PICTURE IT.

The year was 2020. We were masked up, shut in, and inundated with conversations about “pivoting” and “the new normal.” Meanwhile, my waistline was OUT OF CONTROL. The pounds needed to pivot far, far away from me! Something had to change, and my mindset was that something. For the sake of my health and self-esteem, I was committed to charting a new path.

Restrictive dieting had never been a long-term fix for me. Planet Fitness was one of my least favorite places on the planet. Nevertheless, I could make excuses or make moves. I chose the latter. Instead of mentally punishing myself for gaining weight, the goal became honoring God with this here temple by embarking on a wellness journey for which there is no end on this side of eternity. The mindset shift was viewing wellness as worship, an opportunity to move and fuel my body unto the Lord.

Variety is the spice of life. Since I’m all for well-seasoned experiences, I started pulling from several sources to satisfy my craving for options in August of 2020:

• Early-morning bike rides with a church member

• Strength training with Juice and Toya

• Living room twerk sessions with And8 Fitness

• Cardio Barre with PopSugar Fit

• Fighting for my life during Hip Hop Step Aerobics with Bowflex Barbie

None of this felt like punishment. To be quite honest, I was lovin’ it! Watching my body go beyond perceived limits still blows my mind. Being aware of my tendency to go hard and then fall off, a layer of accountability was added with the launch of Thickness Management. This private Facebook group existed as a place to celebrate our wins, confess our losses, and claim victory over unwanted inches!

Thickness Management did the trick! I was down 40 lbs by May of 2022 🙌🏾Never had I EVER remained consistent that long or pushed beyond my usual 13-pound plateau. Shout out to JJ Smith’s 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse for playing an integral role in my gut-brain connection reset. Praying my way through hard workouts, clean eating, and scheduling non-food-focused meetups with friends were game-changers, too.

THEN CAME GRIEF.

Loss hit…and it continued hitting from every direction, often with names attached. (Check out Joy. for more about that journey.) I held steady until Tese took his last breath. Losing him felt like having my heart ripped out of my chest. Simply breathing became a battle.

A snack here and a snack there became my solace. Self-soothing with ultra-processed foods led to a pound here and a few pounds there.

May ‘24 came with a double-whammy: Ms. Alice and Chris became absent in body but present with the Lord just 9 days apart. As the weight of grief tried to rest on me, 30 of the 40 lbs I released made their way back by the start of 2025.

BUT WELLNESS IS STILL WORSHIP.

So, here I am, reclaiming my waistline:

One workout at a time.

One thought at a time.

One prayer at a time.

One plate at a time.

Interestingly, I never stopped moving my body. The issue was being inconsistent with properly fueling it. Thickness management is good stewardship, and I desire to steward my body well.

If you have read this far, here WE are on this journey of:

Pursuing wellness.

Worshiping with wellness.

Advancing together in wellness.

LET’S REFLECT

There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1

Grab your journal and sit with the Lord, exploring the areas in which condemnation has you bound.

• List each area.

• Lean in to hear what the Father is speaking to you.

• Search out Scripture to identify the promises of freedom made to you.

• Pen a vision describing the spiritually, emotionally, and physically well version of you.

We’ll chat soon, friend. Be well.

Sincerely,

LaToya NaShae