baf February 2026 newsletter: embrace your inner warrior
💜💚💛💜💚💛💜💚💛💜💚💛💜💚💛💜💚💛💜💚💛
Mardi Gras Week Schedule
Please go have fun.
No classes or appointments February 13th-17th.
💜💚💛💜💚💛💜💚💛💜💚💛💜💚💛💜💚💛💜💚💛💜💚💛💜💚💛💜💚💛💜💚💛💜
embrace your inner warrior.
In this uncertain time, now you must be strong and brave.
If you’re like me, if you listen to news for too long these days, you may get the feeling that the wolves are at the door.
In light of everything that is going on in the world right now, my response is to take a solution-oriented approach.
Take an inventory of everything you have in your immediate control and do everything you can to mentally bolster yourself against the situation. Otherwise, it's very easy to fall into a trap of believing that the situation is hopeless and we are helpless to it— breaking the spirit of the population means the PsyOp was a success (👎).
One way to feel less helpless is to act. I think we get into the habit of this thought: “somebody (i.e. not me) has got to do something!” Guess what? That starts with you. I have mentioned before, we have to be our own superheroes…otherwise you’ll be waiting a long time for someone to save you. What does a hero do? They DO things they believe are right even when they are scared.
When there are bad guys afoot, we need to be a powerful force for good.
For you, that may mean
Showing support to a cause you believe in, either financially, or through an act of service. For example, I can’t really afford to get arrested right now, but I can afford to to give a small donation to Public Radio, the ACLU, EarthJustice, PETA, etc to fight the corporate overlords.
Support as many small local businesses as you can. (Lately, I’ve been buying my coffee beans from local coffee shops instead of the big chain stores.)
When you see someone in need to offer help. This can be someone really small, but can make a big impact in someone else’s day. Showing a little kindness makes this world a better place.
If you see something WRONG that is hurting people, to be emboldened to say something.
Do not get baited into destructive conversations. While it’s tempting to verbalize a real zinger you’ve had in the chamber for weeks to someone with an opposing viewpoint… it’s never going to get through to them… and will likely further entrench them in their opposing viewpoint thus creating MORE division.
Now these are examples of opportunities to rise the occasion, but…
How do we deal with the daily feelings of impending doom?
Again, what does a hero do… They train their butts off.
Movement practice…
It may seem simple, but
Feeling strong on the inside can make you strong on the outside.
It helps relieve stress because you may have all this pent up energy that needs to be channelled in a positive way. In turn, you will be able to think more clearly, sleep better, and perform better in all aspects of your life.
there are so many things that are outside of our control, ONE THING we have control of is the atoms that compose our bodies. By taking action to bolster yourself up both physically and mentally, you may find you have courage to tackle those tough situations or issues that you encounter in your daily life. And thus you have proven to yourself that…
You are not a snowflake.
Your are not fragile.
In fact, I recently became aware of the concept of “Anti fragility” which refers to a quality or characteristic of an organism that becomes better, stronger, more resilient AS A RESULT of processing stress. It doesn’t mean “doing well in spite of obstacles”, rather to DO BETTER BECAUSE of obstacles, and even NECESSARY for growth. We often think of trauma as wounds from which we may never heal, but we may be thinking of this the wrong way… these challenges are inevitable in our lives… so why do they come as a shock and surprise every time?
We oddly expect there to be peace and homeostasis. Why? The natural order of things is ENTROPY, which just means things naturally devolve into chaos and disorder. So, we are designed to live in chaos and disorder, and instead of fighting it all the time, lean into it a little bit. This doesn’t mean just going with the flow, but it does mean that every crisis, disaster, or seemingly destructive disruption in our lives is actually an opportunity to become better. You can either seize that moment or be crushed under the weight.
This is illustrated very well in strength training as well. Our bodies don’t get bigger and stronger by staying immobilized and bubble wrapped—it must move, respond to stress, heal from some degree of damage.
Speaking of chaos… Mardi Gras is upon us.
It’s a total disruption of our routine, and you may be worried about whether a week of partying will get you off track.
I encourage you to take the longer view of things. Carnival came into cultural consciousness for a reason. Society, human kind, needs a disruption from the routine. A moment to let your hair down, to exist for no other reason than to be free.
Am I telling you to eat 3 pounds of king cake and 2 quarts of daiquiris? No, but in order to keep your sanity, you may want to ease up on your regimented lifestyle, and just allow yourself to be in the moment.
Apart from a little cognitive reframing about Mardi Gras, let’s talk about some tangible positives…
• My favorite part of Mardi Gras is connecting with people, running into old friends, being willing to walk 2 miles just to meet up with someone. The beauty of Mardi Gras is that it breaks down borders, and our concept of what we believe is possible.
• We all know that Mardi Gras Week involves a lot of walking… I would challenge you all for Deep Gras to set a distance goal for yourself every day. For example, last year I walked from my house to the parade route several days in a row, which was 2.1 miles each way… combine that with another mile or two of walking around, and that’s a pretty active day despite not hitting the gym. And Mardi Gras Day? I have a tradition of walking from my house (uptown) all the way downtown, and maybe even the Marigny… and back. It’s a great way to close out your week and reset your brain to get back to business.
If you’ve been training for a while and working on your conditioning (maybe with me, maybe on your own)… this shouldn’t be a problem. Yes you’ll be tired, but at the end of the day you won’t have any guilt about disrupting your normal gym routine.
Tips & supplies for a healthier Mardi Gras Week:
(1) good walking shoes (obviously)
(2) a spare set of street clothes so if you decide you’ve had enough of your costume, you can get comfortable as soon as possible, and just be incognito if you end up somewhere where you don’t want to look lost.
(3) large water bottle with electrolytes.
(4) Additional packets of electrolyte powder, so you can pick up extra water on the road without having to carry it around all day.
(5) If you chose to drink, bring your own booze with you so you can better monitor your consumption, AND avoid the stress of waiting at the bar.
(6) choose a daily walking itinerary, maybe set a target for your final destination, and a strategy for going back home.
(7) Identify your safe havens. For example, if you’re headed out in the a neighborhood far from home, with no car, where can you go to get a good meal, go to the bathroom, maybe sit and relax for a minute?
(8)Bring healthy snacks so you don’t eat like crap all day…. Things that don’t need to be refrigerated, aren’t too heavy, or something that can get smooshed:
e.g. prosciutto, Babybel cheese, apples, protein bars, pb&j sandwiches.
(9) eat a hearty meal before you set out for the the day.
Stay safe & have fun.
I’ll see you on the other side 💜💛💚 CJ
