In case you missed the first few posts in my weekly perinatal fitness series, here they are!

• Pre-pregnancy fitness and video
• First trimester fitness and video
• Second trimester fitness and video

Now for the THIRD TRIMESTER! I am thrilled to introduce my guest blogger, Angela, a Doctor of Physical Therapy and the founder of Restore Wellness Physical Therapy. I “met” Angela online a few years ago when she stopped by my blog and left a couple of comments. I stopped by HER blog, and found her writing to be engaging, well-researched, and incredibly helpful! She knows her stuff, and I always learn something from her. Read on for Angela’s “must-do” exercises for the third trimester. It’s all Angela from here on out…

Quick List of MUST-DO Third Trimester Exercises

#1. Align your feet!

I know, you’re wondering what your feet have to do with birthing a baby. In a word, EVERYTHING. Would you drive a car that had its tires pointing every which-way? Nope. So why walk on feet that aren’t straight? It affects the entire body’s alignment including the pelvis, which needs to be in optimal position for birth.

So line ‘em up. Grab a straight edge – a textbook, a ruler, a line in the tile or wood floor. Place the OUTER edge of each foot against the straight edge. This is where your feet should be when standing and walking.

Fun fact: Did you know that 25% of your body’s muscles, bones, and motor nerves are from the ankle down?!

#2. Stretch your calves and toes

If the lower legs and feet are tight, the feet, and by default the rest of the body, can’t be properly aligned, especially when in a birthing position such as a squat. Also, tight calves often = tight pelvic floor. Not something you want tight while giving birth, believe me.

-Calf Stretch: Grab a thick rolled towel or a ½ foam roller if you have one. While standing (with feet straight of course) place one foot on the top of the towel/roller with the other foot stepping forward, if possible. If you can’t keep your balance or stand up straight, bring the non-stretching foot back a little until you can stand completely upright. Again, keep the outer edges of the feet straight. Hold 1 minute. Repeat on other side. Do 3 times on each leg throughout the day.

-Top of Foot Stretch: Next, stand straight and extend one leg behind you, placing the top of the foot on the ground to stretch the tops of the toes. Hold onto something if needed to keep your balance. Hold 1 minute. Repeat on the other side. Do 3 times on each side per day.

#3. Open the pelvis

Two ways to help relax the hip and pelvic surrounding muscles and create space for a smooth and seamless birth are to stretch the inner thighs and to untuck the pelvis.

-Inner Thigh Stretch: Lie on your back (slightly elevate with a pillow under your upper back if needed) with the soles of your feet together. Allow knees to open and gently relax to the floor. Hold 1 minute. Repeat 3 times.

-Tailbone Lift: Stand with feet straight, hip distance apart. Have a chair in front of you (facing you) and lean forward until your hands are on the seat of the chair. Try to keep knees straight and lift the tailbone up toward the ceiling. If the tailbone is tucked (i.e. lower back is rounded), try bending your knees a little and see if that helps. If so, add a hamstring stretch (see Bri’s 1^st trimester video) to the mix and place your hands on something a little higher until you can keep the knees straight and tailbone up. Hold for 1 minute in knees straight, tailbone-lifted position. Repeat 3 times.

-Squatting: An excellent way to “practice” positioning for birthing a baby is while using the restroom. A recent find (and one I’m loving so far) is the Squatty Potty, which is a stool made specifically for squatting over the toilet while eliminating. This is a great way to practice untucking the pelvis and squatting while relaxing the pelvic floor muscles and using the abdominals (specifically the transversus abdominis) to push. Not only is a squat stool a great pre-birthing tool but is excellent for maintaining a healthy pelvic floor throughout all of life’s stages.

Above all, relax. You’re doing an excellent job preparing for your little one and your body knows what to do. By adding these simple exercises, you’ll have an even greater advantage to achieve the birth you were created to have. Congratulations Mamas-To-Be!

A note from Bri: Are you in your third trimester? How are you feeling? Have you tried any of Angela’s suggestions? Please comment below!

These are delicious… And fruit-sweetened! I was inspired by Zuzana’s chocolate brownies and Leanne’s Fudge-Tastic brownies but I wanted to create a chocolate-covered-cherry spin!

No-Bake Chocolate Cherry Brownies

• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup Sunbutter
• 1-2 Tbsp honey (if using unsweetened Sunbutter… Feel free to omit if your Sunbutter is sweetened)
• ¼ cup raisins + ¼ cup dried cherries, soaked 5-10 min in hot water. Do not drain — you will use soaking water (approx. 1/3 cup)
• Up to 1 Tbsp additional liquid to help with blending (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• Mini chocolate chips + ¼ cup chopped dried cherries for top

Begin by covering raisins and cherries with hot water. Use just enough hot water to cover the dried fruit. Let soak for 5-10 minutes and DON’T DRAIN… You’ll use the soaking water (approx. 1/3 cup) in an upcoming step!

Place coconut in food processor. Process on high until very finely ground. Add the remaining dry ingredients (cocoa, cinnamon, and salt) and process until combined.

Now add the wet ingredients: Vanilla and almond extracts, Sunbutter, honey/agave if desired, and raisins and cherries + soaking water. Process on high until a large mass is formed. If dough is crumbly, you may need to add approx 1 Tbsp additional liquid as noted above.

Turn dough into a 7 ¾ x 7 ¾ square pan or a loaf pan. Press dough evenly into pan. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips and chopped dried cherries on top and press them lightly into the dough. Chill, then cut into squares. Serve cold or at room temp (I like them cold)!

Note: This recipe is my entry for Ricki’s Wellness Weekend at dietdessertndogs.com!

Unlike some people, I adore exercise. It keeps me sane, motivates and inspires me… For me, a day without exercise is a ROUGH one.

But JUST LIKE many people, I get bored when I do the same routine over and over. I like to mix things up; however, I am not willing to give up my weight training routine, my daily walks, and (for obvious reasons) my FemFusion classes.

Recently, I’ve found myself searching for bite-sized workouts that I can ADD to my current regimen to mix things up — or to target a particular area — without scrapping the rest of my well-worn but well-loved fitness program. I have also been searching for something that’s portable… Fitness routines that don’t require a lot of equipment and that I can take with me when I am out of town. I’ve talked about Zuzana and her power-packing workouts on YouTube. I still love her stuff, and I’m committed to doing a “ZWOW” at least once/week. But my newest find that I just have to share with you all is yogaglo.com.

screen shot of www.yogaglo.com

This website is fantastic and has provided me inspiration to create a similar site devoted to women’s health and fitness. More about that in later posts… For now, I’ll try to keep on track and focus on yogaglo.

I really can’t say enough about this site. After an initial *FREE* 15 day trial period, yogaglo costs $18/month. This may seem steep for an online fitness program, but it is far less than most gyms or yoga studios charge for a month of unlimited yoga and meditation classes. Also, unlike gyms or studios, yogaglo is open 24/7. Can’t sleep? Turn on your computer (and turn DOWN the brightness of your monitor) and do a 15 minute meditation. It’s such an awesome concept.

Yogaglo boasts over 1,000 classes on their site. You choose the class you want to view, and then stream it online. Users can sort routines based on duration (options range from 5 minute to 120 minute routines), teacher, style, level, and specific use (some examples: morning yoga, stress reduction, back pain, pre/post-natal). You can narrow your search after picking your first criterion. For example, you can begin by sorting by duration (let’s just say 20 minutes), then you can click the big orange button that says “click here to refine your search” and choose a style (let’s say Ashtanga). This yields two choices, making the seemingly limitless options feel much more manageable!

I have found myself loving yogaglo’s meditation classes. I have tried to get “into” meditation for years now… But doing it on my own has been challenging. I realize that it’s okay for the mind to wander and that the practitioner should gently bring the mind back to the original place of peace and stillness… But sometimes, when sitting in silence, the mind keeps running away — over and over — and that can be discouraging. I have purchased a few guided meditation CDs over the years, but they tend to be long and drawn out and ultimately — the same. Yogaglo has a variety of guided meditations of varying duration and for different purposes. The teacher who leads most of the meditations is a joy to listen to — and has quite the biography (this links to his personal website rather than yogaglo).

Yogaglo has reminded me of the importance of the Light and Love meditation that I describe in my book… How did I get away from that daily practice? Oh, I know why… Because I’m human and I “err” regularly!

We must all remember to take a bit of time out of each and every day for a little bit of peace and quiet. With the constant din of social media and connected-ness, coupled with the never-ending demands of family, friends, and work, it is imperative that we take time for stillness of the mind and body. Whether you use a computer (as in yogaglo), or do it on your own, it doesn’t matter… But finding a way to ground yourself with a quiet, contemplative practice is of the utmost importance.

Bottom line: Yogaglo is user-friendly, easy to navigate, and (I feel) a great value. I feel very comfortable recommending the site wholeheartedly. If you’re searching for a way to incorporate more yoga and/or meditation into your life, I encourage you to check them out!

Question: What do you think of online fitness? Have you ever joined a subscription-based fitness or lifestyle website?

Our little garden is producing the most amazing, deep green, POWER-PACKED spinach I have ever seen. Just one bite makes me feel like I’ve added three years to my lifespan. I can’t get enough salad these days, and this one is delish. 

Lemony Chicken Salad (serves 2)

• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
• 1 Tbsp canola mayonnaise or homemade “Paleo” mayo 
• 1 *heaping* tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Serve over a bed of lettuce or spinach with any fixings you desire: hardboiled eggs, sliced cukes, shredded carrots, quartered tomatoes… Anything goes.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend! 

This recipe SCREAMS summer… It’s super refreshing and perfect for a light lunch. My boys loved it, although my son picked out the herbs. He didn’t really get why there was “green stuff” on his watermelon…

Refreshing Turkey and Watermelon Salad

• Half of a small seedless watermelon, cubed
• 3/4 pound smoked turkey, cubed (I got mine from the deli counter)
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs, roughly chopped (or chiffonade cut if you’re fancy)… I used half fresh basil, and half fresh mint
• 1 Tbsp olive oil for drizzling
• Sprinkle of kosher flake salt for finishing

Toss everything together. That’s it! So easy! Serve alone or on top of baby spinach.

deli cut smoked turkey cubes

ready to toss it together!