As the third trimester stage of pregnancy is crucial, you must understand that not all exercises can be helpful. So, you should choose your exercise wisely depending on your comfort. However, a few of the exercises that you must avoid are –
1. Lifting Heavy Weights
Although weightlifting is beneficial for women's health, starting in the second trimester, it is better to avoid lifting anything more than 10 to 15 pounds, including toddlers and older kids, as well as barbells. This is mostly because stability will vary as a baby bump grows, increasing your chance of falling and abdominal injuries or suffering head.
2. Holding Breath
Make sure to exhale while exerting yourself to prevent intra-abdominal pressure, which can lead to diastasis recti (DR) and pelvic floor dysfunction.
3. "Abs" Workout
Traditional "abdominal" workouts like sit-ups, crunches and leg lifts are a few examples that you should stay away from throughout your third trimester. This is due to the fact that these flexion-based exercises raise intra-abdominal pressure, which might not be beneficial for you.
4. Scuba Diving
Pressure rises as you descend into deep water. So, you might feel the need for special diving gear and suits. Additionally, even counterbalanced pressure can be harmful to a pregnant woman. Hence, it is better to avoid scuba diving.
5. Downward Facing Moves
The front of the abdominal wall is under a lot of strain when the belly grows big. Therefore, it is advised against spending time in downward-facing positions like push-ups and planks.
Exercising during the third trimester of pregnancy isn't always easy and can be difficult to execute. However, the best part is that there are several safe exercise recommendations you may use to keep up your programme and maintain your fitness.
So, whether you are in your third trimester or not, make sure to stay hydrated when working out. Also, to lessen your workload concerning exercises in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, you should take a few pauses, but try to avoid remaining stationary for an extended period of time.