Ris Lacoste, owner of the West End restaurant Ris, is taking the first step of many toward combating heart disease.

In an effort to lose weight, Lacoste decided to start a program she’s calling “Ris Walk 60.” Lacoste is inviting friends, neighbors and customers to meet her at Ris at noon and walk with her for an hour a day. Lacoste will ask participants to donate $1 for every mile walked to the GW Women’s Heart Center.

“I have gained a lot of weight since I opened the restaurant and I know — it’s been a battle my whole life — that exercise is the only answer,” Lacoste told The Washington Examiner.

Lacoste said she hopes to walk 25,000 miles and raise $25,000 by the end of her program, though donation is optional for participants. Lacoste lost her mother to heart disease in 2010.

“Ris Walk 60” begins tomorrow at noon. Ris is located at 2275 L Street, NW.