What Nicolette Did

[whatndid]

I'm back (?!)

An update of sorts as I haven't been on here in forever! I was looking (#stalking) a few of my faves that I've been following forever and I remembered how amazing this space was back when I first signed up in 2012 (I think or 2011???) a long time ago anyway... How I lost some weight and started feeling good about myself and met some cool people. And then it all kind of faded away when I moved back home to NZ and yeh... I'm not sure but it would be fun to post regularly again! So anyway... An update!

Back in May which feels equal parts forever ago and not that long ago... My good friend Katrice came over from Aus and we road tripped around the North Island. We met when we both lived in Edinburgh back in the winter of 2010/2011 and it was so great just hanging out with her! We went to Hobbiton (totally recommend and Im not a big Lord of the Rings/Hobbit person. We also went to Rotorua, Taupo, Napier (wine tasting!), Wellington and Ohakune. So much fun! Now to convince her to com back so we can drive around the South Island... :)

And then in July we went for a family holiday to Club Med in Bali. It was amazing!! There were 20 of us (#blendedfamily) and we all got on really well, with enough activities for everyone. I spent a lot of time at the adults pool (pictured) reading and avoiding the sun. Fun fact: I’m the whitest person in my family and they don’t let me forget it, fortunately this also means they always give me the seats with the best shade!

I then decided that I wanted to start adventuring in my own city a bit more so I went on short day trips out of Auckland. I went on this great walk one day in the rain. It was super pretty and there were lots of birds and sheep, all was good until the end where I had to hike through ankle high mud on a steep slope surrounded by cows... I know cows are pretty harmless out of calving season but they were giving me the side-eye so I turned my up as loud as it would go and practically ran down the hill to the car - not all Kiwi’s are used to cows...

I then booked a trip to hike to Everest Base Camp(!!) (I need to write a whole other post about this) in 2017 so I upped my walking game. Above a few photos that are all walking distance t my house. Including the Auckland Harbour, local streets, Eden Park (the home of the All Blacks) and Cornwall Park which is in the city and has livestock on it... still not used to cows though...

Also pretty evening walks up Mt Eden!!

A couple of other random things... including a long weekend trip to Cromwell (near Queenstown) to set up an apartment for my mum and stepdad; Priscilla the stage show, complete with cocktails and light up cocktail glasses at midday on a Sunday; and views for our work client function. 

And now it’s summer and the pohutukawa (our Christmas trees) are in bloom. Auckland looks its best in the summer and the above pictures are from some beaches in the city. Most people don’t stop in Auckland but if you do come, come in summer and hire a car. There are some beautiful spots!

I went wreath making with my mum and now my place is starting to look more Christmassy. We also had our friends annual Christmas lunch today and it was delicious and one of my new favourite traditions.

And with the longest post that I’ve ever done I think I’m all up to date so I’m going to say goodnight and head to bed. Only 9 1/2 more days until summer holidays - can’t wait!!!!!

[whatndid]

I haven’t posted in a couple of days so here’s a wee recap...

Whole30 is still going strong. Some days it’s a struggle, especially at work and especially especially when colleagues open packets of chocolate biscuits (mmm Tim Tams) and stand at my desk eating them. But once I’m home it’s fine.

I was meant to go for a swim last night and I wasn’t in the mood at all. But then I was sitting on the couch feeling a wee bit restless so I went and did an easy km. It felt good.

I finally did BBG arms & abs this morning. I kept putting it off but I randomly woke up at 5.30 this morning so got up and got it done. Tomorrow will be interesting as I’ll do the full body...

I’ve been getting all of my steps in. I even walked home Wednesday night. It was good and took 40 mins and was about 25 flights of stairs... Auckland is hilly guys!

I’m back on Tinder. God I hate this but I was talking to a friend and I’m not getting any younger and I don’t meet men any other way so yeh... back on it.

I’ve had some good chats, some boring ones, a couple of guys who are really slow with saying they have kids. At the moment I don’t want to date a guy with kids, I haven’t dated in ages and would prefer something simple and easy.

I have a date tonight. Hopefully it’s fun. I don’t want another boring date lol

And with that it’s time to get ready for work. Thank F today’s Friday!!!!!!!!

[whatndid]

Don't worry guys I didn't eat all the chocolate 😂 I did complete another day of whole30 though and got my steps in and went for a swim. It was all good and now I'm tired!

[whatndid]

I want chocolate. In any form - chocolate biscuit, chocolate bar, hot chocolate, chocolate milk - or maybe all of them at the same time.... This peppermint tea isn't quite cutting it right now!

[whatndid]

With Whole30 you're not meant to weigh or measure yourself but I need accountability and motivation so I took my weight and measurements this morning. In the past 7 days I've lost 1.7 kgs (!!!) and have lost a total of 13.7 cms off my body! I'm pretty stoked that the 19 day push is paying off 😊 I got my steps in today and ate whole30 (almost - I had fish at my mums that had a wee bit of bread crumbs on it but avoided the grains so I'll call it a win). I also got up at 5.30 and did this weeks legs of BBG pre-training. Walking from the bus to work was hard lol Thanks to those who replied about the hot guy. I messaged him. He came back and he pretty much only wants sex which I'm not entirely against but he's been a dick at replying or confirming anything and I can't be bothered with it. Time to move on I think!! But as you guys reminded me - what did i have to lose?! And it made my afternoon a bit more fun lol

[whatndid]

@high-heel-mileage tagged me in the what's in front of you thing. Mine is pretty uninteresting! I'm at work, there's only 3 of us so it's super quiet today. As you can see I scribble and doodle a lot when I'm working. I also just got a summary of my performance review. It's pretty good so I'm happy. I'm one of those people that likes getting constructive criticism and don't like feedback to be all perfect - cause we all know that's not reality! This was also perfect timing as I have a questions for the tumblr verse... And it's mostly stemming out of the fact that's it's quiet and I'm bored. Should I text the hot guy from tinder?? A few weeks ago he said to message him when I'm free (I seem to be busy most evenings these days?!). I'm free on Friday so could go for a drink. BUT he's hot and I dunno if I'm confident enough in myself yet to meet up with him. I kinda want to wait until after I get back from Bali (after my upcoming holiday there will be another push to Bali..!) but that won't be until mid/late-July and that's a long time away. Anyway, long story short: should I text the hot tinder guy or not?!

[whatndid]

I’m one week through my push19! And I nailed this week!

BBG week 1 - check

swim x 3 - check

yoga x 3 - check

whole30 x 7 - check

step count x 7 - check

My goals for the next 7 days are:

BBG week 2 x 3

swim x 3

yoga x 3

whole30 x 7

steps x 7 (now upped to 7000 - don’t judge, I’m stuck in an office all day!)

walk home from work x 1

get up early to exercise before work x 2

[whatndid]

Today was a successful day! This morning I did BBG week 1 day 3 of the pre-training. I wasn't planning on doing it but my Airbnb people went out early so I was home alone and thought I'd get it out of the way. It was good and hard. My muscles are sore, including my inner thighs, I'm assuming from doing some breaststroke last night?? If it is I should up my breaststroke! I then went for a walk around the block for some steps, then bought some new nikes and then went and hung with my little bro and nieces. They are too cute!! I love them way too much 😍😍 And then I didn't have many steps so I went for a walk. It's May tomorrow which means that it's the 3rd month of Autumn and yet it's beautiful and warm - see the above picture. And then that little dude came and said Hi to me while I was walking, way too cute!! So steps have been completed, the first week of my BBG is down and I ate Whole30 again. And I had cuddles with two 1 year olds. Today was a great day!

[whatndid]

A boring swim post to follow this morning’s boring breakfast post. 

I went for a swim tonight - super exciting Friday night over here... it was my 6th swim in 3 weeks and tonight I did 2 km in about 45 mins (I think, possibly 40 mins). It was good. I feel better and stronger, although I also feel super sore from actually moving my body all week, not a bad thing.

Here’s what I did tonight if you want some super exciting reading:

500m free warm-up

5 x 100m (1 fly drill, 1 back, 1 breast, 1 free, 1 IM)

200 free kick

4 x 50 pace on 60

200 kick (100 free, 100 back)

2 x 100 pace on 2

100 back kick

100 warm-down

I died on the pace. But I know it’s how I’ll get faster and stronger so got to keep at it. Upping mileage and the amount I do with no breaks (that was my first 500m) is all good and will help but I know that doing pace work will help me see bigger improvements - it also goes faster which is always a good thing. Also fly drill because I’m pretty sure I’d die if I did butterfly right now...

I also got my steps in early today and ate Whole30. Already 5 days down in my 19 day push!

And now for some Ted talks and reading - did I mention my Friday night was rock star status?!

[whatndid]

Wow this morning is dragging! But it's Friday so I'm stoked!! I'm currently sitting at work finishing my breakfast. Whole30 makes me eat slow, which is a good thing (it's almost 10am here). My favourite Whole30 breakfast during the week is a hard boiled egg (I do them all on Sunday so no prep needed) and then half a Granny Smith Apple, a whole banana, some lemon juice, cinnamon and shredded coconut. It doesn't sound particularly exciting - and definitely doesn't look it, hence no photo - but it's delicious and fulling and easy to prepare the night before. Wow this has to be one of the most boring posts but at least it killed a few minutes of my day lol

[whatndid]

I’ve had a bit more of a chilled evening tonight. So nice to not be rushing so much.

I did an awesome stretch yoga video and I feel so nice and lose now. I’ve also completed my steps for the day and achieved another day of Whole30. I even prepared dinner for tomorrow as I have Airbnb guests and don’t want to be cooking. And now it’s after 9pm and time to go read in bed for a bit.

I haven’t talked about dating in a bit. I’ve kind of put it on hold for awhile. I’m pretty busy at the moment and don’t want to waste time (or money) with more boring guys - so harsh but so true! I also feel pretty blah and don’t want to date when I’m not feeling my best. 

I was looking through old photos on facebook and it’s funny how I didn’t think it at the time but I look back and all I can think is how gorgeous I looked. That sounds pretty vain but I just want to go back tell myself not to stress - and to keep up the exercise and healthy eating... I was a competitive swimmer until I was almost 18 so was super fit and slim. Then in my twenties I went up and down a lot. I always lost weight quite easily when I was happy and active. Normally that just involved lots of walking and not eating so much - but still drinking a tonne. It’s good to remember that it can be done. I just have to give myself the grace to get through those first few hard months.

And with that I think you all deserve a ‘throwback thursday’ photo of young me just before I turned 26 and road tripped around Turkey with my Dad. This is me at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli, a site where a lot of Kiwis, Aussies and Brits died during WW1 - also fitting as it was Anzac Day on Monday.

[whatndid]

A successful day 3 of my 19 day push. Whole30 went well. Nothing exciting to report. Steps were completed. I did day 2 of BBG and then went for a swim. My arms are so sore! But I got it all done and prepped food for tomorrow and did some laundry and made up the spare room. And now I'm exhausted and am about to head to bed.

[whatndid]

Day 2 went well. I managed to avoid the biscuit jar at work when I was super bored so that's a big win. I got my steps in by parking forever away when I went to the pub quiz tonight and then went for a walk around the (big) block when I got home. Which meant that I saw a rabbit hopping around in the grass near the entrance to my place. Super random. I also squeezed in a short yoga session between dinner and the pub quiz. It was short but it was a good stretch. And now it's time to sleep. So happy it's a 4 day work week!!

[whatndid]

Thanks for your advice on starting projects (except you @fasterphil...).I’ve heard the same as you Kate @ihopeyoulikeblackberries about how projects you’re putting off may not be what you really want to do and I agree. Except that these are things I want to do (photo albums, things for my nieces etc) and it’s frustrating not starting. Which makes me think that your idea Amy @high-heel-mileage from Gretchin Rubin about the power hour is a great idea and which will be a good way to get into the habit of doing stuff.

Which leads me onto my Push19. Using @ihopeyoulikeblackberries 2 week push idea, I’m extending to 19 days which is when my friend comes over from Aus for a holiday. Each week I’m setting new goals, this week includes:

BBG week 1 (I’m doing the 4 weeks of pre-training) x 3

swimming x 3

yoga (at home videos) x 3

Whole30 x 7

hitting my step count each day

Today I hit my step count, mostly because I walked to a friends house and then halfway home after we went to the movies.

I did day 1 of the first week of the BBG pre-training. I’ve done this one many times now (the furtherest I’ve got before is week 5...) and it’s hard. My legs are sore in that awesomely good way.

I also got through my first day of Whole30 (or whole 19...) and it was easy - the first day always is.... Although I did go to the cinema and just had my water, not quite the same with no M&M’s or frozen coke!

Here’s to continuing the week the way it’s started!

[whatndid]

Why can it be so hard to start something that you want to do? I have a bunch of things that I want to do, most aren't hard. Or perhaps, most of them are temporarily hard but I know that the end result is more than worth any temporary discomfit. This obviously applies to working out - the high after a workout is awesome but why is it so hard to start? - but also applies for other things. I have a million (only slight exaggeration) projects I want to do and yet to start them seems impossibly hard. Do you have any suggestions on how to start something?

[whatndid]

Our server is down at work so time for an update... - I went swimming last night. 1.5 km and it was good. I did 600 of it kick and my legs are feeling it this morning. At the moment I'm finding it easiest to do it in sets of 200s with something else thrown in at the end. It goes pretty quickly. - I went on 2 tinder dates on the weekend. I won't see either again. Why can't I meet guys that I'd like to go on a second date with?! Or at least guys that I don't find boring after 30 or so minutes. This dating thing is hard and I'm a bit over it this week. - Talking about tinder... I randomly got a text from the hot guy yesterday. I'd deleted his number so it took a bit to figure out who it was. Fortunately I'm kinda over him. If he wants to meet that's cool, but I'm not going to push it. - my twin nieces turned one last week. God they're the cutest!! They had a birthday party on Sunday and it was good and busy and exhausting. And I saw a candid photo of myself and... Yuck. Pretty depressing. - although it hasn't stopped me eating at the moment #alwayshungry That's all I've got. I'm tired and grumpy and looking forward to it being a long weekend this weekend.

[whatndid]

Distracting you from a boring post about swimming with this cute picture of my friends puppy 😍 Tonight I did 1.3 km with a timed 100m at 1.20. Not too bad considering one end is so shallow I can't tumble turn. I want to keep up the timed 100s so I can see how much I improve. We've recruited another friend so now there's 3 of us going twice a week and I think we all have the same goal to swim the harbour crossing (and maybe some other open water swims) next summer. Plenty of time to train and get fit! And with that I'm going to straighten my hair as I have a possible date tomorrow night 😐