Getting pregnant is not an excuse to sit on the couch for nine months and stuff your face with nachos and pickles.

You should be exercising regularly regardless of pregnancy, but women who are pregnant have even more incentive to work out.

Exercise makes your body function more efficiently, and I can’t think of a time when that should be a higher priority for a woman than while she is pregnant.

Having a baby is the hardest, most painful thing a woman will ever do in her life (so I’ve been told.)

I don’t know about you, but it sounds like something that I’d want to be in shape for.

Pregnant women really don’t have as many restrictions as you might think regarding exercise. Paula Radcliffe was reported to have run daily up until the day she gave birth to her first child–and she won the NYC marathon that same year!

I recently got to train my friend Shir Konas, who is four months pregnant with her first child. While the workout we did included components that would be advanced for most pregnant women (or anyone for that matter!), we also did a lot of core work, which is especially important for all pregnant women.

Watch the video below for more: