Politics & Government

Vitality City Preps for Moai Re-Launch

The second round of Walking Moais will kick off in Hermosa Beach on Saturday.

The second round of Walking Moais from the Healthways-Blue Zone Vitality City initiative in the Beach Cities will launch Saturday in Hermosa Beach.

The term Moai (pronounced mo-EYE) is a long-standing custom from the Japanese island of  where people gather for a common purpose, form meaningful social relationships and support each other in ways that reap healthy benefits.

In a Walking Moai, a group of people pledges to walk together for at least 30 minutes each week. Vitality City hopes the groups will encourage locals to exercise regularly and improve their health.

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More than 750 people joined the first round of Walking Moais in April. At a recent Vitality City event, organizers recognized three winning teams.

Anne Greenbaun's team, which was recognized for walking the most times together, walked to places where they would normally drive to, such as the grocery store, pet store, Redondo Union High School's outdoor jazz concert and street fair.

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The award for the most volunteer hours went to Cindy William's team, which consisted of a group of mothers and daughters. The group spent numerous hours volunteering with the Girl Scouts as troop leaders and parent volunteers.

"They could become a real inspiration to their daughters," said Vitality City Manager Veronica Flores.

Roberta Painter's team received the award for walking the most steps. According to Vitality City organizers, the team "loved walking with the pedometers because it [helped] them stay on track and organize their workouts, which… pushed them to new levels." Organizers also said one team member lost 50 pounds during the 10-week period.

Saturday's Walking Moai kickoff will be at the Clark Building at 861 Valley Drive in Hermosa Beach. The event runs from noon to 2 p.m. For more information, visit vitalitycity.com.


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