baf november 2025 newsletter: get your game face on for the holidays

Holiday Schedule Updates

No classes or appointments on:
• Thurs Nov 27 and Fri Nov 28
• Wed Dec 24, Thurs Dec 25, Fri Dec 26
• Tues Dec 31 and Wed Jan 1

PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON AND THE NEW YEAR

We’ve got two months left in the year. This is such a good moment to pause and take inventory of how far you’ve come. Change usually happens so gradually that we barely notice it while we’re in it. But if you look back to who you were in January 2025 — emotionally, physically, professionally — there’s a good chance you’re not the same person.

Maybe you crushed some personal goals, maybe a few stalled out, maybe life threw you curveballs. Wherever you’re standing right now, this is the perfect time to set the stage for next year.

New Year’s Resolutions get a bad rap, but the act of setting a direction for yourself can be powerful. I like thinking of it as a New Year’s “intention” instead of a resolution. “Resolution” feels harsh and sets up this false dichotomy of failure/success. “Intention” feels like choosing a direction and walking toward it with purpose.

We tend to imagine the big, dramatic changes we wish we could make. But honestly, small shifts often move the needle the most. Before the holiday chaos kicks in and you start spiraling over how much is too much pumpkin pie and wine, get clear on what you want your life to look like next year and what you can start doing right now.

For example, in 2024 my intention was simple: stop apologizing for being myself and tell the truth as often as possible. That one intention quietly shaped so many choices. Whenever I hit a crossroads, I checked it against that intention. Little by little, I began editing out choices that made me miserable just because they were “the right thing” by someone else’s standards. As a result, I earned my CSCS, started an LLC, launched a YouTube channel, and took real steps into the fitness industry.

In 2025, I did Dry January, which turned into Dry February, which turned into a new relationship with alcohol altogether. I didn’t “decide to be sober.” I just discovered that I was able to be more present at social events. Giving myself permission to drink whenever I wanted made it easier to choose not to, which was surprisingly empowering.

All of this to say: you have time. Two months is plenty to get a head start on who you want to become.

Try this exercise:

1. Write down what you want… be honest with yourself, EVEN IF IT’S EMBARRASSING.
   a. What’s stopping you from getting it?
   b. How can you remove those obstacles?
   c. What are the logistics? What do you actually need to make this happen?

2. Write down what you don’t want.
   a. What’s the simplest way to reduce or eliminate that in your life?

3. What would your life look like if you succeeded in actualizing this plan?

Here’s a trick: When you work through this, imagine you’re creating this plan for someone else. A lot of us will go to war for people we care about, but struggle to take a stand for ourselves. That little bit of emotional distance can give you a clearer, more compassionate perspective.

baf non sequitur

Have You Tried Volume Eating?

If you’ve been struggling with hunger while trying to hit your macros, volume eating might help. It’s basically choosing foods that are low in calories for their physical size, so you get big portions that keep you full without blowing up your numbers.

Here’s an example of one of my go-to breakfasts:

• 1 cup nonfat high-protein Greek yogurt (120 cal)
• 1 cup frozen berries (80 cal)
• 1 scoop protein powder (120 cal)
• 1/2 cup almond milk (45 cal)
• 1/2 cup oatmeal (150 cal)

That’s a massive bowl of food for only 515 calories and everything in it serves your goals.

Another favorite high-volume meal is Gado Gado, a Balinese dish built around vegetables and spicy peanut sauce.

How to make it:

1. Prep your veggies
   Steam a big batch of broccoli, carrots, cabbage, asparagus — whatever you like.
   Then slice up fresh crunchy veggies like cucumbers and tomatoes.

2. Make your spicy peanut sauce (blend together):
   • 2 tbsp peanut butter
   • 1 tbsp soy sauce, yuzu, coconut aminos, or any umami sauce
   • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
   • Chili-garlic sambal to taste (I can easily go up to 1 tbsp)
   • 1/2–1 tbsp maple syrup, honey, or agave
   • A splash of warm water if it’s too thick

3. Add protein:
   • Boiled eggs
   • Seared tofu
   • Tempeh

Calorie breakdown (rough):
• Up to 3 cups veggies: ~75 cal
• Peanut sauce: ~260 cal
Total before protein: ~335 calories for a giant bowl.

Then add your protein of choice:
• 4.5 oz tempeh: 225 cal, 27g protein
• 9 oz tofu: 210 cal, 24g protein
• 2 eggs: 140 cal, 12g protein

Huge volume, tons of nutrients, and way more filling than something like a PB&J for roughly the same calories.

A Little Holiday Grace

I know it sounds corny, but give yourself a little grace this season. The holidays can be stressful in about twelve different directions at once: family dynamics, food everywhere, schedule chaos, emotional whiplash, the works. So try to stay calm, keep your head above the fray, and have a strategy for the moments that usually send you off the rails.

I’m big on staying solution-oriented. If there’s someone in this room who tries to bait you into a conversation, you genuinely do not need to engage. If you don’t care what their opinion is of you… you do not have to waste your energy explaining yourself or your point of view.

If you know you’re going to inhale h’ors d’oeuvres while you wait for the turkey, eat a big breakfast before you go to grandma’s and skip the grazing altogether. Small, simple choices like that protect your sanity and your goals.

Give yourself some room to breathe, choose the options that feel good long-term, and remember: you’re allowed to take care of yourself even during the holidays—especially during the holidays.

Stay Sane! It will be OK! -Coach CJ