Aqua fitness helped her overcome eating disorder. Now she teaches it in Singapore

After childhood trauma led her to have anorexia nervosa, aqua fitness brought Malissa Sander ‘back to life’. She now teaches her brand of it

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Aqua Tula teacher Malissa Sander says aqua fitness “saved” her after childhood trauma triggered an eating disorder that left her in a bad place physically and mentally. Photo: Drewperspectives

Sasha Gonzales

Published: 4:15pm, 16 Jun 2024Updated: 8:16pm, 16 Jun 2024

Corrected [8:05pm, 16 Jun, 2024]

[8:05pm, 16 Jun, 2024]
Malissa Sander was born in Sri Lanka but is of Indian descent.

Aqua fitness is not just exercise for Malissa Sander. Being in the water practically saved her during some of the lowest emotional points in her life.

Born in Sri Lanka, the 44-year-old says her childhood was horrific. Between the ages of three and nine she witnessed many atrocities during her country’s civil war, which began in 1983.

She also felt unsafe at home – her alcoholic father had a bad temper, Sander says, and her mother was in denial about the family’s problems.

Sander’s family moved to Singapore when she was nine. At 13, she developed an eating disorder; strictly controlling what she ate was a way to cope with her emotional trauma. She also channelled her energy into her studies and dancing.

Aqua fitness has helped Sander reclaim her sense of self after a traumatic childhood, and mental and physical health issues, had taken their toll. Photo: Drewperspectives

After she turned 17, her restrictive eating habits began to take a toll on her body. She felt tired most of the time and had osteopenia – a loss of bone density that is a warning sign of osteoporosis.

After moving to the United States for university, she tore her ankle tendon while running and could no longer exercise, so she limited her food intake even more.