SHILLONG: State’s first Living Roots Eco Challenge witnessed celebrity fitness trainer Vinnie Tortorich and Hollywood actress Serena Scott Thomas participating in the challenge along with over 500 other participants from the State and other parts of the North East on Friday.
The challenge was conceived by a group of people who are passionate about healthy lifestyle and at the same time bringing rural and urban people together for the common cause, promoting Meghalaya as a healthy innovative state.
While briefing media persons, Ian Khongmen, Living Roots Eco Challenge Director said that the challenge will be a hike and not a run as the steep terrain of the Living Roots domain proves to be a deterrent.
“We are doing this for the people of Nongblai and Wahlyngkhat and putting the challenge on the international level”, he added.
Tortorich applauded the ingenious practice of the people living in the surrounding areas of the Living Roots Bridges who make an effort to pass the technique of manually tying the aerial roots of trees to their descendants.
“When I think of India, I think of the Sherpas in the Himalayan Region and their athletic ability can outdo anybody,” Fitness trainer Tortorich said .
Andy Schreiber, CEO NSNG (No Sugar No Grain) Lifestyle said that it is more than tourism promotion but it provides the basis of spreading the message of a healthy lifestyle among the people.
Tortorich promotes health and fitness through his No Grain No Sugar Lifestyle and he is keen in bringing India a nutrition revolution, a country threatened by the growing numbers of people suffering from diabetes while in Meghalaya about 13 per cent of the population suffers from this lifestyle disease.
Sharing the same passion to bring about a healthy lifestyle, Don Syiem, president NEHU Alumni Association said that he researched on diabetes, he informed that the state is rich in biodiversity with various herbs that can be use in treating some diseases.
Tarun Bajaj, Planning Strategist, Global Enterprise, said, “It is for the first time in India that we are leading by example and we are getting a lot of support from the volunteers to achieve the event.”
