Listen, I get it. Life gets busy, you work all day, come home, cook dinner, do homework with your kids, throw in some laundry and if you’re lucky spend time with your significant other. Next thing you know, it’s been 3, 4 or even 5 weeks since you’ve worked out. Now you’re banging your head against the wall asking yourself where you went wrong.

The answer is, you didn’t.

Having a fitness relapse isn’t a matter of what, it’s a matter of when.

Since falling off the fitness wagon is sometimes a given, what’s important, is knowing what to do when it happens. When it comes to maintaining weight loss, people who have developed good relapse skills are much more likely to be successful in the long run.

Here’s a little story to help you.

When I was pregnant with my first child I took a break from working out after having exercised regularly for 6 years prior to becoming pregnant. I ate horrible food daily, and by that I mean McDonald’s Big Macs everyday for 8 months, and became completely sedentary. The result…I gained 60 pounds with my first child and didn’t even carry her to term! So believe me when I tell you, no one is immune to falling off the fitness wagon.

How did I get myself back? Shortly after giving birth I renewed my motivation by going back to eating a clean vegan diet and working out when my daughter was napping. I’d be lying if I said it was easy. I was still in university and was managing being a full-time student with being a mom.

So…what does this have to do with you? Everything.

If I could do it, then so can you. Remember, we all fall off, but the most important thing is how quickly we can dust ourselves off and get back on.