Breaking Free from Food Obsession: The Beginning of My Journey to Fitness and Mindset Transformation

If you’ve ever felt like fitness started as something you loved… and slowly turned into something that controlled you, this story is for you.

Today, I want to share the beginning of my journey.

Not the polished highlight reel, but the honest starting point. The part that shaped how I now coach women toward strength, balance, and freedom around food and movement.

Because while fitness eventually became my career, my passion, and my life’s work, it also led me straight into overtraining, food obsession, and burnout before I learned what sustainable fitness really looks like.

From a Small Town to Downtown Toronto

At 17 years old, I moved from a town of about 4,000 people to downtown Toronto to study journalism.

Before that move, I had grown up active and athletic. I danced competitively throughout high school and rarely thought about my body.

I’m incredibly grateful that I was raised in an environment where:

• Food wasn’t labeled “good” or “bad”

• Bodies weren’t constantly analyzed

• Movement was about joy, not punishment

I had a genuinely healthy relationship with food and body - without even realizing how rare that was.

Everything shifted when I went to university.

When Insecurity and Weight Gain Enter the Picture

Moving to a big city for the first time was exciting - and deeply unsettling.

I suddenly felt inexperienced and out of place. Surrounded by women who seemed more confident and more worldly, I started questioning myself in ways I never had before.

On top of that, I gained about 30 pounds in my first year of university.

I didn’t know how to eat for myself. I was stressed, overwhelmed, and far from home. And even though I was still active, I started paying attention to my body in a way I never had - and not in a healthy way.

I tried out for my university’s competitive dance troupe, but it was clear I couldn’t keep up. Many of the dancers had trained at elite schools for years. Recreational dance didn’t feel right either.

That’s when I found group fitness.

Group Fitness Became My Safe Place

There was music. Structure. Community. A sense of accomplishment.

Group fitness classes quickly became my sanctuary. I went every day. I memorized choreography. I knew all the instructors.

For the first time in a long time, I felt good at something.

What I didn’t realize then was that fitness was slowly shifting from something that supported me to something I was using to prove my worth.

When Discipline Turns Into Obsession

I started organizing my life around workouts.

• Skipping brunch with friends for early spin classes

• Saying no to social plans if I hadn’t “earned” them with cardio

• Feeling proud of my discipline — while quietly feeling isolated

People praised my commitment. And I believed them.

But here’s the truth: I wasn’t seeing results. The weight I wanted to lose wasn’t coming off. My confidence wasn’t improving. I was doing more and more… and feeling worse.

Turning Fitness Into a Career (and Burning Out)

After graduating, I became a certified fitness professional - something I’m deeply grateful for. When my husband and I moved to Vancouver, fitness became my full-time job.

I was teaching 16–20 hours of classes per week, driving all over the city, teaching high-intensity classes without ever dialing it back.

My body paid the price.

One day, after teaching a Zumba class, I realized I couldn’t lift my leg properly. My hip flexors were so overworked that I had to physically lift my thigh with my hands.

That was the moment I knew: this wasn’t sustainable.

The Real Beginning of My Mindset Shift

That experience forced me to confront something important:

More exercise was not the answer.

More discipline was not the solution.

What I actually needed was a new relationship with fitness - one rooted in strength, recovery, and respect for my body.

That realization became the foundation for everything I teach now.

What This Journey Taught Me

Here’s what I wish every busy, ambitious woman knew:

• Fitness should support your life, not control it

• Overtraining leads to burnout, not confidence

• Strength, not exhaustion, creates lasting results

• A healthy mindset matters just as much as workouts

Breaking free from food obsession and exercise guilt didn’t happen overnight - but it started the moment I stopped trying to outwork my body and started listening to it.

A Gentle Reminder 💙

Fitness should build you up, not break you down.

If this resonated with you, share it with a friend or come say hi on Instagram. And if you’re ready for a more grounded, sustainable approach to strength, mindset, and fat loss, Muscles & Mindset was created for you.

You don’t need another reset. You need a system that respects your capacity. 💙

xo,

Anne 💙

→ [Learn more about Muscles & Mindset 1:1 Coaching and how it works. [Click here.]