It’s a day often filled with flowers, chocolates and decadent desserts, but this love filled day doesn’t have to derail your healthy lifestyle – here are a few tips on how to make this Valentines Day a healthier one.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Couples that exercise together, stay together: Take her to the gym.
The benefits of exercising with your partner are endless but include increase your happiness with the relationship, increasing the likelihood of achieving your fitness goals and can even make you workout more effectively.
One particularly interesting benefit of exercising with your loved is it’s ability to create “Non Verbal mimicry”, which occurs when two people co-ordinate their actions (squatting at the same time or throwing a ball back and forth).
Non Verbal Mimicry can make a person feel more emotionally attuned to their partner and create a sense of bonding.
RELATED
If Valentine’s Day has got you down, chocolate may temporarily help
Sweet, fatty and highly delicious foods such as chocolate and ice-cream can reduce the physiological signs of stress, including reducing cortisol levels ( the hormone that is released in times of stress).
However, these foods are often also high in sugar, which just like gambling, exercise and drugs releases dopamine, giving these heart-healing treats the potential to become addictive in the long term.
Peonies aren’t just easy on the eyes but are great for hay fever too: According to Interflora, if your loved one is prone to hay fever try giving her a bunch of peonies, roses, hydrangeas, impatiens, sweet pea vine or pansies to avoid flaring up symptoms.
Flowers particularly high in pollen include baby’s breath, asters, Dahlia, Daisy, Gerber Daisies and lilies.
Avoid buffets: Buffets often result in people consuming more than double their normal serve of food and are best avoided if you are watching your waist line.
Studies have shown we are subconsciously weary of other people stealing our food source, because in prehistoric times we kept our food safe by eating everything available before anyone else had the chance to steal it.
Additionally, our bodies will override the pain we get from over eating if there is more delicious food to be consumed, our bodies actually release a substance that stops us feeling uncomfortable if we are over eating.
This is why if a delicious dessert is placed in front of us we can keep eating even if we are completely full!
Valentine’s Day is a day to remind the person you love that they are special to you, it doesn’t have to be an over-the-top present or gesture, just something small can be enough to show your love and gratitude.