As Janet Says... "Control"

"The only thing you can control is your own effort.” ― T. van den Beld

I am going to whine for a minute but stay with me through this post (sorry in advance - it's been a rough few weeks). 

I can't control that I injured my leg a few weeks out from my first race. I can't control that I've been on-hold from doing cardio since late September (just when I was gaining momentum on my weight loss and overall well-being). I can't control the constant unresolved stressors or the ones that often seem to be come out of nowhere.

I can control how I've been holding back so much...even though I don't want to. 

- All I want to do is run, but I'm not so my leg will heal correctly so I can run for longer injury-free.

I can control that per the doctor's orders I have been squeezing in my physical therapy sessions consistently.

- I have done this on my only free-time from my toddler (during her pre-school time). Believe me - I love her SO much, but this is a sacrifice in itself. A special shot out to both my mom and dad who have helped me be able to do this by watching the baby during these sessions.

I can control that I've stepped out of my comfort zone to try to get fit and try to maintain the endurance I gained since starting running in July.

- My physical therapist allowed me to start the stair master and/or elliptical last week. I joined a gym and have been doing both at least every other day. Yesterday I was on one of two stair masters in the place and in walks a former model who gets on the stair master next to me - no joke. I felt like a big, sweaty, red-faced idiot. She had hot pink lipstick on and didn't break a sweat.

I can control the meals that I've been eating. 

- I'm not going to lie - this has been a tough one for me. I haven't been following all of the guidelines I set out on the blog in late July/early August that helped me lose the 20 pounds... However it's been easier since I started cardio again. It's a lot easier to want to eat healthy when you are getting a good workout. 

I can control the effort I put forth in this blog and its "open-book" policy.

- I started this blog to keep me honest on my quest to get healthy - put it all out there - the victories and the failures. As stated in my last post, I've been super scared of the scale and haven't weighed myself in awhile because I knew it wasn't going to be pretty. I actually even held off posting on the blog last week because I didn't want to do it. I did this morning and it wasn't as bad as I thought. I gained 1.5 pounds - I am still down 18.5 since July overall. Now that cardio is a consistent part of my life again, I know that the 1.5 are going to come off fast and the pounds are going to continue to melt away (and hopefully those endorphins will kick in again and my mood will improve too!). 
- I can control that I won't miss a post again.

I am still inspired. Inspired more than ever to run.  

My goal is still to lose a little over 60 more pounds and run races. Starting with a 5K, then a 10K and then a half marathon by next September :).

Question: Have any of you tried any of the recipes I've posted? Good ? Bad ? Indifferent ? ....

SONG THAT KEPT ME ON THE STAIR MASTER THIS WEEK: "Womanizer" B. Spears (no joke)

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE: Spaghetti Squash with Tomato-Caper Meat Sauce (so easy, so healthy and good).

1 large spaghetti squash

1 lb of ground beef or sirloin (preferably grass-fed)

4 cloves of garlic

1 large onion

5 tbs. capers

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

3 tbs. chopped fresh basil

a little fresh shaved parmesan

fresh ground pepper to taste.

Spaghetti Squash:

Pierce the squash several times (all over) with a sharp knife. Place in baking dish. Bake at 375 for 1 hour or so (until squash is very tender when pierced with fork). It is going to be super hot so use an oven mitt to hold in place  when you cut in half length wise. Let cool for a few minutes. Then take a spoon and scoop out seeds and toss. Then use a fork to scrape out the "spaghetti">

Tomato-Caper Meat Sauce:

Brown and drain the meat. Then I also place on folded paper towel on a plate, top with paper towel and blot soak up remaining fat. I prefer for many reasons to eat grass fed beef which isn't quite as lean as Laura's Lean etc. so it takes a little extra effort to make leaner :).

Mince garlic and onions. I use my cuisinart mini-prep since I like a fine chop here but you could use a knife.

Put olive oil in sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic, onions and capers and cook for 3 minutes - stirring as not to burn. Add tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes (or longer if you want less liquid).  

Top squash spaghetti with sauce, a little fresh basil and parmesan. I for one loved it :).