“Hi honey...I love you. Here, eat this. Get fat and diabetic too”

Speaking as a man, most of us do not think about the underlying messages inherent in giving our sweetheart flowers and chocolates for Valentines Day. Very few of us would ever consider vocalize these 2 sentiments, but flowers and 10 lbs of chocolates seem to be traditional Valentines Day gifts.

But then the question becomes, “If not those things, then what do I give My Love on this day commemorating the burial of a man who did something we don’t remember a really long time ago?”

Chocolate- I know I just said chocolates send the message “get fat” and you don’t want to say that. Think QUALITY not QUANTITY here. You would do better to spend $10 on a 4-pack of REALLY GOOD truffles that than on 4lbs of cheap nougat. The research says that someplace between bite number 3 and bite number 5 we lose the pleasure of taste. IF you are going to do something edible, do something that you will
CONSCIOUSLY savor rather than consume on autopilot.

A Plan- About 85% of people who go to the gym quit because they do not get the results they want. A little over 80% of people in gyms across America go to the gym without a plan, a clear idea of what they are after, or what it takes to get there. I’m not normally a gambling man, but I’d wager my kids college fund that those 2 statistics are connected. You can give your sweetheart an hour with a Personal Trainer where
he or she will get a body composition, a fitness assessment, and A PLAN (based on personal needs) to get them where they want to go. And it’s free (but we won’t tell if you don’t). You could even go one step better and give Personal Training Sessions where the professionals do everything except lift the weights.

Classes- Our GGX classes come with your membership, we DO offer some others that take fitness to the next level. Our Kinesis classes are small group, whole body, and overseen by a certified instructor. All you have to do is show up and sweat. In January we also opened the 9th Street Yoga studio. For those who are looking for a next level to their Yoga practice, or want to add a restorative discipline to an already effective workout routine, this is a cost effective option.

Workout Gear- One of the most common reasons given for NOT working out is not having clothes. Something as simple as a bag to keep exercise clothes in, comfortable exercise clothes, or even a small bag for toiletries will make getting to the gym THAT much more convenient. The easier you can make it to cultivate the habit of exercise, the more likely it is that your partner will workout.

All of these are suggestions to give the gift of health to your loved one. You can go with the flowers and truckloads of chocolate if you want. But guys, if you send the message that you WANT her to ignore her fitness, don’t be surprised when She asks, “Do these jeans make me look fat?”