How Over Exercising is Over Working Your Body with Annie Tinker

I am excited to have Annie Tinker on the podcast as we work together as coaches in our Prenatal + Core Rehab Membership. In this episode, we share our experiences with over exercising and how that affected our bodies. We also dive into how nutrition can change the way you feel as she lets us in on a few of her health hacks.

Annie Tinker

Annie Tinker is a certified Knocked-Up Fitness and Wellness Prenatal and Postnatal Exercise Specialist, Core Exercise Specialist and a birth doula. Annie was a personal trainer before she got into prenatal training. She had noticed a lack of options when both of her sisters became pregnant, so that is what spurred her initial interest in becoming a prenatal exercise specialist. Since then, Annie has joined us on our Knocked-Up Fitness and Wellness team as a prenatal coach for our membership as she had her first baby this past November.

Annie’s Healthy Hacks

1. Turmeric

Annie likes to add a ¼ tablespoon in her coffee. Turmeric works as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, it boosts brain function and improves circulation.

2. Oil Roller Scents

Adding these into your mid-day routine will help you step away from the coffee pot! Also, take before you go to bed to help you sleep better throughout the night.

3. Outdoor Walks

Annie and I both love being outdoors as it helps us decompress while getting a breath of fresh air! Try taking a walk outside and be OFF your phone; it gives your mind a break and helps you live in the moment.

Episode Quotes

Important Pieces From Today’s Episode

Erica: I’m excited that we are going to be opening some conversation today about over exercising. Annie, why don’t you go ahead and share with everybody your experience with over exercising.

Annie: I came from an athletic background as I was involved in cheerleading and track. When you are in a position like that, where you are uneducated about the body, anatomy, fitness and nutrition, you are just trying to achieve goals. You fall into this routine where you push and push and push and never replenish. So, in high school, I fell into a routine where I would work out all the time, eat terribly and stay up late. It felt fine at 17 years old, but then as I went into college it became a bigger issue because I was making sure that I was burning the same number of calories that I was consuming. My mom was the one that noticed something was wrong, so I talked to my counselor about it and that is where my interest in why the body does what it does comes from.

After college, I started doing bikini competitions which were great for me because I thrive in goal-oriented activities; however, it was another trigger for me because as I was consuming these great calories, I also did a lot of fasted cardio as I was still naïve in the knowledge of my body and how it works. But, at the time, it was working for me, so I went for it.

Erica: Can you take us through what a day looked like for you with nutrition and exercise while you were preparing for competition?

Annie: My day was extremely regimented. I would wake up at 4 a.m. and have a couple of clients and then drink my morning coffee. After that, I would do fasted cardio for 30 minutes. Right off the bat, I started my day off dehydrated. For lunch, I would scale out broccoli, grilled chicken and rice. That was all I ate, minimal fats. The only other fats I would get in is from the peanut butter that was in my protein shake after workouts and some before bed to help with muscle regeneration. At the end of the day, I would work out for about two hours which was broken down into arms, core, back, legs, glutes.

I did this for months, and I was trying to get as lean as possible so the last two days I would have no water. After the competition, I was run down to nothing to a point where I didn’t have a period for 2 whole years. I finally went to an OB practice and she told me to start using my common sense, so that is when I started practicing what I preached with my nutrition. Within a month my period was back.

When I moved on from competitions, I started incorporating wellness into my routine. I would ask myself, “are you treating your body properly for the long run,” and I realized that I wasn’t.

Erica: I think that is something that everyone needs to stop and think about. We need to be aware of what we are doing to our body today, that is going to impact us tomorrow. There are a lot of signs that your body will give you to let you know that you need to back off on your exercise. Calories in, calories out doesn’t work anymore. If you go have a piece of cake with sugar and gluten, spending an hour at the gym doing cardio isn’t going to get those toxins out of your body; it is going to add more stress to the body. If we look at the quality of food we are eating and decrease our exercise, then you will see the weight drop off.

And I have nothing against competitions if that is something that works for you. There are amazing people out there who can help you do it successfully without running your body down. When I was competing, I didn’t ask enough questions and it affected how my body felt. This is where I start to see this cycle come into play. If we are always in the fight or flight state, your body is hanging on for dear life. The calories don’t matter if we listen to our bodies.

Within our busy lives, you get this mid-day crash and it is easy to go and grab some coffee to get you through the rest of your day. But coffee can suppress our adrenals, so consider adding an adrenal supplement to help boost you up mid-day. Annie, I want you to share three healthy hacks that come to mind.

Annie: My favorite hack is turmeric spice in whatever you are drinking; I typically add a ¼ tablespoon. It helps to make your joints feel better, lets your circulation improve, all that good stuff. My second one is more of wellness on and that is using essential oils. I love adding them to my bath or diffusing them. And my third one lately has been going on walks outside to decompress. Just getting off your phone and getting some fresh air has been my saving grace.

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