Written with love, by Nikki Lian
Just when we are finally getting back into good eating habits and our workout routines from the holidays, February 14th hits us hard! Whether you are single or in a relationship, we all have to deal with seeing displays everywhere of those pesky boxes of chocolate and those spicy, little red-hearts candies.
Last February my wonderful, thoughtful Valentine bought me a dozen gorgeous, long-stemmed roses—along with a SHOPPING bag full of candy. Conversation hearts are my absolute favorite (specifically the white and pink), and they only come around once a year! We all know sugar isn’t good for us and are full of empty calories, but if we indulge for this one day of celebrating with our soul-mate, loved-one, friends or self, here’s a little compilation of a few “date” activities you can do to keep it movin’ and burn off some of those sweet treats this Valentine’s Day!
Take a hike!
I know it isn’t really fair to throw this out there considering I’m in the sun-shiny city of Los Angeles, but if you are where the weather is beautiful, take a hike to the top of a mountain or take a few laps in the park before you sit down to an outdoor meal. You won’t feel so bad when your Love is feeding you those chocolate-covered strawberries he or she made you from scratch.
Snowball Fight!
Here’s one for the locations that get to have fun in the snow. Snowball fights and creating your own version of Olaf can burn some serious calories (up to 350 in one hour depending on how hard you go). Wouldn’t it be nice to recover by a hot, romantic fire drinking a warm beverage of your choice?
Roll Around…
Work up a good sweat and burn up to 450 calories in one hour rollerblading or ice-skating. And if you and your partner fall a lot, getting up is a good workout for your core. Blading on the beach is always fun if you’re into outdoor activities. Sorry for those that have to wait until the snow melts, but ice skating is just as fun and effective!
What’s Cookin’ Good Lookin’?
If you’re rolling solo this year, grab a bunch of your single friends and find a healthy cooking class in your area. It’s not an active sport, but it will be some great insight on how you can change your eating habits or add on to your already-healthy lifestyle, and a great way to catch up with your friends you haven’t seen in forever (and also a great way to…ahem…meet people).
Just Dance!
Salsa anyone? Using apps like Groupon and Lifebooker are an easy way to find inexpensive dance lessons or even group fitness! Guaranteed during this season of love they will have some great deals on intro classes in your area. But it doesn’t have to be a class!! Grab a group of your favorite people, find a dive bar, and take over the place with you sick moves! You got skills!!
All in all, the best way to celebrate V-Day is to have fun, be safe, and remember why this annual tradition started in the first place. And most important… keep it movin’!!!
