Constant monitoring, any comments?

Nevermind. Mods can delete.

 

music321 - I'm sorry to hear about your struggles. Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you know the answer to your question since you posed it.

I'll share some of my story. Up until recently I have diligently lifted weights since I was 16yrs old; I'm 37 now, married, have 2 young kids and a stressful job. When I started having physical issues about 1 1/2 yrs ago I thought, how is this possible, I've been doing everything right for 20yrs!

I'll tell you what happened depression, stress, lots of negative thinking, etc. It all just kept compounding for years until suddenly physical activity alone was no longer enough to keep pain away. I wasn't addressing the root of the problem, I needed to get my mind right. Venting anger & frustration through exercise isn't dealing with the driver of those feelings, the mind.

Fast forward to nowadays and I've deleted all my fitness tracking apps. I don't workout on specific days, just whenever I feel like it. Some days I might hit the weights, other days I might do the total gym or just walk. When I do go to the gym I don't have a specific plan, I just do an exercise at a weight that feels good. I don't even count the reps or sets anymore, I just do it all based on how I feel. It's absolutely hard at first, but I finally realized what the hell am I constantly measuring myself for, I don't need to.

In addition, and most importantly, I now take time every day to relax my mind by taking a hot bath near the end of the day. I deserve at least 30mins to just chill out and let my mind go! I'm now working specifically more on mindfulness and other relaxation techniques.

My overall point is, you need to address your psychological needs just as much as your physical. The mind & body don't operate independently. If you completely neglect one over the other it will absolutely catch up with you.

Change can be difficult and slow especially if you constantly measure progress. Take a break from physical activity if you need to, but give your mind a break.