While showing off her “body–ody-ody-ody-ody-ody-ody-ody” on the cover of Women’s Health’s 2024 Body Issue, Megan Thee Stallion shared how pouring into her physical health helped improve her mental health — and vice versa.
After her highly publicized trial against Tory Lanez, who was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2022 for shooting and injuring her during an altercation two years prior, Megan explained how public scrutiny and a barrage of opinions and insults impacted her mental health.
“A lot of people didn’t treat me like I was human for a long time,” she told Women’s Health. “I feel like everybody was always used to me being the fun and happy party girl. I watched people build me up, tear me down, and be confused about their expectations of me. As a Black woman, as a darker Black woman, I also feel like people expect me to take the punches, take the beating, take the lashings, and handle it with grace. But I’m human.”
Falling into a depression, the “Savage” rapper recalls days when she did not get out of bed or even see the sun. While she thanks her therapist for helping her reconnect with her sense of self, Megan also says fitness played a big role in her healing process.
“I used working out to escape, and get happy,” she shared. “Working on myself made me get into working out because I needed to focus my energy somewhere else.”
With partnerships with brands like Nike and Planet Fitness, the “Houston Hottie” has openly shared the effort she now puts into maintaining her physical health, which has since made her the embodiment of many women’s “fitness goals.” Although the star regularly works out four to five times a week, exploring different fitness practices like Pilates, strength training, and uphill runs on the beach, like many of us, she sometimes still struggles to find the motivation.
“Getting out of bed to work out in the morning is a struggle,” she admitted. “I have to get mentally prepared. I’m like, ‘I can stay here for another hour, or I can get up and go work out and be a bad b—. If I want to be a stallion and not a pony, I got to get up and put in the work.’”
Now in a space where she wants her physical appearance to match how strong she feels mentally, Megan’s morning routine consists of workouts and self-care, which includes journaling, meditation, prayer, music, skin care and time with her dogs.
“[I] let the start of the day be about me; then, I can give my energy to everybody else,” she said. “I feel I am becoming a new person physically and mentally…I’m proud to still be here. I didn’t quit. I want to see myself grow and be better than I am right now. And I will. I know I will.”