Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

I was always interested in doing a potato challenge, ever since I heard my friend Andrew "Spud Fit" Taylor did one to get healthy. In the process, Andrew lost a total of 115 pounds. He also reversed the depression he was dealing with prior to his challenge.

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Andrew about his potato challenge. I learned why he did it and what it accomplished. The whole point of the potato challenge for Andrew was to take the thought out of food. It was a way to remove additions to food. Instead of having to think of what to eat everyday, he could focus on other areas of his life.

[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZrX2u75_lI"]

Recently, my friend Terry Gleason and I had an opportunity to interview Dr. Michael Klaper, who is a pioneer in plant based medicine.

Today, as I was running around the neighborhood, someone said that they admire my determination to keep exercising. Although, I have not kept the same pace than I did when I went to the gym, I have been active. I guess it's noticeably so as I don't see many others getting out and running or even walking. Yes, social distancing is important, and it's easy to practice when outside. Remember, you need to get adequate vitamin D to maintain health. Aside from supplementation the best way to get vitamin D is by getting some sunshine.

I have not been weighing myself as I don't own a scale. The only place I weigh myself is at the gym. As you know, the gyms are closed, so I have no idea what my actual weight is. But I know my weight has not changed. How? Well, one way to judge is by the way my clothes fit. Everything is fitting exactly like it did before the pandemic started. Another way I know it's the same: my diet is the same as a few months ago.

I decided to sign up for the Fairfield Half Marathon on June 7. I did this race last year and thought it was a lot of fun. It was tough with some of the hills but I enjoyed starting and ending by the beach.

I know what I need to work on for the next time around. I need to practice my incline running. I need to figure out how to adjust the speed so I'm not so winded by the end. But those things will improve as I get to practicing again.

It seems like everyone is protein obsessed these day. People seem to think that if they focus on protein alone, they will lose weight, gain more muscle, feel better, etc. In the process, people have forgotten about the vital nutrients we also need, that many of us are not getting enough of.

For example, a lot of people are lacking fiber. Did you know that fiber can help protect you from colon cancer and many other diseases? Check out this video from Dr. Greger to learn more about it. Calcium is another thing that a lot of people get wrong. They think that the calcium in dairy milk will give them all the calcium they need. Did they ever stop to think about where the cows got the calcium in the first place, from the plants?