Why Working Out Less Might Finally Fix Your Inflammation
Have you ever felt like you are doing absolutely everything right, yet your body simply refuses to cooperate? You show up for your workouts, you pay attention to your meals, and you push yourself daily. I know exactly how that feels. As a holistic health and wellness coach, I spend my days guiding others through their wellness journeys, but sometimes even experts need a wake-up call.
Recently, I decided to have an InBody Scan done to check in on my body recomposition progress. Last summer, I successfully completed a body recomp, lost 10 pounds, and kept it off, read about it here. After that, I transitioned back to intuitive eating. Intuitive eating is a wonderful practice, but I quickly realized that when you are not fully dialed in, your physique will often show it.
The scan results completely caught me off guard. While my muscle mass was beautifully balanced all over my body, I was carrying around a surprising amount of inflammation. My visceral fat was much higher than I wanted it to be. My primary goal right now is to reduce my overall body fat by another three percent, moving from roughly 25 percent down to 22 percent. Armed with this new knowledge, I had a massive realization. I was actually working out way too much.
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Three days into vacation and my bloat is almost all gone. This was a huge eye opener that movement and activity needed to change. Cortisol was HIGH.
The vacation epiphany that changed my mindset
Before a recent vacation, I was stressed to the absolute max. I was over-exercising, under-eating, and constantly feeling bloated. I was carrying around extra weight that I just could not get rid of, no matter how hard I pushed myself in the gym. My body felt heavy, and my chronic trap tension was flaring up.
Then, I went away. During that vacation, I completely shifted my routine. I ate normally - consuming more food than I had in a long time - and I stopped the intense workouts. All I did was walk slowly and enjoy my time. When I came back home, I stepped on the scale and realized I had lost 7 pounds.
That was not fat loss. That was pure inflammation loss.
My cortisol had been super high, keeping my body in a highly inflamed state. This experience reinforced everything I teach my clients about Mindset and Subconscious Energy Healing. When our nervous systems are locked in fight-or-flight mode, our bodies hold onto water, inflammation, and visceral fat as a protective mechanism. Lowering my stress load was the missing link.
Restructuring training for recovery and grace
Because my biggest goal right now is to drop fat, reveal muscle, get leaner, and improve my hip, trap, and back mobility, I completely overhauled my routine. I help chronic dieters achieve an effortless relationship with food and exercise, and it was time to apply a healthy dose of that grace to my own life.
This is what my training schedule looks like now, specifically tailored to support my recovery:
Monday: Lower body
Tuesday: HIIT
Wednesday: Upper body and posture focus
Thursday: HIIT
Friday: Full body
Saturday: Recovery
Sunday: Recovery
Notice those two full days of recovery? They are non negotiable. I am also keeping my daily steps the lowest they have been in a long time, adding in more carbs around my workouts to help with recovery. I realized I was accidentally turning my Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) into extra cardio. On my spin days, recovery matters even more. Given my history of feeling inflamed and dealing with SI joint symptoms, I would much rather underdo my steps slightly than overdo them.
SHOP MY FAVORITE protein SNACKS
Dialing in holistic nutrition for body recomposition
To make this body recomp go smoothly, I needed to right size my protein and keep my dietary fats tighter. Proper Holistic Nutrition is deeply personal. Please remember that these are my specific macro targets. As a nutrition coach, I take many unique factors into account to get your macros ideal for your body and goals, so do not blindly follow my exact numbers for your own weight loss journey.
My target is roughly 145 grams of protein per day. Here is the easy way I structure my meals to hit that goal:
Pre-workout (roughly 25g protein)
I keep this light and digestible to fuel my morning movement. I usually have half a banana, a scoop of beef isolate, and one egg.
Post-workout (roughly 35g protein)
Replenishing after a workout is crucial for preserving lean muscle definition. My go to meal includes oats moving my oats to 50g per serving, yogurt, fresh fruit, and another serving of beef isolate.
Lunch (35–40g protein)
Switching to 99% lean turkey massively improved my lunch macros. I pair 4 ounces of cooked turkey with 1.5 cups of congee, snap peas, a rice cake, 8 grams of nut butter, and a little BBQ sauce.
Dinner (35–40g protein)
I keep dinner simple and satisfying with 4-5 ounces of a cooked lean protein, a potato for healthy carbohydrates, and plenty of fresh vegetables.
Night snack (protein top-off)
Because everyone wants a little dessert, I finish my day with half of a protein bar. It satisfies my sweet tooth while helping me hit that 145 gram target.
By implementing these changes, I have created a significantly stronger plan than where I started. The stress load is lower, my step distribution is intentional, and my nutrition is perfectly aligned with my goals. to drive progress. The first night I increased my carbs, I slept through the night. There is a correlation here.
My Top Protein Snacks can be found here and here.
One thing I’ve learned is that it’s not just about how much you eat, but what and when you eat that makes a difference. Small tweaks, like prioritizing protein intake and spreading meals evenly throughout the day, helped me feel more energized and stay on track without feeling deprived. If you’re curious about specific, actionable tips, I actually wrote a blog post about my top 8 nutrition tips that actually work! It’s filled with strategies that have helped me, and I think you might find them helpful too.
My Current Nutrition Strategies:
Macro Breakdown
Approximately 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat.
Swapping my macros to increase carbs around my workouts made a huge difference in energy and results.
No Drastic Deficits
I avoid dropping below 1900 calories to maintain energy and reduce the risk of muscle loss. I reduced calories gradually (around 100-150 calories when needed) instead of making big cuts. My goal is to get back to 2200 calories with a tighter physique so when I decide to go back into fat loss, I have more room with calories and healthier metabolism. It’s a win, win.
Nutrient Timing
Timing carbohydrates around my workouts to fuel performance has been key to maintaining intensity during strength training.
Refeeds as Needed
On days when my body felt depleted, I implemented controlled refeeds (increasing carbs temporarily) to reset energy levels and boost hormonal balance.
Rewrite your health narrative today
Transformation over information is the core of everything I do. We can have all the data in the world from our fitness trackers and INBody scans, but if we do not lovingly apply that knowledge to our daily habits, nothing changes.
If you are tired of fighting against your own body, it might be time to look deeper. Whether you need guidance on Personal Training, creating a sustainable Weight Loss plan, or utilizing modalities like PSYCH-K to break through self-sabotaging patterns, you do not have to do it alone. True health is a 12-pillar journey that encompasses everything from the food on your plate to the Clean Beauty products on your skin.
Heal from your past. Thrive in the present. Create your future. It is never too late to write the story you were born to fully live. If you are ready to remove emotional blocks and step into a 90-day holistic transformation, connect with me. We will work together to achieve your personal fitness goals with accountability, science, and a whole lot of love.
SHARING SOME OF MY FAVORITE FAT LOSS MEALS
If you ready to take your diet to the next level? Download our Protein-Packed Recipe Guide to discover easy, delicious ways to enjoy more protein in your daily meals.
For personalized fitness advice and more routines, I recommend checking out Angie Bloom’s Personal Training Sessions. I have a lot of workouts on my blog, which you can find more, here.
Women’s March Madness Workout
Find my Women’s March Madness Workout, Here.
I love helping my clients let go of painful experiences to help them rebuild trust, self-confidence, self-worth and belief in themselves by addressing the root causes with subconscious change. The tool I use is called PSYCH-K®, and is a quick, pain-free and completely safe way to reprogram your subconscious and to create lasting change for once and for all.
Within my holistic practice, we help you create a lasting self-care practice to regulate your nervous system in your day to day-to-day life, so you can always hear and follow your whispers, instead of the big Mac truck.
If you’re ready to stop dimming your light, start making easy decisions with confidence, and follow through with what you want to achieve, while trusting your intuition, you can easily set up a free conversation with me.
>>>To Book Integrative Energetic Healing Services, click here
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Here’s a great total body workout that you can do from home. As a personal trainer for over 20 years, the most important piece when it comes to your health is making sure you are CONSISTENT. If you aren’t consistent, then you will never see results.
I love seeing you all tag me on Instagram! It’s so fun when you complete a workout and show me your progress. Allow me to cheer you on! Tag me if you try this workout @__angiebloom__
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A Favorite Post: Try my Favorite Healthy Cookie Dough
