What Are You Thankful For?

This is a great time of year to focus on the power of gratitude. Your Weekly encourages you to explore the benefits of appreciating the little (and not so little) things in life. Reflecting on "three good things" that happen to you each day can help you become more aware of small moments of pleasure, grace, and joy. (The natural flip side is that we are less likely to let small, negative things take over our mood and day.) Doing so can boost your happiness quotient. And there's more: Expressing gratitude ripples forth into many aspects of your life, from boosting your feelings of connection to others to diminishing feelings of stress and depression. And it can even contribute to improved body image and increased physical activity. In short, tuning in to and tuning up feelings of gratitude can help you live a healthier life.

Why not take the next step and focus on what you can appreciate about your weight-loss journey? Achieving your weight goal will feel great, no doubt. But it's important to give a nod to the fun or inspiring or surprising stuff along the way and recognize what you actually enjoy about the process of shedding pounds. If it's never occurred to you before, now's a good time to stop and smell the proverbial roses. When you do so, you:

• Won't feel as discouraged when weight loss goes more slowly than you wish.

• Will be better able to stick with your Plan, since abandoning your quest means you give up more than weight loss.

Consider some of the things you actually like about losing weight. For starters:

• Trying new recipes.

• Climbing stairs.

• Seeing your toes.

• Writing in your journal.

• Sharing inspiration and conversation on Connect.

• Feeling your toned biceps.

• Rewarding your progress with nonfood treats.

• Buying new, smaller clothing.

• [your "good thing" here!]