Moai Meetup Series at Scottsdale Fashion Square Creates a Community for Walking and Talking

Building healthy habits is easier when you have a community supporting you. Starting this August, Scottsdale Fashion Square is helping bring a new health-minded community together with the launch of Indoor Walking Moai, a 10-week series designed to create a happier, healthier and more connected Scottsdale. The weekly program begins Wednesday, Aug. 7 and runs through Wednesday, Oct. 9.

Each Wednesday morning, participants will gather in the cool comfort of the shopping center to beat the heat while walking and talking during each hour-long program, which is presented in partnership with Blue Zones Project Scottsdale. Each week every participant will receive a free coffee compliments of Capital One Cafe and an entry to win a $50 restaurant gift card for use at any of the shopping center's popular dining destinations. In addition, those who participate in all 10 sessions will receive a Capital One Cafe swag bag and have the chance to win a $100 prize donated by Scottsdale Fashion Square.

The Indoor Walking Moai (pronounced "moh-eye") honors a tradition from Japan, a "blue zone" where people live longer, healthier lives. Moais are social support groups where people meet for the purposes of sharing, experiencing life together, extending advice and finding a group of people to call on in times of need.

Blue Zones Project is a community-led well-being improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to a city's environment, policy, and social networks. Blue Zones Project is based on research by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and New York Times best-selling author who identified five cultures of the world-or blue zones -with the highest concentration of people living to 100 years or older. Blue Zones Project incorporates Buettner's findings and works with cities to implement policies and programs that will move a community toward optimal health and well-being. Blue Zones launched the first pilot community in 2009 in Albert Lea, MN with groundbreaking results. Directly and also in partnership with Sharecare, the model has since been applied to more than 75 communities in the United States. Participating communities have experienced double-digit drops in obesity and tobacco use and have saved millions of dollars in healthcare costs. For more information, visit bluezones.com.

One of the nation's premier shopping destinations and a true jewel of the desert, Scottsdale Fashion Square recently completed an expansion that extends its luxury presentation beyond the original luxury wing to encompass a redefined south wing and multi-lane luxury valet service. With 1.9 million square feet and more than 200 shops and restaurants, Scottsdale Fashion Square features nearly 60 unique-to-market retailers and upscale culinary concepts, as well as more than 40 of the world's finest contemporary luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Saint Laurent, Gucci, Christian Louboutin, Cartier, Bottega Veneta, Bulgari, Prada, Versace, Balenciaga, Salvatore Ferragamo, Jimmy Choo and Burberry. Additional information about Scottsdale Fashion Square can be obtained by visiting fashionsquare.com.

Category: Community | Local / Community