Anyone who made a new year’s resolution to exercise regularly but has fallen short may attend an upcoming cardio class in an effort to kick-start a program.

The "Cardio Lunch Crunch" is scheduled for 12:15-12:45 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15 at St. Rose Ambulatory & Surgery Center. Participants will meet in the St. Dominic Room in the facility’s basement.

Charise Oelger, physician assistant at St. Joseph Family Medicine and certified Jazzercise instructor, will lead the free session; SJFM is part of the St. Rose family. Pre-registration for the class is not required.

"During this session, I will be teaching several cardio routines and demonstrating several different intensity options," Oelger said. "We want to encourage people to get up and get moving to help prevent heart disease."

Comfortable clothes and shoes are recommended for those who want to join Oelger in the exercises. Dillon’s will donate a heart-healthy snack.

"Regular physical activity helps lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and other health problems," Oelger noted. "The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity.

"This entails about 20 to 30 minutes a day," she added. "We want to encourage people to set this as a goal."

February is American Heart Month and one of the priorities of the national effort is to educate women about heart disease since it kills more women than all cancers combined, Oelger added.

"Eighty percent of cardiac events in women could be prevented if they made the right choices for their hearts," she said. "This means a healthy diet, exercise and not smoking."