Valentine's Day

Is it me or does it seem that every month there is a celebration or two that involves food? We just navigated the Superbowl parties and now here we are with Valentine's Day coming up. Whether you're single or in a relationship, you are being bombarded in stores with celebration options and a lot of them involve food. In my family at all holidays I have for years been saying that family gatherings should be about having a good time and now what and how much we are eating. Never the less, if you go to most stores and look in the Valentine's aisle you will see mass quantities of treats to express your love. To some that is like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow but to people like me that is like walking a minefield if I go down it. There are chocolates in all shapes and flavors, there are candy hearts, there are suckers, marshmallow treats and many other things I am not listing. (Is your mouth watering yet?)

Chocolate was first produced as a gift for Valentine's Day in 1894. Do you think they knew that it would get as popular as it is? I wonder if it got popular due to it's reputation as a mood enhancer for women, Me.. I want to curl up and nap after a chocolate feast. Here is a fact that might make you stop next time you feel the need for a little chocolate. If you eat one M&M you need to walk the equivalent of once around a football field to burn off those calories. Please raise your hand if you eat just one M&M.. anyone? Yeah.. me neither. Realistically we all eat chocolate from time to time and now when I do I try to make sure I eat dark chocolate. It is better for me and so rich I cannot eat as much as I would with regular chocolate.

How can you celebrate Valentine's Day without overindulging? You could take a stroll with your loved one. That could be anyone.. a love, a family member, dog or even yourself. Bundle up and get your heart pumping. Your heart and your butt will thank you for it! I don't think I have to list other cardio activities that you can use to celebrate Valentine's Day if you have a partner...

Cook dinner for your loved one or together. You have control over the portions and content. Of course there is nothing wrong with going to a restaurant too. There are plenty of healther options if you so choose or you can order one appetizer, entree and dessert to share together. The act of feeding each other will make the meal more romantic and cut down on calories as well!

Skip food and exercise and go for what you want. That could be a massage, watching a movie, whatever it is that you enjoy. Me? I'll be walking my dogs with my daughter and probably playing some Wii Fit.

What are your plans?