Change your Body - Is your Body Acidic or Alkaline?
by
Monica Wright
and by
Matt Thom
Copyright 2013 Monica Wright,
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by Fitness Kick Pty Ltd
Converted by http://www.eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-0-9924-1041-4
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. They can be contacted at www.fitnesskick. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
“The best effect of any book is that it excites the reader to self activity”.
—Thomas Carlyle, 1795 - 1881
“So much more than a fitness book,
this information can be used to
propel you forward in any area of
your life; it is truly life changing.
If you have a sincere desire to change
your life, this book is a handbook that
you’ll use over and over again.”
– Bob Proctor, You Were Born Rich,
and teacher on The Secret
Disclaimer
This book is written as a source of information only. It is solely for informational and educational purposes and is not medical advice. This book should by no means be considered a substitute for the advice of a qualified medical practitioner. Please consult a medical professional before commencing an exercise regime, nutritional plan, or changing your health habits. While the information contained in this book is the opinion of the authors, every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information as of the date published. None of the statements in this book have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
The authors and publishers disclaim all responsibility for any adverse effects, damages, or losses arising from the use of information contained in this book. Duplication of any part of this book is prohibited without prior permission from the authors.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to our amazing parents, family, and friends. These wonderful people all unconditionally supported two dreamers in their pursuit to increase the health and wellness of everyone around them.
This book is also dedicated to all our personal training clients who have inspired and challenged us over the last 15 years. Thank you for entrusting us with the most important thing in the world . . . your health.
Foreword
I knew when I first met my husband, Matt, that my life would change forever. He had an energy and attitude about him that drew me in like an invisible force field. We met at Indian Head Summer Camp in Pennsylvania, U.S.A., on June 22, 1996. We were both summer camp counsellors to over 500 American children; I was running the gymnastic program, and he was teaching aussie rules, rugby and martial arts.
The summer camp lasted for nine weeks, and over this short time we developed a special bond. We fell in love and wanted to spend all our waking hours together. This attraction even got us in trouble with the camp’s strict curfews and counsellor guidelines, but we didn’t care. At the time, every minute was worth the risk. After the camp, we travelled around America for three amazing weeks. The experience of eating American food for 12 weeks was the turning point in our lives. We had never eaten so much processed food! I remember ordering a vegetarian pizza in a café and getting a pizza base with olives, onion, and cheese! The next time I ordered a vegetarian pizza, much to Matt’s dismay, I asked the waitress if they could put chopped broccoli on the pizza, if I provided the broccoli. They said, “No problem.” So, I headed out to the cooler in the car and came back with the broccoli.
My mum always served healthy meals at home, meals full of vegetables. So, it seemed completely alien to me to eat anything that wasn’t served with salad or veggies. When I was living in Melbourne with my flatmate, Serena, she served baked bean toasted sandwiches for dinner one night. I immediately jumped up and quickly steamed a big bowl of broccoli for both of us. My sisters and Serena even presented me with a broccoli bouquet at my wedding.
I’m not sure what Matt thought of my obsession with broccoli and healthy eating, but it made us both realise how important eating a clean diet was for energy and maintaining a healthy weight. We both put on weight while in America, and on our return to Melbourne got straight back into our training and healthy eating. Matt started his personal training business, and I went straight into full-time gymnastic coaching at Loreto Mandeville Hall, Toorak.
I had been back in Australia for about 18 months when a friend suggested I try fitness competitions. I had never heard of them before, so I went along to watch a competition and was totally hooked! Getting up on stage was the challenge I had been looking for and it didn’t seem that much different than gymnastics. My strength was the acrobatic fitness routine and I found that the weight training Matt was teaching me had really changed my body. I loved how I could manipulate food and training to achieve a muscular, toned body. When I walked out on stage in 1999 for the first time, I felt amazing and wanted to show everyone my acrobatic routine and inspire people to change their bodies. I won that first competition, with the biggest smile on my face. That was also the year Matt and I got married! I then went on to represent Australia in fitness competitions in America, England, and Europe from 1999 until 2006, winning a total of seven World Fitness titles.
Matt joined forces with me in 2002, to compete in the fitness pairs category in Germany at Fitness Universe. After competing on my own for so long, it was really fun to train, diet, and do a routine together.
I have wanted to be an author since I was 10 years old. So, in 2006, when Matt came up with the idea of writing a book together, I jumped at the chance. I remember documenting every gymnastic training session and competition I ever did when I was younger, and I remember nights of drawing up weekly charts in my bedroom to make sure I achieved my training and competition goals. The charts included things like making sure I got eight hours sleep, drinking water, practising my handstands, not eating junk food, doing my homework, and stretching.
I wouldn’t call myself obsessed with checklists, but for every fitness competition in which I have competed, I’ve always had a checklist of things to do every day to achieve my goal. Matt and I have these checklists on our fridge, and we follow them for the 84 day lead-up to a competition. They are very effective in keeping us on track. Now we are bringing them to you through this book and our 84 Day Body Challenge Action Manual which is sold separately.
Over the last seven years our involvement in fitness has been an amazing journey. We have learnt so much about the way the body works, have travelled all over the world, and have met some amazing athletes. Even though the training and diet is hard work, it taught us a lot about self-discipline, commitment, and time management. It has made us stronger, both physically and mentally.
Our last competition was June 2006 where we won our fourth World Fitness Pairs title, and I won my third Ms Fitness Universe title. This competition was our hardest ever because we filmed a documentary on our 84 day preparation to competition day. The pressure was on us to win again and we wanted to finish on top. The athletes we were up against were the toughest so far. The feeling of relief when we won our last competition was on par with our first win together in 2002, and we didn’t sleep a wink all night from the adrenalin rush!
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