Vitality City Explains Power of Purpose

About 650 people attended Tuesday's workshop on the "Power of Purpose," led by bestselling author Richard Leider and Barbara Hoese and put on by the Healthways-Blue Zones Vitality City initiative at the .

Leider, while researching his book, The Power of Purpose, discovered that people who have a sense of purpose in life are more likely to be happier and healthier.

"What we've found is that if you don't have a reason to get up in the morning, you don't live as long, are not as productive at work and not as happy," he told Annie Lubinsky from the Beach Reporter.

Tuesday's event, which served as a kickoff into the next phase of the Vitality City program, encouraged participants to find their purpose in life. The workshop took people through a process of reflection and a series of activities to help participants find their purpose.

Additionally, attendees created a draft of their personal purpose statements and committed to performing at least one personalized, specific task over the next week to help them on their journey.

The initiative is a three-year program that encourages residents of the Beach Cities to live healthier. Vitality City, in partnership with the local , has spearheaded efforts to get people moving more with the ; encourage restaurants to make it easy for patrons to make healthier choices through the ; and promote student health through a at multiple elementary schools in the Beach Cities, among other programs.

The next will be held Wednesday from noon until 2 p.m. at , located at 1701 Marine Ave. in Manhattan Beach.