedback from other pregnant women which is what inspired her to create her program. Maalouf also interacts daily with other pregnant women as a fitness influencer with more than 200 thousand Instagram followers.