About Healthy Moms®

SHEILA WATKINS, MLSci. RYT (Founder and National Program Director) is a is a perinatal fitness specialist with over 20 years of experience training 1800+ pregnant and new moms, and educating hundreds of fitness instructors, health professionals, and childbirth educators on the rapidly changing field of perinatal fitness. In 1987, she started Healthy Moms® fitness programs to provide safe and effective group exercise classes and personal training for new and expectant moms as well as education and training in the field of perinatal exercise for fitness professionals, childbirth educators and other health professionals.

Sheila holds a Master of Life Sciences degree in Human Physiology and Nutrition and is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200) with Yoga Alliance. She has been certified as a perinatal fitness instructor by Moms on the Move®, Positive Pregnancy and Parenting Fitness®, Dancing Thru Pregnancy® (Basic), Maternity Fitness, Inc®. and Moms in Motion®. She holds prenatal and postpartum yoga certifications through Baby Om®, Yoga for Two®, Janice Clarfield’s Prenatal Yoga and YogaFit®. Sheila is also a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200) with Yoga Alliance. She is a former instructor in the Division of Nursing at Winston-Salem State University (University of North Carolina System) and the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Sheila holds “Gold” Group Fitness Instructor and “Gold” Personal Trainer certifications from the American Council on Exercise (ACE), and a Personal Trainer / Fitness Counselor certification from the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA). She is also certified by the Aquatic Exercise Association (AEA) as an aquatic fitness instructor and is a Resist-A-Ball CORE “Circle of Excellence” Master Trainer. Additionally, Sheila holds a Certificate in Exercise and Pregnancy from The Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research and is an “ASPO-Lamaze Breastfeeding Support Specialist.

Her Healthy Moms® perinatal fitness instructor training courses have trained hundreds of instructors throughout the United States and abroad. Sheila's articles on prenatal fitness have been published in “The International Journal of Childbirth Education,” “Running and FitNews,” AEA’s “AKWA Matters,” Melpomene Institute's “Pregnancy and Exercise” educational materials and “ePregnancy Magazine. She is also a frequent speaker at various national fitness conventions (ICEA, DCAC Virginia and Houston, AEA, IHRSA, MFA, etc.) and is a member of the International Childbirth Educator's Association (ICEA). In 2000, Sheila joined forces with Resistaball, the industry leader in stability ball education, to develop the first formal training program for pregnant women and new moms utilizing the Resistaballl. “Prenatal Training with Resistaball” launched in 2002. Her biggest accomplishments are her two children, Rebecca Danielle (“Dani”) and Austin.

MARYBETH WINSTEAD (Licensee & Partner, North Carolina Division) Having a long-standing relationship with Sheila Watkins, Marybeth became a Healthy Moms® fan with the birth of her first child, Morgan, in 1998. She currently holds ACE and AFAA group fitness and personal training certification, The Pilates Certification Center (PCC) Certification, Stott Pilates training, Reebok Core Trainer, and the Aquatic Exercise Association Certification (AEA). She also has a Healthy Moms® Perinatal Exercise Instructor Certification, and is a member of the International Childbirth Educators Association (ICEA).

In 2001, she gave birth to her son, Chase, and earned her Personal Training and Pilates certifications. She primarily works with pre and postnatal clients to design safe and effective exercise programs. She is excited about the new opportunities offered as a partner with Healthy Moms®!