Real life: “My sister is addicted to sports”

My sister Fleur (30) has always been quite sporty. She played hockey at a high level and was the type who always preferred to jump on her bike rather than take the car. But lately, it has taken on alarming forms. But she denies it, because after all, exercising is good for you, she says.

‘I started to realize that it wasn't entirely normal when we were together for a weekend in Paris. Of course, you walk a lot on such a day, but she checked her step counter every minute and had her Nike Run app running that told her when we had walked another kilometer. She also insisted on doing less than eight minutes per kilometer, but sorry, you really can't shop comfortably like that. When I made a comment about that app, as it made me a bit nervous, she said to turn it off because we were walking so slowly that it was bad for her average. I didn't think that was quite the right reason, but okay. After a dinner in the sixth arrondissement, she insisted on walking back to the hotel. I had blisters and had drunk four glasses of wine, so I thought that was enough (besides, I had already taken 16,000 steps that day) and so I went for the taxi. She didn't. When I got into the taxi, I saw her turn that app back on and walk out of the street like a racewalker. She arrived at the hotel much later than what is stated for that walk, so I am sure she took an extra walk to boost her daily average.

Another time we participated in a boot camp day together. I actually quite enjoy a bit of exercise too. But when I cycled past her house in the afternoon, her boyfriend said she was going to run fifteen kilometers with a friend. My mouth dropped a bit, because we had already run six kilometers that morning, swum a kilometer, and then done a boot camp class and a yoga class. I was exhausted, but she kept going.

I told her that I thought she was exercising quite a lot and that led to a terrible argument. That I was just jealous because I had much less willpower than she did, or that I would rather she drink two bottles of wine a day, that she was a mirror for my own behavior. In the end, she ended the phone call and we didn't speak for a week.

Now the topic of exercise remains a bit awkward between us and I am considering calling her boyfriend to ask how he sees the situation. Although I am afraid that if she finds out, she will get even angrier. I also know: a shot of heroin in your arm is a thousand times worse, but the obsessive nature of her behavior worries me.’

In this unusual time, we asked people for their honest story. To avoid hurting others, Fleur's name has been changed.