Please allow me to disclose that I am writing this post while eating a bar of dark chocolate, so #hypocrite? Or #moderation? You decide.

Anywho.

Despite being a runner and basically active person for all of my life, I did not work out through my first two pregnancies. For the first one, it was because I was scared to hurt the baby. Medical guidelines at that point suggested you not get your heart rate above a certain point, and I didn’t feel like monitoring it too closely while working out, so I did what any normal person would do at that point. I quit.

With the second pregnancy, I was in such a zonked-out state chasing around a 1-year-old and working full-time at night, that it was all I could manage to stay vertical during daylight hours. So again, no dice on the fitness thing.

This time around, though, I am trying to maintain some sort of level of Care about the whole fitness thing, so I am staying active. And how I’m choosing to do that? Barre classes. Specifically, Barre3.

I actually started classes before I got pregnant, and decided to keep at it even after I found out our third little treat was on her way. I struggled violently against a bout of delicious laziness that took over during the holidays, but realized shortly after I had consumed my own body weight in cookie dough that it’s probably time to get my ass back into gear, ASAP.

The completely inelegant and non-expert way of me describing barre class is that it’s a combination of pilates and yoga and—despite the association with the name “barre” and ballet—requires absolutely no grace or dance experience to execute.

It’s low impact and engages the core consistently throughout the entire hour-long class. The instructors are incredibly supportive and guide you through the workout, and not in that scream-in-your-face kinda way. They’re—how do I say—gently encouraging while they kick your butt. And the instructors guide me through modifications to work out around my belly. It’s awesome.

This month they are also running their “All In” initiative, which is a 4-week wellness program that provides you a comprehensive meal plan, encourages you to work out 5 times a week (I don’t, but you know, baby steps), and gives you access to an online community of support and workout videos.

I’m now a week in, during which I’ve worked out three times, so I consider that a victory. Let’s see what the next three weeks bring!

How do you work out when you’re pregnant, or when you’re not? And how do you stay motivated? Let me know below!