"Regular exercise helps reduce stress and increase energy, helps ensure you gain the right amount of weight in pregnancy, improves common discomforts in pregnancy such as constipation and insomnia, as well as helps prevent pregnancy-related diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes," she says. "Research even shows that labor itself is easier and shorter in women who engaged in regular exercise throughout their pregnancy."So how much exercise should you (and baby) get? Just because your Instagram and Facebook timeline is full of pregnant oyinbo women running marathons doesn't mean that's a good idea for you. The key is to maintain your current level of activity, not to increase it if your body cant handle it.