Typecast

This Fitbitches Run Down might be a bit of a 'woe is me' type of post as I've been having a(nother) personal battle with my running. It's really hard to explain but I've felt very panicked every time I've started to run, I've struggled to find a good pace and I've had to really slow my pace (not that I'm fast anyway!!). I think it started with an ankle injury a few weeks back. I tripped over the back step (it's long story and it involved a full bowl of hot water too - think: £250's worth of You've Been Framed clip if anyone had have been filming) and ended up hobbling around for a few days. I took the sensible decision to rest for a week and then gingerly tried to run again. I have no idea what was going on up there * taps forehead * but I felt like I couldn't run again; or at least, not for any distance. There was even a couple of occasions with the full tears and snot and almost needing a brown paper bag for my breathing. My run...

Do you like the new logo? Isn't it just bloody awesome? I'm in the process of properly branding the #FitbitchesMOVEment and my friend, Amy, designed this for me (she comes highly recommended and reasonably priced - let me know if you want her details). I wanted to showcase a "powerful and active woman" not specifically engaged in any one fitness activity but also not emulating the 'We Can Do It' symbol of feminism. I think this is spot on. I've already teased it a bit here and there but watch out for it here, on Facebook and on Instagram . Being Active Every Day In April At the end of last month I made a promise to myself to be active every day in April. I thought I could run every day or do some form of additional exercise; as it was, I took it upon myself to do the 30-day squat challenge (lead by an app on my phone) which started innocently with 30 squats and finished on a thigh-aching 195 squats. As I moved through the month, I found mys...

April felt like such a long month but I think some of that was because I was counting the days on a 30-day squat challenge (more of that in the monthly Fitbitches blog post). But long months provide lots of learning opportunities so here are my favourite few.  Buckle in... it's a long ride! My picture of Carol's bin and my declaration that she is my hero is one of my most popular photos of the month.  # BinGate is the hot topic of the month... probably even the year. I thought our plight was a common one but it seems that it isn't. It's a long story, but on many occasion our wheely bin is stolen. It is deliberately taken and used for a full fortnight until the next collection day for one of two reasons; (1) a neighbour doesn't own their own bin, will not pay the council fee of £20 for a new one, so takes the one nearest to their gate on collection day or (2) they didn't put their own bin out in time for collection and emptying so just take one when they th...

Back in March my Facebook Messenger pinged at around 8.30am and the conversation went something exactly like this: Laura : Ok, really bloody random question but if you had the chance to spend a few nights in Helsinki with me and go to an influencer (cringe) event where Casey Neistat was speaking would you be up for it? Me : Holy fuck, Laura! You know how to wake a girl up! Me : In an ideal world I'd jump at the chance but [..] it's not something I can do Me : I'm flogging myself with a big stick right now Laura : I understand. I saw Casey's name and thought I had to ask because otherwise you would hate me forever Me : Do me one favour - just give him a piece of paper with "I ❤ @nickieohara" on it and get him to sign it. I'm sure he'll be FINE with that. Or a video message. No pressure. Laura : LOL. I'll see what I can do. So, I then imagined that Laura blocked me on all social media channels, just i...

As a blogger,  National Stationery Week may very well be my most favourite week in the year.  It's at this time of year that I get free rein on talking about stationery (not that it's ever stopped me before...) and it's the perfect opportunity for me to recommend my favourite stationery items.  I'll be updating this blog post each evening this week in line with the themes from National Stationery Week (I've included them below so you can join in too if you like) and talking about how and why I love stationery so much. Monday : Pen & Pencil Day Tuesday : Get Crafty Wednesday : World Stationery Day Thursday : Thank You Thursday Friday : Fountain Pen Friday Saturday : Signature Saturday Sunday : Write A Letter Day Pen and Pencil Day Writing implements are always a tough one for me. I mean, I'm a sucker for a nice pen - even one engraved with my name - but the pen has to be heavy and I prefer a thick barrel due to the way in which I hold my p...

Later this year my husband and I are jetting off to Corfu to celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary. Yes, I know I don't look old enough... it's very kind of you to say so.   Anyway, over the next few weeks I'm trying to prepare properly for our break by ensuring that I travel light, yet functional, as I have a tendency to over-pack. Summer holiday essentials... what would you add to the list?  [ click to tweet ] I'm loving looking at ideas for beach, day and evening wear and need to make sure I've got a good mix-and-match wardrobe. I've noticed a lot of blue and white on offer for this season.  Styles that I'm loving are longer length shorts, tunic tops and light, floaty summer maxi-dresses  that don't cling in all the wrong places. You can't go wrong with tan shoes so I'll be packing my Roxanne wedges from Hotter Shoes which are so comfy that I could wear them all day but I spotted their matching ' Resort Sandals ...

Recently I wrote my top three tips for starting a bullet journal  and here I'll expand on how I have adapted the bullet journal system to suit my own planning needs. I was bullet journalling before Buzzfeed et al discovered the phenomenon and will continue to do so when everyone has moved onto The Next Best Thing because bullet journaling really helps me to be productive. I've been through the notebook-of-doubt phase and I've used all the washi-tape and stickers and I've come out the other side. Here are my next five tips for making your bullet journal work for you. 5 top tips to help you personalise your bullet journal and keep it simple [ click to tweet ] 1. Find the notebook that suits you This may be a pocket notebook, a  Leuchtturm 1917 or Moleskine , a Filofax or standard notebook with a motivational quote on the front of it. My preference varies as I've had a bullet journal in a travellers notebook system and have found a way to merge m...