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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNatasha Rothwell, the acclaimed actor known for her role as Belinda Lindsey in HBO\u2019s The <\/em>White Lotus<\/em>, is championing a more inclusive vision of health and wellness, advocating for accessibility regardless of body size.<\/p>\nThe 45-year-old, who proudly identifies as plus-sized, challenges the prevailing narrative that often equates health with thinness. “As someone is plus-sized \u2013 and very proudly so \u2013 oftentimes, health and wellness are conflated with being thin and skin, which is just not true,” she states. Rothwell believes that greater diversity in the wellness space is crucial, ensuring that “mental health and their wellbeing is also important and should be prioritised” for everyone.<\/p>\n
The LA-based writer, producer, and director, currently collaborating with ASICS for their new Everyday Escape campaign, hopes her involvement signals a shift towards “more representation in the health and wellness space”. She notes a significant disparity: “So often, many of these endorsement opportunities in this space are fronted by people who don\u2019t look like me.” Rothwell argues this oversight does “a huge disservice to a lot of populations that want to see themselves in the health and wellness space. They are participating and they are a wonderfully beautiful demographic to acknowledge.”<\/p>\n
The ASICS initiative promotes the benefits of just 15 minutes of daily movement, offering a counter-narrative to costly wellness holidays. Rothwell, whose breakthrough role was Kelli Prenny in HBO\u2019s insecure”>Insecure<\/em>, resonates with this message. “For a very very long time, I couldn\u2019t afford to travel to wellness resorts to boost my wellbeing,” she explains. <\/p>\n\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Rothwell says that even 15 minutes of exercise a day can make a difference (Natasha Rothwell\/Golin)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n“I talk very openly about my mental health and the impact of just 15 minutes of movement a day can boost your mood and mental health.” She adds, “The kids these days say, \u2018Go touch grass\u2019 and so often we\u2019re on our phones and not in touch with reality. So it\u2019s important to realise that there is an everyday escape right outside your door.”<\/p>\n
Rothwell openly discusses her own mental health journey, particularly the challenges of a demanding career. “I feel like when life gets extremely busy and being someone who\u2019s in the entertainment industry, I can have days that are 18 hours long,” she reveals. <\/p>\n
She reflects on a past mindset: “I was brought up to be productive all of the time and I was taught that you have to earn your rest and those moments of reprieve. However, the truth of the matter is, you need those moments of rest in order to function at a high level, which my job demands of me.” She stresses the importance of self-awareness: “I think there\u2019s just this recognition mission we all have when we know that something is out of whack or we\u2019re not balanced. When we realise that the scales are tipped, we need to recentre ourselves and put our health and wellness on the priority list.”<\/p>\n
In the film and television industry, Rothwell observes a growing recognition of work-life balance. She critiques the perception of wellness in Hollywood: “It\u2019s often an idea that there\u2019s a price to be paid, literally and figuratively, before you can actually experience health and wellness. There\u2019s this idea that the more you can pay, the better you\u2019ll be.” However, she believes the reality is quite different. <\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Rothwell says going forward she would like to see more representation in the industry (Natasha Rothwell\/Golin)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n“I think it\u2019s quite the opposite actually. It doesn\u2019t cost much to access the benefits that you\u2019re seeking from some of these outlandish, very expensive \u2018cures\u2019 for fatigue. I think the industry is doing much better in recognising the fallacy that in order to experience peace and respite, you have to be rich and famous to access these things, which I\u2019m very glad to see.”<\/p>\n
Rothwell acknowledges experiencing burnout, which she views as an opportunity to pause. “A key is recognising that when I feel overwhelmed, a sign for me is where I feel my anxiety level is getting higher and I feel overwhelmed,” she says. “That is a signal for me to pause and to reset.” These resets are often brief but effective. “Nine times, maybe even 10 times out of 10, it looks like a 15-minute reset of just stepping away, pouring into myself, breathing, walking, feeling the sun on my face instead of the glow of a computer screen. There are all sort of moments that are available to let us know that we\u2019re burnt out or we\u2019re reaching burnout. You have to listen to your body and recognise what you need.”<\/p>\n
Despite frequent travel, Rothwell integrates meditative practices into her routine. “Sometimes I go on meditation walks, and what this is, is being thoughtful of every single movement of your body as you\u2019re walking,” she explains. <\/p>\n
“That way, you\u2019re not necessarily just walking without thinking about anything. You\u2019re just really in tuned to your body and being present.” As a self-professed introvert, solo time is vital for her energy. “I am very deeply introverted, which means I get my energy from solo time. I think those little 15 minute walks are those moments that I can recharged.” Beyond walking, she enjoys dancing, crosswording, and has recently taken up Lego as a hobby to exercise her brain and find joy.<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Rothwell explains that her exercise is usually very meditative (Natasha Rothwell\/Golin)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nWhen advising others, Rothwell cautions against the notion that stress relief requires expensive trips. “Research has revealed that many wellness retreats add to stress levels and they cost a lot. The juice is not worth the squeeze,” she asserts. Instead, she encourages people to embrace readily available opportunities for relief. “I would say to folks to not delay or put off the opportunity to get the relief that they are seeking at the touch of their fingertips on the other side of the door. There\u2019s been so many studies too about just our lack of connection, and I think connecting to the outdoors and to other people who are outside, it does just as good for the mind and body.”<\/p>\n
Reflecting on her own wellbeing journey, Rothwell offers simple advice to her younger self: “Just walk.” She recalls her early twenties, observing people in a fancy New York gym and wishing she could afford such facilities. “And there I am walking in New York, which for me is the best city. I would tell my younger self put your wallet away and let your left foot follow your right foot and repeat.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Natasha Rothwell, the acclaimed actor known for her role as Belinda Lindsey in HBO\u2019s The White Lotus, is championing a more inclusive vision of health and wellness, advocating for accessibility regardless of body size. The 45-year-old, who proudly identifies as plus-sized, challenges the prevailing narrative that often equates health with thinness. “As someone is plus-sized \u2013 and very proudly so \u2013 oftentimes, health and wellness are conflated with being thin and skin, which is just not true,” she states. Rothwell believes that greater diversity in the wellness space is crucial, ensuring that “mental health and their wellbeing is also important and should be prioritised” for everyone. The LA-based writer, producer, and director, currently collaborating with ASICS for their new Everyday Escape campaign, hopes her involvement signals a shift towards “more representation in the health and wellness space”. She notes a significant disparity: “So often, many of these endorsement opp…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8960"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8960"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8960\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}