Healthy gifts for Valentine’s Day
Photo credit: Inspired Stock Shop
If you’re looking for healthy gift ideas for Valentine’s Day, I’ve got you covered. You’ll find a list of healthy gift alternatives, plus some tips to keep from overindulging at your Valentine’s dinner.
Valentine’s Day is traditionally a time to splurge (and there’s nothing wrong with that!).
But all that chocolate and wine, and those rich heavy romantic dinners can leave a girl feeling a little sluggish and unproductive the next day(s).
So, I’ve put together a list of ideas for making Valentine’s Day a little healthier (should you choose to do so ;) .
Healthy Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas
Instead of chocolates or candy, ask your SO for (or give him/her) one of these healthy gift alternatives . . .
1. A spa treatment. You can pretty much never go wrong with this one, at least for girls. Massages, facials, and mani/pedis never go out of style! To make it extra romantic, you could give a couple’s massage (if your significant other is into that).
2. A pretty plant or floral arrangement for your home. Instead of traditional flowers, try a beautiful plant or a really nice floral arrangement that can serve as a centerpiece in your home. (As an added wellness bonus, plants help keep your home environment healthy!)
3. A makeover or makeup lesson from a local makeup artist. For the makeup-challenged (like me), this is a really great gift.
4. Jewelry. Not a lot to add to this one -- jewelry speaks for itself.
5. Perfume/cologne. This one may be healthier for your waistline, but I can’t really classify traditional perfumes as a healthy gift alternative since they tend to be loaded with chemicals that are questionable (at best) for our health.
That’s why I only wear perfume on date night. But, I’d love to find a natural and safe perfume for every day. There are a lot more available nowadays. I haven’t tried this one yet, but the one I’m planning to experiment with is Skylar natural fragrances. They use really clean natural ingredients and even better, they’re cruelty-free.
6. An experience gift. This is one of my favorites! The sky’s the limit with this one -- you can get so creative and really personalize this to make it unique and special for your significant other (and vice versa -- one year I gave my husband a helicopter flying lesson!). There are companies that sell experience gifts, or you can put together your own. It’s even better if it’s something y’all can do together (like a healthy cooking class, some sort of adventurous outing, etc.).
7. Books or a magazine subscription. If you’re a book lover like me, you’ll love this one. A subscription to a favorite magazine is also a good option, or a subscription to Audible (an audiobook service that is way more affordable than buying individual audiobooks).
8. A cute new workout outfit. I don’t know about you, but I’m always more motivated to exercise when I have cute workout clothes! (It doesn’t even matter that nobody sees me since I do all my workouts -- except for running -- at home. I know I look cute, and that’s all that matters! ;)
9. Candles. We love burning candles at our house, but we’ve been pretty slack lately when it comes to making sure we’re buying safe candles that aren’t toxic. I haven’t tried these (yet!), but here are three candles that MindBodyGreen recommends as safe and awesome alternatives to traditional candles:
Keap
Element
Lite + Cycle
10. A subscription to a curated service. These are fun because it’s like Christmas every month! (or however often your box comes). A few options are Stitch Fix for clothes (they offer it for men now, too!) and Nourish Beauty Box for cruelty-free and natural beauty products.
I wanted to find some other services that are cruelty-free, ethical, and that donate back to charity. Here’s what a quick google search came up with:
Cruelty-free and vegan beauty boxes
Ethical lifestyle and beauty subscription boxes
Subscription boxes that donate to charity
11. A donation to a favorite charity made in your (or your significant other’s) honor.
This is a really thoughtful way to honor your SO (or for him/her to honor you) by supporting something meaningful that you care about.
12. Travel. Another favorite of mine! Plan a romantic weekend getaway or a special day trip for an adventure and some quality time together!
13. A subscription to a meal planning service. Eat healthy AND save time with a meal planning service. Each week you’ll pick the meals you want, and a box will show up at your door with all the ingredients and recipes. It’s awesome!
14. The gift of learning. If you’re a lover of learning like me, this will be right up your alley. Maybe there’s a biz-related course you’re interested in, or maybe you want to take a course for fun or that’s related to a hobby.
For Christmas this year, my mom gave me an online cooking course that I’m really excited about -- The Everyday Gourmet. It’s from The Great Courses, and they have online courses for everything under the sun — it’s really cool.
15. Exercise classes. For someone who likes going to a gym or studio to workout, this can be a good option and a chance to try something different. Many yoga studios will sell packages for a set number of classes (versus having to buy a membership). Or try Class Pass (not sure if that’s available outside the U.S.?) to experience all kinds of classes from lots of different studios.
And if it’s just not Valentine’s Day for you without chocolate, here’s my advice:
Go for quality over quantity. Splurge on a small package of some really nice handcrafted chocolates — preferably made with dark chocolate (bonus points if it’s 70% or higher).
Here are a couple of Dallas-based chocolatiers that are highly recommended (and they ship within the U.S.)
Kate Weiser Chocolates
CocoAndre Chocolates
Or, if you want an even healthier chocolate option, try Dr. Sue’s Chocolate. She is a medical doctor who decided to harness the nutritional benefits of dark chocolate into tasty treats — so we can have our chocolate and eat it too! She ships within the U.S. as well.
Note: Stating the obvious here, but be careful if you live in a hot climate— a melted box of chocolates on V-Day would not be a fun surprise!
If you’re going out for a romantic dinner, here are a few tips for making it healthier without sacrificing taste or the experience:
But first, I just want to say that I think it is TOTALLY FINE to go out and splurge, overindulge, and live it up on Valentine’s Day (or any special occasion). I know I plan to!
So these tips are just if you’re worried about overdoing it too much . . .
Skip the bread.
Eat tapas or have all appetizers. I love tapas and think it makes for a really romantic dinner, plus you’ll eat less by having just a few small plates. No tapas in your town? Order all appetizers for a tapas-style dinner.
Share a couple of appetizers, an entree, and dessert instead of getting two of each (especially if you’re in the U.S. where portion sizes can be ridiculous!).
Start with a really nice salad. That way you’re guaranteed to get in some greens, and the fiber and water content will fill you up so you won’t eat as much of the less healthy stuff.
Avoid pasta and white rice-based dishes.
Check out the restaurant’s menu before arriving and pick your healthy {er} option ahead of time. That way you’ll be less likely to make unhealthy impulse choices.
Choose a restaurant that has healthier food but a really intimate and romantic atmosphere to make the evening extra special.
Limit the wine and cocktails.
If you know you’re splurging at dinner, keep it extra healthy and light for breakfast and lunch.
If you’re concerned about overeating, eat a healthy snack before dinner to curb your appetite (like a handful of organic berries and raw nuts or veggies and hummus).
Whatever you do this Valentine’s Day, I hope it’s romantic, special, and an evening to remember!
And if you do overindulge, just enjoy it! Hop back on the wagon and make a fresh start the next day.
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