From Fibromyalgia to Freedom: How Strength Training Gave Gaby Her Life Back

For most of her life, Gaby never imagined that one day she’d find joy in lifting heavy weights. For years, her reality was the opposite: debilitating chronic pain, fatigue, and a body that felt more like a prison than a home.

Her journey from years of neuroplastic pain—often called TMS (Tension Myoneural Syndrome)—to building strength and confidence in the gym has been long, messy, and transformative. Today, she can honestly say she is free of chronic pain, and she’s stronger—physically and mentally—than ever.

This is her story.

Living with Pain That Doctors Couldn’t Explain

Gaby’s symptoms began when she was about 15. As a classical ballet dancer in Mexico, she thought the backaches, neck pain, and constant tiredness were “just part of the job.” But the pain worsened. Eventually, it spread to her feet, hands, and entire body.

Doctors ran tests but found nothing. Some shrugged, others suggested stress, and eventually she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. None of it helped. The pain became so unbearable that she had to quit dancing—the thing she loved most.

Looking back now, she often asks herself: How did I live with that for so many years? The answer was that she didn’t know another way. She was stuck in a cycle of stress, tension, and despair.

The Root Cause: Repressed Emotion and Tension

It wasn’t until much later that Gaby realized her body was holding on to years of unprocessed emotion.

She had left her country and family behind, struggled with infertility for a decade, and grew up in a strict Catholic environment where she learned to keep everything bottled up. Instead of grieving or releasing those feelings, she carried them in her body.

As a dancer, she was also conditioned to look perfect at all times. She held her breath through combinations, clenched her feet and muscles, and lived in a constant state of tension. Her nervous system thought she was in danger all the time—and pain was the way it tried to protect her.

Hitting Rock Bottom and Finding Hope

After 14–15 years of daily suffering, Gaby was crying almost every day. That’s when a friend gave her The Mindbody Prescription by Dr. John Sarno. She read it in two nights. For the first time, she recognized herself on those pages.

It wasn’t an overnight cure, but it cracked the door open. From there, she found other resources—Nicole Sachs, Alan Gordon, the Curable app—and eventually Dan Buglio’s support group, which was life-changing.

What she learned was simple but powerful: the first step in healing chronic pain is getting rid of the fear. That wasn’t easy—it took consistency, patience, and a lot of inner work—but once she stopped being afraid of her pain, her nervous system began to calm.

Learning to Calm Her Body

Gaby committed to daily practices that retrained her nervous system and released years of tension:

Breathing exercises + meditation: She practiced progressive muscle relaxation and learned how to breathe again after years of holding her breath as a dancer. She started telling her brain, “You’re safe. You’re okay.”
Living in the present: She stopped worrying about a future that hadn’t happened yet. Anxiety only stole the peace she could have right now.
Moving without fear: Even when it hurt, she told herself, “Movement is health. It’s going to get better.” She refused to let pain stop her anymore.

Slowly but surely, things began to change.

Fueling Her Body for the First Time

Another huge piece of Gaby’s recovery was nutrition. For years, she under-ate, terrified of gaining weight. Potatoes? “Bad.” Avocados? “Too fatty”. She lived like food was her enemy.

But undereating only made her nervous system more stressed. She began focusing on eating more, not less:

At least 30g of protein per meal
Nutrient-dense foods like eggs, avocados, and vegetables
Proper hydration throughout the day

She also worked with doctors to balance her hormones, which had been severely out of whack. Nourishing her body instead of starving it was a game-changer.

The Turning Point: Strength Training

The biggest breakthrough, though, came when Gaby discovered strength training.

At first, she was hesitant. Her body had been through so much pain—what if lifting made it worse? But with encouragement from a doctor and inspiration from Kersten’s strength training challenge, she decided to try.

She found a trainer who happened to be a former NFL player, and they started slow. Really slow. She couldn’t do a bicep curl, a push-up, or a hip thrust. She was sore, scared, and some old symptoms flared up. But this time, she didn’t let fear win.

Her trainer corrected her form, explained the importance of building core strength, and reassured her that weakness—not damage—was behind most of her discomfort.

And little by little, she got stronger.

From Weakness to Power

What began with light dumbbells and shaky push-ups grew into heavy barbell hip thrusts and confident movements. Her core got stronger. Her back pain eased. And most importantly, she started to trust her body again.

Strength training gave Gaby more than muscle definition. It gave her confidence. It gave her resilience. It gave her the joy of saying: If I can lift this, I can do anything.

At 55 years old, she now trains alongside younger lifters—and she doesn’t care if she uses a bench for push-ups. She’s proud of what her body can do.

Dancing Again, Stronger Than Before

The best part? Gaby returned to ballet. And now, it feels different. Movements are easier because her body is stronger and more supported. Strength training didn’t take away her love of dance—it gave it back to her.

It also reminded her that age is not an excuse. Neither is pain. The lies we tell ourselves—“I’m too old,” “too weak,” “too broken”—are just that: lies.

Gaby’s Advice for Others

For anyone dealing with chronic pain, or anyone afraid to step into the gym, here’s Gaby’s advice:

Start small. You don’t have to lift heavy on day one.
Be patient and consistent. Healing takes time
Fuel your body. Stop starving yourself.
Breathe. Move. Trust.

And most of all: don’t let fear win.

Strength training is not just about muscles. It’s about proving to yourself that you are capable of more than you think.

Final Thoughts

Gaby’s journey from chronic pain to lifting heavy hasn’t been easy. But by addressing the emotional tension behind her symptoms, calming her nervous system, fueling her body, and building physical strength, she has reclaimed her life.

She’s no longer defined by pain. She’s defined by strength. By resilience. By the joy of dancing again, not because she has to, but because she can.

If you’re standing where Gaby once stood—in fear, in pain, or on the fence about strength training—let her story be proof: you can start small, keep going, and one day, you’ll look back and say: “If I can lift this thing, I can do anything.”

You can find Gaby here: https://www.facebook.com/gabriela.whiteside.9
Dan Buglio here: https://www.youtube.com/@PainFreeYou