{"id":278,"date":"2026-02-26T04:16:53","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T04:16:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/thebarbellpress\/?page_id=278"},"modified":"2026-02-26T05:35:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T05:35:02","slug":"from-health-to-harm-how-fitness-can-be-damaging","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/thebarbellpress\/from-health-to-harm-how-fitness-can-be-damaging\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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From Health to Harm: How Fitness Can Be Damaging<\/h1>\n
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People working out at the Jack Doyle Recreation Centre on Feb. 18, 2026 (Photo: Robyn Lanktree).<\/p>\n

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For Isabela Arbache, going to the gym and being mindful of her nutrition weren\u2019t always healthy goals.\u00a0<\/h6>\n
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Making it to the gym every day was an obligation for Arbache. It became a paranoia that if she missed a workout, she was going to gain weight and lose all of her progress. The guilt of not hitting her goals took a toll on her self-esteem to the point where she would mentally put herself down.\u00a0<\/h6>\n

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Arbache didn\u2019t realize her obsession with the gym and counting her calories was unhealthy until she told her family about it.\u00a0<\/h6>\n
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\u201cI would talk to my sister, and I would be like, \u2018Oh my god, I got the flu, and I couldn\u2019t go to the gym for four days. I feel awful. I feel like a disgusting person.\u2019 She would be like \u2018Calm down, you\u2019re okay,\u2019\u201d Arbache said.\u00a0<\/h6>\n
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Arbache developed body dysmorphia<\/a>, a fixation on parts of her appearance that most people wouldn\u2019t notice, and found it difficult to cope with not seeing linear progress.\u00a0<\/h6>\n
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Most of her trauma with weight and fitness came from experiences with swimming and gymnastics coaches who would comment on her size in front of her teammates.\u00a0<\/h6>\n
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She recalled a time when she was using the trampoline during gymnastics practice, where her coach taunted her.\u00a0<\/h6>\n

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\u201cI can see everything!\u201d\u00a0<\/h6>\n

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Arbache endured humiliating comments from her coaches alongside regular weigh-ins, where her size and weight would be tracked in a sheet.\u00a0<\/h6>\n
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Most horrifying to Arbache was the time when her coach suggested throwing up after she ate, as other girls on her team would. Being a young teenager at the time, Arbache didn\u2019t even understand what her coach was describing to her.\u00a0<\/h6>\n
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\u201cSome of the girls go to the bathroom after they eat,\u201d her coach told her. \u201cTo help get rid of their food.\u201d<\/h6>\n
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The graphic suggestions and tauntings made sports and fitness feel like a chore to Arbace, an activity where you have to fight against yourself.\u00a0<\/h6>\n
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However, she learned her methods weren\u2019t sustainable.\u00a0<\/h6>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s not an obligation. It\u2019s not a diet,\u201d Arbache said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lifestyle.\u201d\u00a0<\/h6>\n

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Now, Arbache pursues fitness only in the ways that make her happy, not as punishment.\u00a0<\/h6>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s more about feeling good. I used to dread runs, and now I just do them. I don\u2019t put a goal,\u201d Arbache said. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018You know what? I\u2019m gonna run for 15 minutes, and if I don\u2019t do my best, at least I came to the gym today.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/h6>\n
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The same sentiment applies to gym-goer Anais Rwayitare, who works out three times a week.\u00a0<\/h6>\n
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She maintains the same routine of working her upper and lower body with weights after warming up on the treadmill.\u00a0<\/h6>\n

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Her only goals are to stay fit, healthy and happy, as the gym sets her up to feel good all day.\u00a0<\/h6>\n
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\u201cI feel relaxed. I always feel great after my workouts,\u201d Rwayitare said. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m good for the day.\u201d<\/h6>\n
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Although striking a balance between staying disciplined in the gym and listening to your body can be difficult, Arbache offered advice to those who want to get into fitness.\u00a0<\/h6>\n
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\u201cDon\u2019t make your life about it. If you say, \u2018I can\u2019t be vegan because I like bacon too much,\u2019 then just be vegan and eat bacon.\u201d\u00a0<\/h6>\n

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People working out at the Jack Doyle Recreation Centre on Feb. 18, 2026 (Photo: Robyn Lanktree). \u00a0 For Isabela Arbache, going to the gym and being mindful of her nutrition weren\u2019t always healthy goals.\u00a0 \u00a0 Making it to the gym every day was an obligation for Arbache. It became a paranoia that if she missed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-278","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/thebarbellpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/thebarbellpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/thebarbellpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/thebarbellpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/thebarbellpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/thebarbellpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":320,"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/thebarbellpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/278\/revisions\/320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/thebarbellpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}