Have you ever wanted to wave a magic wand and fix your body in 15 minutes?

I have too, but, unfortunately, it’s never worked for me. Probably not you either. 

Body Image

When I was a teen, I was obsessed with my body image. Since childhood, I have been overly skinny, and while all my friends were turning into curvy young women, I remained stuck in a stick-straight body. 

“I’m just going to stuff myself with food to quickly gain some weight,” I thought.. 

This lasted all of about two days and ended dramatically when I ate so much that I ended up throwing up and lost weight instead of gaining! 

Miracle Cure?

It’s likely that you had or currently have a similar obsession, maybe losing weight, or concern about your acne or wrinkles, or some other affliction. 

Why is it that as women we are prone to looking for the miracle cure, something that will change this NOW? In my teens, I never knew that drastic measures rarely bring lasting results. Admittedly, it has taken me well into my adult years to learn that lesson.  

Small Healthy Habits Practiced Consistently

What I finally realized is many of our challenges can be overcome by adopting small healthy habits practiced consistently over time — in other words, taking a more balanced approach. 

Starting a new habit, however, can be a bit of a challenge.

Work Within Your Schedule

We first have to overcome or work within the limits of our schedules. 

As we all know, we’ve just transitioned into fall. Summer is over, and the tempo of life has accelerated. 

• If you have children, you’re back in school and after-school activities. 
• Work often picks up as companies push to reach their yearly goals and budgets. 
• Labor Day kicked off the first holiday of many to come over the next five months.

And unfortunately, caring for ourselves is often the first thing to go from our list of priorities when life gets busy. What to do?

A Solution

Care for yourself by reclaiming just 15 minutes that you would otherwise fritter away in your day. Use this time to establish a new quick healthy habit to pamper your body with food, exercise, or a beauty treatment. (I first learned this lesson from Marcia Cilley the FlyLady. She taught me to clean my home in 15-minute time increments.)

You may be wondering what good could come from 15 minutes, but consider …

• One 15-minute healthy habit done daily for a week = 1 hour, 45 minutes of time spent on caring for yourself.
• One 15-minute healthy habit  done daily for a month = 7 hours, 30 minutes of time spent caring for yourself.
• One 15-minute healthy habit done daily for a year = 90 hours time spent caring for yourself!

It’s amazing how a few minutes a day adds up! 

But What Can I Possibly Do In 15 Minutes?

I’m glad you asked. Our September blog focus is on Fab 15-minute healthy habits at home for your body, soul, and spirit. This week Mary Kane and I are sharing a few of our Fab 15 tips for the body. 

Fab 15-minute Beauty

1. French Green clay mask. I discovered green clay a few years ago in an herbal beauty class and began selling it in my online Botanically Me store. French green clay is so easy to use and the benefits are amazing. Here is a post I wrote about French Green Clay that includes a very easy recipe to mix up in a minute. If you’d like to try the green clay, I have several 1-oz tins available for purchase in my Square store. Just click on the link and I will ship it to you. 
2. Dermaplaning razors for your skin. Mary loves these and uses them every other day or so for dermaplaning her face.  One benefit  is they help to improve circulation. This is the brand she uses and orders from Amazon. It takes just minutes.
3. Another favorite tool of Mary’s are quartz facial massage stones.  According to the link, here are the benefits of using this little tool for a few minutes each morning. One benefit of the stones is helping lymphatic drainage.

Fab 15-Minute Exercises

If you only have a few minutes in your schedule, you can still exercise. For years I could just never settle on a time to exercise. It wasn’t until I started doing some of these 15-minute suggestions that I started to gain some victory with consistent exercise. Start small and work up. Every little bit helps. 

• Walk around the block. Take a break from your work and do a lap. 
• Short bike ride. Start with 1/2 mile. It only takes about 4 minutes. Then turn around and come back. One mile completed. 
• 10-minute indoor walk with Leslie Sansone. You’ll love this!
• 15-Minute Morning Stretch with Jesus by Crystal Clear. Just wow. What a beautiful way to start the day!

Fab 15-Minute Food

1. 15-minute breakfast. I have recently discovered Kelly LeVeque and her plan for healthy eating to balance your blood sugar. She recommends everyone start simply with her Fab Four Smoothie. This is easy to do. Click on the link for several recipes.
2. 15-minute Lunch. Mary is an expert at packing her lunch to take to work. Her biggest tip is to make your lunch for the next day while you’re making your dinner the night before. You already have everything out, so do it now. Mary’s go-to is a salad with protein that she packs in a glass pyrex bowl inside a personal size cooler. Choose from several of the following ingredients: Your favorite salad greens with:  Edamame or Jovial garbanzo beans or eggs or chicken (protein); cultured sauer kraut, shredded carrots, shredded red cabbage, micro greens, shelled English peas, cheese, radishes, nuts, and your favorite healthy dressing — or simply dress with olive oil. 
3. 15-minute Dinner (Herby Italian Chicken) by Kelly Leveque. https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/home-and-family/recipes/kelly-leveque-herby-italian-chicken. 

One final tip from Mary to save angst in the morning rush: Pick out your clothes the night before!

Ladies, we may not have a magic wand, but we’ve got several fab 15-Minute Healthy Habits that can rock our world as we consistently apply them. Start with one. And hit the comment button below and tell us what you’re thinking of trying. We’d love to hear!

 Note: A few of the above links are Amazon affiliate links. Thank you for supporting our ministry.