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Challenge Complete

Posted on March 14, 2018March 14, 2018 by Loni Townsend

The Colonel’s Challenge ended last week. It took me scrambling to get in some aerobic and high intensity work out there at the end, but I did it.

There are actually four areas to the Colonel’s challenge, which includes losing 5% of your body weight, but I didn’t make it there. I lost 4 lbs in 10 weeks, but I couldn’t shed that final 3 to meet 5%. I’m not too terribly upset with it, though. I’m under 140 now, so I’m on track to meet my goal of weighing 125 by the end of October.

I got a few badges out of it, which includes being in the top 10 for women’s situps/pushups (8th overall) and top 10 for swimming (4th out of 4, but hey, I got into the pool and did some stuff). I also got an ant for working out for more than 2 hours once, and a bee for working out for at least 50 days during the challenge.

The state of Idaho recently deemed that rewards and incentives for the Colonel’s Challenge participants weren’t appropriate use of funds, so there’ll be no fancy water bottles, challenge tokens, key chains, or pins this year for hitting the goals. But I knew that going into it, so no hard feelings there. My sis-in-law and I are going to continue our schedule of weightlifting three times a week and running twice because we’ve found it works for us. Plus, I’ve got another 15 lbs to shed to meet my goal of losing 30 in a year’s time.

Writing wise, I mentioned last week that I was struggling with a scene and my gut told me it should be the earthquake that separates my POV from his friend. By the time Wednesday ended, I had given in to the idea and reworked my character’s entire timeline. The trickle effect started in chapter 4 and resulted in removing two chapters, introducing a character several chapters earlier, and taking three characters out of the book completely. It sucks because it’s a lot of work, but I’m confident it’s the right move. Now we’ll see how quickly I can put it all together to get back to my halfway mark.

How are your fitness goals going? How is your writing? What is making you feel confident lately?

18 thoughts on “Challenge Complete”

  1. J.C. Jackson says:
    March 14, 2018 at 9:58 AM

    Yay! Go, Loni!

    Thankfully my workout routine is starting to settle back to normal. It’s going to still be a bit wonky for the next few weeks, but much more doable. Goals-wise, I think I need to reevaluate what those are.

    Reply
  2. C.G.Coppola says:
    March 14, 2018 at 10:11 AM

    I have no fitness goals other than don’t become obese. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Giiiirrrrl. That rework sounds like a LOT of work, but if your gut is telling you that’s how it’s supposed to work – you go! You have to listen to your gut so bravo for taking this big leap. It’ll definitely be worth it in the end ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  3. Alex J. Cavanaugh says:
    March 14, 2018 at 11:57 AM

    You’re healthier and on the right track – that’s a pretty good reward and better than a water bottle any day! Good job.

    Reply
  4. Mason T. Matchak says:
    March 14, 2018 at 5:16 PM

    That’s a hell of a lot of workout, and I think it’s awesome that you’re doing so much. ^_^ I work out regularly, but it’s almost more to maintain than to lose, and I’ve been so mentally exhausted lately that it’s hard to get myself to the gym. But I usually do.

    Glad to hear the writing reorganization is going well too, even if it means cutting a lot of stuff. Hopefully it’s all worth it in the end. (The less said about my own ‘writing’, the better.)

    Reply
  5. Liz A. says:
    March 14, 2018 at 5:55 PM

    In writing, you should always go with your gut. The work will have been worth it ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  6. Elsie says:
    March 15, 2018 at 5:57 AM

    Dang! You go, girl! That amazing! I’m so proud of your fitness goals and your writing achievements. I struggle with removing a few chapters and there you are taking out characters. You rock! Keep up the great work!!

    Elsie

    Reply
  7. Arlee Bird says:
    March 15, 2018 at 8:38 AM

    Congratulations on your fitness achievement. That’s a bit much of a challenge for me though I could use a bit more exercise.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

    Reply
  8. C. Lee McKenzie says:
    March 15, 2018 at 8:45 AM

    Cheering you on, Loni. You took the challenge and did a bang up job! As to the writing, I love that you rearranged the character timeline and got that under control. I think you’re on a roll.

    Reply
  9. Joleene Naylor says:
    March 15, 2018 at 10:45 AM

    Congrats!

    Reply
  10. Julie Flanders says:
    March 16, 2018 at 6:16 AM

    Congratulations!! That’s fantastic. And it sounds like you are making the right changes with your story. I bet it won’t be long at all before you reach that halfway mark again. Woot!

    Reply
  11. Madeline Mora-Summonte says:
    March 16, 2018 at 6:35 AM

    Well done, Loni! I am thoroughly impressed! My weight loss goals are coming along . . . very . . . slowly. I remind myself it’s a marathon, not a sprint – it took awhile to put the weight on, it will take awhile to lose it. It would probably help if I moved more. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  12. Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor says:
    March 16, 2018 at 9:35 AM

    Well done on the challenge! I wish I had the same level of dedication and focus that you do.

    Reply
  13. L. Diane Wolfe says:
    March 16, 2018 at 10:35 AM

    Congrats! You probably didn’t lose the weight you wanted because that kind of workout puts on muscle which weighs more than fat.

    Reply
  14. Patricia Lynne says:
    March 16, 2018 at 6:32 PM

    Great job!

    Reply
  15. Roland R Clarke says:
    March 18, 2018 at 6:42 PM

    Congratulations on your fitness achievements – and on tackling the timeline re-work. Guess our Governor Butch has better plans for our money, even if he is retiring.

    Reply
  16. H.R. Sinclair says:
    March 19, 2018 at 11:04 AM

    Wow! You did awesome. This last week my fitness went to the crapper, but sometimes that happens. My confidence booster when I fixed my screen door! (Thanks for letting me know about my title typo!)

    Reply
  17. Jeri says:
    March 19, 2018 at 4:06 PM

    The first two months of the year saw me getting back into the swing of things, but then the chemo abscess reared its head again. That threw me off track, but I’ll know more tomorrow after I consult with the surgeon about my MRI. Fitness goals and writing goals have so much in common. We are often thrown off course, but it’s just a matter of acknowledging they can’t all be good days and it’s always possible to get back on course.

    Reply
  18. Anna says:
    March 20, 2018 at 10:42 AM

    Doing what feels right will bump up your project. Good luck with the battle. I have no doubt you’ll do great. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply

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Welcome to my blog. I post here on Wednesdays most of the time, but you can find me on social media any day of the week. My topics include my stories and writing, life at the Town's End, creating and tinkering with graphics, things I learn and think might be helpful to others, and the occasional amateur photo. Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you around.

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