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 This week we launch the nzgirl Fitness Diary with our personal trainer Sibs analysing your athletic attempts!
You may recognise Sibyl Mandow from our popular 'nzgirl No Excuses Fitness Challenge' - she's been whipping us into shape here at nzgirl HQ and we love her to pieces! But, never ones to hog the limelight, we thought it only fair that we opened up Sybill's knowledge to ALL nzgirls, hence the nzgirl Fitness Diary was born. This week, she gives the goss on her routine... If you think your fitness regime is in need of an overhaul, then you better send in your fitness diary to us and we'll let Sibyl at it - she's gentle we promise! 
Fitness Diary Of: A Personal Trainer Name: Sibyl Mandow
Job: Personal Trainer Monday: I start the week with some cardio. Something energetic like an RPM class in the evening after work. It's 45 minutes of pure cardio. All I have to do is turn up at the right time, get into it and do what I'm told. Classes like RPM are a fantastic workout because they're high intensity cardio, make you sweat heaps and are set to up tempo music.  Tuesday: I head to the gym at lunchtime, with some weights - this doesn't get me too sweaty for the afternoon of work! I warm up with five minutes of cardio on an exercycle then get into upperbody weights. This takes from 45 minutes to an hour and works your upperbody.
Wednesday: Today I tackle some more cardio, I get up early and go for a 40 minute run around my neighbourhood going on road and through my local park, finishing up with a big hill climb. Thursday: Tuesday was upper body, today it's all about the lower body! I tackle the lunges, squats and leg raises when I get home. A good way to work out the day's stresses! Friday: To finish off the working week I fit in a burst of cardio in the morning. I like to go for a difficult run or up the tempo with a hill climb. Today I tackle Jacob's Ladder (Ed's note: kudos to Sibs for tackling this voluntarily) as I can get the same outcome from an hour's flat running by spending 30 minutes running up and down the stairs.  Weekend: I like to take it casual on the weekend, so will fit in something more casual and fun on Saturday like a bikeride along the waterfront or some indoor rock climbing. Sunday is my day of rest! Ahhhhh bliss.
Expert Analysis from nzgirl's super Personal Trainer Sibyl Mandow A well thought out fitness routine isn't about working yourself into the ground - it's about tackling the exercise in an achievable way that works for you! You should aim to mix up the cardio and weights so that you get a rest from each and your muscles get a chance to grow in a healthy way! Cardio: Cardio is great because it makes you feel good (happy endorphins!), boosts your fitness levels and increases your heat and lung capacity and makes your skin glow! Three times a week is a good number to aim for - you don't have to run a marathon everyday before breakfast, you just need to make an effort. You can do it before breakfast to set you up for the day, at lunchtime to keep you focussed for the rest of the day, or after work to blow out the cobwebs. Mix up the intensity - as you can see from my week, a long flat run one day through the park packs the same punch as a short burst of exercise that exhausts you. Weights: Weights are as important as cardio - even if you only think you're a runner! Make sure to keep a whole day's rest in between so your muscles can repair themselves and grow bigger!  If you're still not convinced of the value of weights then remember that weights help your cardio becasue they make your legs strong for running, the more muscles you have the more fat you're burning when your body is at rest, it helps you look and feel toned and taut AND for us girls, it's also important because it increases bone density and helps prevent osteporosis.
And remember, just doing something is better than doing nothing! Ed's note: We asked Sibyl to divulge her secrets thinking that we'd be able to admire her healthy habits from a distance - how could we compare with a PT? But turns out Sibs is smarter than that - she's no over-obsessive gym bunny but she's still fit and active by combining cardio and weights in a smart, sassy and sensible way.
When you put it out like she has, a day of this, a day of that, something fun for the weekend and a sleepin on Sunday - it's totally achievable!!
If you want Sibyl's help you can email us above with your fitness diary for her to analyse. OR if you want Sibyl to whip your body in to shape, simply email her at sibylpersonaltrainer@hotmail.com or giver her a call on 027 574 3775. She is truly amazing, and we give her the complete nzgirl stamp of approval! .jpg)
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