Pregnancy used to be a great excuse to put your feet up and relax, but no more. New guidelines released by the Department of Health and Human services say that pregnant women should get 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week.

Not only can exercise improve a pregnant woman's health and prepare her for the work of childbirth, it may also provide long-term health benefits for the baby. Experts do put a few conditions on exercise: No lying flat on the back after the first trimester, and women should avoid activities that put them at risk of falling or that might cause any other kind of trauma to the abdomen.

Researchers stress that it's the overall minutes per week that are important, so any place that you can squeeze in physical activity will do. As always, talk to your doctor first, especially if you weren't exercising before you got pregnant. But these new guidelines make it clear that, though rest is important during pregnancy, having a bun in the oven doesn't mean you have to be a couch potato. Here, Maggie offers some great tips for overcoming pregnancy-related exercise obstacles.