When Mahealani Richardson, 36, KITV morning news anchor, learned she was pregnant, one of the first things she asked her doctor was: Can I keep working out?

The answer, from Dr. Reni Soon: Sure, whatever you've been doing, you can keep on doing as long as you feel good. Just don't over-exert.

So, at more than seven months pregnant, she's still taking dance classes at Diamond Head Theatre, hiking Koko Crater, lifting weights and meeting her wellness coach at Kapi'olani Park for all-around workouts. In fact, she has upped the ante, adding rehearsals for "Gridiron 2009: Doing Less with Less" to her fitness regimen. The show runs Oct. 23-24, wrapping just one month before Richardson's Thanksgiving Day due date — and she plans to dance all the way through it.

"Staying fit through pregnancy starts before pregnancy," Richardson said. She is a dedicated fitness buff who tries to balance cardio and strength, upper- and lower-body exercises.

During her first month of pregnancy, she went snowboarding in Oregon.

"That's when I realized I was pregnant. I was getting winded and I didn't want to push myself, so I took the green slopes," she said with a laugh.

Fitness has helped her bypass many of the potential ailments pregnant women face.

She only gained 20 pounds in the first seven months, and she has no back pain.

"Working out has really kept me sane and helped prevent some of those typical aches and pains," she said.

As far as nutrition goes: "During the first three months, I was the most ravenous and all I wanted was red meat and white carbs — white bread, white rice — and hearty meals. But that's tapered off now, and my diet is more regular. I eat a diversity of foods and try to bring my meals from home to work because they tend to be more healthy. But I still have weaknesses for chocolate ice cream and red meat, whereas I didn't touch red meat before I was pregnant," Richardson said.

Sleep has been Richardson's only real problem during her pregnancy. Her work schedule requires waking up at 1:45 a.m. to get to work at 3 a.m. That means she has to get to bed at 7:30 p.m., but she finds it difficult to sleep at that hour. On the weekends she sleeps eight or nine hours a night to try to catch up. "That's the most frustrating thing," she said.