Valentine’s Day is February 14th, giving you the perfect opportunity to spoil the one you love. While romantic meals, flowers and romcoms are usually the order of the day, why not use the celebration to enjoy some healthy activities together?
Exercising as a couple helps to build trust and allows you to encourage each other to achieve more. This doesn’t mean you both have to hit the gym this Valentine’s Day – unless you want to – as there are plenty of activities that can have a romantic touch added.
Here are some great exercise-based ideas for your February 14th date:
Head out for a hike
If the weather is dry, why not wrap up warm and head out for a romantic nature hike? You can pick somewhere you both like to go or somewhere totally new to explore together.
Take your camera, food and water and step out for an easy hike. You can take photos of the day and stop off for a nice picnic along the way to add to the romance. Your picnic could even offer the perfect opportunity to give your Valentine a gift, as you can hide it among the food.
Just be sure that you both have good, sturdy walking boots that support your ankles and provide good grip. You should also layer up so you can add or remove layers as you go depending on the weather.
Learn to dance
What could be more romantic than learning to dance with your partner? Whether you choose classic ballroom dancing or opt for energetic salsa, dance lessons are a great way to spend Valentine’s Day.
You can burn between 200 and 300 calories an hour dancing – or even more if you really turn up the music – while also having fun with your partner and learning something new.
Dancing helps to improve coordination, burn fat and tone your muscles, meaning you get the benefits of a really good workout, as well as enjoying an interesting date on February 14th.
Go rock climbing
One of the best exercise ideas for a date to help build trust is rock climbing, as you need to work together to reach the top. It is a good idea to go to an indoor rock climbing facility if one or both of you don’t have experience, as this will ensure you are safe and have professionals on hand to help.
You can either both climb together or go one at a time, with the other handling the harness. This means you can make it a competition or encourage each other to climb higher. Either way, you’ll get a good workout and are likely to get the rock climbing bug, leading to future dates.
Get on your bike
Hiking isn’t the only way to enjoy nature this Valentine’s Day, you can also head out on a bike trail. There are sure to be a number of great routes for bikes in your area, whether you can head off from home or pack your bikes in the back of the car to get to the start.
Just as with hiking, pack up food ready for your journey – unless you know there is a pub or restaurant along the way where you can stop off for a nice hot lunch. Even if you do stop somewhere for food, it is important to make sure you still have water with you while you’re cycling so you stay hydrated.
As well as making sure you are wearing the right safety equipment – including helmets that fit – you should choose a bike trail that suits both yours and your partner’s cycling ability. Ideally, it should offer enough of a challenge to provide a good workout but not be so tough that you risk straining yourselves.
However you spend Valentine’s Day, remember it is easy to make your date healthy.
