Pregnant Shawn Johnson East, 29, is now working on her fitness, as she continues to recover from COVID-19.
On Monday, the Olympian, who is expecting her second child with husband Andrew East, returned to her home gym, just a week after announcing that she had tested positive for COVID-19, according to PEOPLE.
Sharing a selfie with an “Ugh” sticker on her Instagram Stories, Johnson East said, “First workout back. Gross.”
The former artistic gymnast also posted a video of herself walking stiffly down a flight of stairs following her workout, captioning, “I decided my first day back should be leg day… this is how it went.”
In another video clip, she has been “cleared” by her OB/GYN to work out.
She said, “Thank you for your concern, but I spent 20 years of my life as a professional athlete and I know my body. I know when I’m ready to work out. I know what’s too much. I know my heart rate. I know everything.”
“I feel good lung capacity-wise and health-wise to be working out,” Johnson East added. “So for all of you who think I’m putting my baby at risk and myself: Take a deep breath. I’m okay. I feel very good today.”
She went on to explain, “I’ve also been asthmatic my whole life. Trust me, I’m so body aware.”
Talking about her COVID-19 diagnosis, the Olympic gold medalist said, “I know this is a different virus, but I’ve been fighting it for about two weeks and today is the first day that I felt like energy-wise capable of doing a workout, adding that she had a sore throat, which left her voice scratchy.
She said, “This is also not my ‘fake nice.’ This is just my voice these days.”
On January 31, Johnson East first spoke about her COVID-19 diagnosis. She said, “Not going to lie… I’m nervous knowing I’m positive.”
“It’s been a long two weeks of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) with Drew and now this… my body is exhausted,” she wrote on Instagram. “So far, I have a cough, terrible sore throat and headache. Fatigue for sure but… that’s pregnancy haha.”
On Wednesday, she said, “My headaches are gone. My sore throat is finally gone, I had a bad sore throat. My stuffiness is getting better. Just trying to get enough rest so I can heal. I miss my husband and baby girl, but again, it’s the least I can do to keep our family healthy.” Her husband, Andrew East, who is a football long snapper, previously tested positive for COVID-19.
