Megan Thee Stallion Says Fitness Saved Her from 'Dark Times': I Used Working Out to Escape' (2024)

For Megan Thee Stallion, physical and mental health go hand in hand.

The "Savage" rapper, 29, posed nude for the May/June 2024 cover of Women's Health and opened up about how focusing her energy on fitness was beneficial when her mental health was suffering.

Megan explained that she suffered mentally after rapper and former friend Tory Lanez shot and injured her in July 2020. Her struggle continued during and after the emotional trial where he was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison in December 2023 for the incident.

“A lot of people didn’t treat me like I was human for a long time,” she told the outlet, referring to the hate she received on social media from strangers and even fellow artists who questioned her recollection of the shooting. “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.”

The hip-hop artist said she attempted to suppress her emotions during the “dark times” and simply kept her problems behind the scenes.

“I didn’t want to get [out] from under the covers,” Megan said. “I stayed in my room. I would not turn the lights on. I had blackout curtains. I didn’t want to see the sun. I knew I wasn’t myself. It took me a while to acknowledge that I was depressed. But once I started talking to a therapist, I was able to be truthful with myself.”

Along with therapy, the "Sweetest Pie" musician said fitness became a way to help her get back on her feet.

“Working on myself made me get into working out because I needed to focus my energy somewhere else,” she explained. “I used working out to escape and to get happy.”

Now, Megan — who is often posting her workout videos on social media — is staying active regularly. “I’m in a space where I feel good mentally, so I want to look as good as I feel,” she told the outlet.

“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.’”

Four or five days a week, she’s taking a pilates class or in the gym with her trainers. And her fitness regimen is paying off, boasting, “My thighs look good as f---!”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Megan also gave insight on her workout regimen in Women’s Health’s “Everything But The Sweat” video.

“I prefer to work out in the morning because you are really that girl if you jump out the bed and have working out on your mind,” she said in the clip. “If you start your day with sweating, squatting, punching, lifting and doing ab workouts and stuff, you have no choice but to really tackle your day the same way.”

The Grammy winner said in addition to Pilates classes and strength training with her trainers, she loves doing cardio, hitting the stairmaster or elliptical. Megan also boasted that she also puts a lot of effort into her gym outfits, wearing clothes that make her feel “sexy, confident and strong.”

“When I'm in the gym and I’m looking at myself in the mirror doing my sets and my reps, if I don’t look fine doing it, I’m like, ‘Dang, OK girl. We need to reevaluate this,’” she said with a laugh. “Do you want to be a pony or do you want to be a stallion? What I have on definitely motivates me to do better. If I look good doing my sets then I must be doing my sets good.”

“I’m a two-piece set girl and when I’m working out in it, I just feel like a superhero. I feel like I can take on the whole gym,” she quipped.