Summer holidays, backyard barbeques, and long lazy nights can make it difficult to maintain your workout regimen and healthy eating. If you overindulged on the Fourth of July or took an extended rest period for your summer vacation, now’s the time to get back on track and hit your goals. So much of health research is complicated and conflicting, but FitClub has a SIMPLE plan to help you get back on track and resume your healthy lifestyle.

Following the SIMPLE plan below will have you feeling fitter and healthier than before the holiday!

Start now. If your Fourth of July left you feeling like a contestant in the Annual Hotdog Eating Contest, start right now on getting back on track. Everyone has a rest day or a cheat meal, but to undo the damage all you have to do is start again as quickly as possible. Take your workout clothes out of the laundry and hit FitClub as soon as you realize your slips.

Intentions. If you started the summer with the intention to commit to your health and get fit and then suffered a summer slipup, it’s time to reaffirm your intention. Everyone has off days (or even off weeks), but reaffirming your intentions repeatedly will remind you why you started pursuing a healthier lifestyle.

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Meal prep. It’s hard to consistently eat healthy when you’re on a summer vacation, but don’t let a week long summer vacation become a season long excuse to eat poorly. Take advantage of whatever free time you have on a summer weekend and clean and cut your vegetables and fruit, prepare the lean protein of your choice, and making tossing together a healthy meal simpler and more efficient.

Push yourself. If you’ve noticed yourself gaining weight or feeling lethargic, it’s time to push yourself a little harder when you get back to FitClub. Consider adding HIIT to your repertoire, increasing repetitions, or adding speed to your cardiovascular workouts. Pushing yourself a little harder, will help you power through slips and get you into better shape more quickly.

Learn your lesson. How did you feel when you ate poorly for a week or spent too many days away from FitClub? Lethargic? Bloated? Depressed? Everyone slips from time to time, but taking note of how you feel when you make less-than-ideal food choices will motivate you to do better in the future and to limit the duration and amount of cheat days.

Excuse yourself. Beating yourself up about a week or two away from your healthy lifestyle will only leave you feeling depressed and dispirited. Excuse yourself for your unhealthy choices and commit to doing better in the future. Instead of being too hard on yourself, remember why you started living a healthier lifestyle and keep chasing your goals.

Have you had a summer slipup? What works for you to get back on track?