Yeah. I said it. It’s time, Mamas. You can do it. You just…set it down. Better yet, go wash your wine glass right now and put it in the cupboard. Put it in the back of the cupboard. Waaaaay back.

While you’re at it, put down the Caesars (Bloody Mary’s for my American friends), the gin, the sangria, the vanilla-infused vodka, the margaritas, the beer, the all of it! It’s time. Time to get back to feeling great and nourishing your body the way it needs to be nourished so it can work and function the way you need it to function. Life gets busy(er) in the fall so it’s time to help your body out and fuel it properly.

Like many Mamas this summer, I permitted myself to just let go of the rules when it came to nutrition. I still worked out (although granted, it was less frequently than usual), but nutrition? No, I had no time for that. The best part? I simply permitted myself to let it go for a bit. I can be quite strict with my nutrition and this summer I simply needed a break from my own strictness. And break I did!

Bread, peanut butter (gasp! the sugar-added peanut butter!), chocolate for breakfast, white flour muffins, smores, chips, cheese, naaachoooos! Oh yeah, I did it all. Did it feel good at the time?! You bet your sweet buns it did! Does it feel good now? Um…no. Hence the reason it’s time to put it all away and get back on track.

Do I feel bad that I “took the summer off”? Nah. And neither should you. I’ve been talking with my friends over the past few weeks and they’re all feeling guilty about the food they ate over the summer, the drinks they drank and the snacks they hoovered around the campfire. Consider this your permission to let it go. Give yourself a break, won’t you?!

Did you have fun? Did you laugh? Were you silly? Did you enjoy those cold drinks in the heat of summer? Did you make wonderful and hilarious memories? See? It’s not all bad. So stop talking poorly about yourself. What’s done is done.  I’m a fitness professional, for goodness sake, and I know how to fuel my body properly…I simply decided not to this summer. And you know what? I say “GO ME!”. If I can let it go and not feel guilty about it, you should do the same. Okay?!

The flip side to all the gluttony? Well, now I feel blech. My jeans are much too tight (thank the good Lord for leggings!), my arms jiggle a bit and my energy levels are kaput. I feel tired and sluggish. But I continue to refuse to berate myself. And so should you.

It’s okay to take a break every now and then. Give yourself, your body, your rules a break and don’t feel bad about it! Celebrate it! And now we make a plan.

I know the nutrition plan I will be following (it’s not even a plan, it’s just healthy eating) and I know the workouts I will be doing. Now, it’s all about prep. I need to write out my monthly meal plan and I need to schedule my workouts in my calendar. I encourage you to do the same. Make a plan, schedule it and let’s get back to feeling amazing, shall we?

Personally, I’m about to hit Hot Mama’s 28-Day at-home workout, IGNITE – Burn Level. It’s a good reset program and has a serious metabolic kick to help boost my sluggish metabolism. That’s what I’m going to do. What about you? How are you going to get back to feeling great this fall? I’d love to hear about it!

And Mamas…seriously…I hope you’ve enjoyed your summer! Don’t ruin it by guilting yourself about the choices you made. Embrace them, laugh at them and now make a plan to start feeling better. It can truly be as simple as that!