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

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

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 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.

Sander lifts weights while pregnant. In addition to aqua fitness, the 44-year-old strength trains three days a week as part of her healing process. Photo: Malissa Sander

“That’s when I hit rock bottom. My body totally fell apart,” she says.

At the end of 2000, when she was 20 years old, Sander tried what she describes as “aqua fitness” for the first time, on a chiropractor’s recommendation. The hour-long private session made her feel happy.

“I loved the feeling of being in the water and I wasn’t scared that I’d hurt some part of my body or damage my body further,” she says.

I’ve seen many lives transformed through aqua fitness. Moving in the water can have a unique therapeutic effect

Malissa Sander
In early 2001, Sander moved to Sydney, Australia, on a medical visa, to check herself into a recovery hospital for patients with eating disorders.

There, aqua fitness, combined with strength training, brought her “back to life”.

The underwater movements were simple and gentle – side walking, leg lifts, dynamic stretching and upper body movements with dumbbells – and Sander liked how they made her feel.

“They helped me regain my strength, slowly and steadily,” she says.

“Being in the water helped me feel confident about moving my body again. I felt safe in the water, a feeling that was foreign to me out of the water.”

After suffering from injury and mental health problems, being in the water helped Sander feel confident, and safe. Photo: Drewperspectives

Her four years in Sydney were life-changing, and, determined to recover, she put everything she had into beating her illness. With help from a physical therapist, she relearned how to walk and move her body without fear of fracturing bones or falling. She eventually reversed her osteopenia.

She also learned how to read hunger signals again and worked on developing healthy eating habits. Once she was well enough, she began exercising in her apartment pool.

Without any family support the recovery process was “painstakingly slow” and “lonely”, but she knew that she had to get through it to survive.

Sander spent the next decade living in various cities in Asia, including Bangkok and Hong Kong. During this time, she met her husband and got married.

In Asia, Sander worked briefly in real estate and at an art gallery but felt that her true calling was in fitness.

She obtained several certifications in fitness and wellness, including an Aqua Instructor International Certification from the Federation of International Sports, Aerobics and Fitness (FISAF).

She continued working out in the pool, making the choice to be “strong over skinny” every day.

An Aqua Tula session led by Sander. The 44-year-old says that working out in the pool was key to her physical and mental recovery. Photo: Malissa Sander

“I couldn’t exercise for six weeks after having my son, but I knew that, once I was able to exercise again, I would feel better,” she says.

“Once I hit the six-week post-partum mark, I returned to the pool and moved. My depression slowly started to lift.”
It was at this time that Sander developed the Aqua Tula method for general fitness and prenatal and postnatal fitness. Tula is Sanskrit for balance. “I chose it after having such an extreme way of living from age 13 to recovery. It’s all about moderation and balance for me,” Sander says.

She had relocated to Singapore the year before and noticed that, with the exception of aqua spinning (also known as aqua cycling), there was a lack of water fitness awareness in the city state.

Fitness, particularly aqua fitness, has saved my life countless times

Malissa Sander

In 2019, Sander started teaching the Aqua Tula method formally and, over time, calibrated the exercises and sequences to suit people with different needs, fitness levels and abilities.

“Aqua Tula incorporates both shallow- and deep-water workouts,” Sander says.

She uses pool noodles, boxing mitts, aquatic foam dumbbells and space shoes – designed to emulate a step class in the water and good for knee rehab – in different combinations.

Sander uses a range of equipment in her Aqua Tula sessions, which she has developed to promote general fitness and prenatal and postnatal fitness. Photo: Malissa Sander

“My dance background helps with the choreography element. This and all the fitness knowledge I’ve amassed over the years have helped me create and build a repertoire of exercises not previously seen in aqua fitness.”

Aqua Tula is suitable for everyone, from women suffering from post-partum depression and people with injuries who are afraid to exercise, to people who are disabled or in pain, to those who are overweight and want to exercise but don’t know where to start.

“I’ve seen many lives transformed through aqua fitness. Moving in the water can have a unique therapeutic effect,” she says.

With her method, Sander hopes to change how people view aqua fitness. She says that rather than a slow and easy workout, Aqua Tula is the opposite and much more.

In her own case, it helps with cardiovascular health, flexibility, mobility, and core strength, in addition to building her confidence and making her feel safe.
Besides taking part in her own aqua fitness classes at least once a day, Sander lifts weights and walks outdoors three times a week. Connecting with her body and keeping fit, she says, have been instrumental in her recovery journey and have helped her feel good about herself and her body again.
Aqua Tula is also suitable for children. Photo: Malissa Sander
“When a person has experienced the extent of trauma that I have, the fear, pain and anxiety tend to linger.

“I wake up most mornings with varying degrees of these three things. I’m usually in the pool within the first three hours of my day, and from the second I start moving in the water, I can feel the fear, pain and anxiety dissipate. My mind becomes clearer, I feel stronger, and I’m ready to face another day.

“Aqua fitness has also taught me that healing comes from within. By exercising in a way that is safe and pain-free, and by moving for my mind, I’ve reclaimed my sense of self and my power.”

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