Listen up ladies. Healthworks Fitness Centers for Women will be offering some serious kick-butt classes, not to be missed this fall. The free, complimentary classes are part of a community self-defense training initiative for Boston women – and, as the website explains, are especially timely following the “horrific murder of valued Healthworks member Amy Lord… and by other recent acts of violence against women in the greater Boston area.”

The initiative is kicking off this Thursday, September 12 outside in Back Bay’s Copley Square from 5:30 to 7 p.m. If you can’t make it downtown for the launch, check out the 18 additional self-defense training sessions in 9 Boston area neighborhoods, including Brookline, Cambridge and Watertown, among others.

These horrible tragedies are a reminder to all of us of the importance of personal safety – even in our seemingly safe neighborhoods. We’re all guilty of being “too busy” or bogged down with responsibilities to put ourselves first. But taking care of yourself and taking responsibility for your personal safety should be made a top priority. Even though we can’t always prevent terrible things from happening, we can prepare by maximizing our own personal safety.

Healthworks’ goal for teaching self-defense practices is to “empower women by providing training and resources to learn how to protect against violence.”

So take your personal safety seriously this week. Sign up for your free session today.