Area women are invited to a free community event featuring fun and interactive breakout sessions to improve their heart health at Celebrate the Heart of a Woman at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, at the Gus and Flora Kerasotes YMCA.

The evening will include cooking demonstrations and tips for reducing stress through relaxation. Women can choose two breakout sessions to learn fun and easy ways to exercise and relax.

They will also have the opportunity to register to win door prizes and two grand prize packages – a three-month family membership package to the YMCA and a 10-session health and wellness package with a Memorial Sportscare exercise physiologist.

“Early identification and management of risk factors for heart disease through a healthy diet, weight management, exercise and stress management, can greatly reduce a woman’s risk for heart disease,” said Paula Harwood, RN, BSN, manager of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and heart failure at Memorial Medical Center.

Many women mistakenly think that heart disease primarily affects men. According to the National Institutes of Health, one in four women in the United States dies of heart disease and an astonishing 80 percent of women ages 40 to 60 have one or more risk factors for heart disease.

The free, two-hour event is open to the public. The Kerasotes YMCA is at 4450 W. Iles. Ave. Comfortable clothing and shoes are recommended.

To register, visit MemorialMedical.com or call Memorial’s Healthline at (217) 788-3333.

The speakers are Charlene Shallow, NP, Prairie Cardiovascular; Brenda Flesch, RN, LPCP, Memorial Counseling Associates; and Kathy Levin, RD, CDE, Memorial Food and Nutrition.