I came home to the most spectacular sky. The sky was lit orange and salmon, with vivid blues streaking across the horizon, it was an extraordinary expanse of color. It was so surprising, so unexpected. A far cry from the icy, yucky, wintry mix that greeted me on my ride home.

How does beauty impact your weight loss journey? Appreciating beauty has some remarkable benefits that are easily overlooked. Today was hectic, and it would be easy to just dig into the “have to’s” that consume so much precious time. I have to get home. I have to get to the school to be on time to pick up my son. I have to cook dinner. I have to clean up. I have to work on that proposal. I have to wash my clothes for tomorrow. The list could keep going…

The thing is, all that stress makes it harder to stay on track with weight loss goals. That beautiful sky filled me up with a sense of wellbeing. I breathed deeply and marveled at it. I felt good. So, by the time I got home I was ready to do the “have to’s”. It also helped a lot that I planned ahead and had my lunch for tomorrow ready to go. There are choices that can be made that end up really making the difference.

When we are stressed out it depletes our willpower. Willpower is nestled in the Prefrontal Cortex. My guess it’s in the sweet spot between emotion, attention, and judgment! Beauty is a way to offset the life’s stressors. Planning ahead when you’re feeling strong helps for the times when you’re feeling weak. It sounds cliche, but it is all about finding balance. I think my body is an extension of my state of mind.