Hi Friends~
Strength and fitness training, nutrition, health, and wellness coaching has felt frivolous lately.
This work fulfills my deep desire to be a helper, and it merges with social justice causes that are becoming more and more urgent. I stand with all of my neighbors, families of color, many of whom are immigrants who deserve dignity and safety. An initiative with which I am involved is Asbury Park Mutual Aid Network, neighbors helping neighbors, providing people with the help they need in these unstable times. The necessity of supporting people in our communities has never been as important, and while I will continue to share and post workouts, science of strength and nutrition, I want readers to know my position. It’s all connected and it’s political.
I remember sobbing when I heard news about the Gulf War in the late 90s – Operation Desert Storm. My two eldest boys were 17 and 19 at the time, and mothers on the radio were crying, knowing that their sons were being sent to the Middle East. There was no draft, so my sons weren’t a part of the military action (although I feared that a draft cold be reinstated), but my heart was breaking for those mothers. Then in 2002, after 911 the US invaded Iraq, leading to approximately 4,492 U.S. service members killed, over 32,000 others wounded in action, plus hundreds of thousands of Iraq citizens killed, destabilizing Afghanistan for decades to the present.
My daughter-in law Carleigh Beriont is running for Congress. This is a quote from her Op-Ed in the NH Union Leader:
“That decision (in 2002) was rooted in deception, fear, and a desire for vengeance. That war cost the lives of thousands of American troops and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians. It also shattered trust in government and left a legacy of instability that the entire world is still living with.”
We need every strong, brave, progressive voice in Congress to limit Trump’s ability to take further military action against Iran.
I can barely contain the fury from the recent news that the US president has begun this attack on Iran without congressional authorization. This might be a distraction from other crises like involvement with Epstein, the horrors of ICE activity in Minnesota and in our own neighborhoods, an effort to bolster his low popularity, and the plan to declare a national emergency and derailing (federalizing?) the mid terms. This unilateral action could cost countless lives, and likely will leave Iranian people without a clear path forward, destabilize communities, and deepen global suffering.
In the weeks ahead, I will continue to post strength and wellness content – because resilience matters in the body and in the spirit. I will also speak up about peace, justice, and the kind of world we want to live in – one where we help our neighbors, safeguard our democracy, and refuse the lie that violence is inevitable or necessary.
Let’s choose life, community, compassion, and accountability – inside the gym, in our neighborhoods, and on the world stage.
With love and resolve,
Polli
