It’s that time of year when those of us who are guarding our health get, well, on-guard!  There seems to be chocolate appearing out of nowhere, studded with colorful candy hearts with sometimes uncomfortable messages!  What’s a healthy person to do?!  There has to be another way to celebrate, so I thought I’d put together a few calorie-free ways to show our loved ones how much we care.  See what you think!

1- Flowers.  Oh come on, you knew I was going to put this one in there!  Hey, they’re beautiful, fragrant, and they say a lot.  You can never go wrong with flowers.

2- Candle – Most women adore scented candles.  It is just one of those things.  But they are not something we often buy ourselves.  Not sure which scent to choose?  Pick the one with the fewest left on the shelf – that’s a good bet.

3- Message from the Heart – Most of us, even on St. Valentine’s Day, don’t express how we really feel.  Give your loved one something from the heart – a poem, a letter – something that takes time to compose and tells him/her how you really feel.  That’s a gift that won’t be thrown away.

4- Valentine’s coffee mug – Everybody gets tired of their coffee-stained old mugs.  Give them something new to start their day with!

5- Get crafty!  I saw the cutest bookmarks made out of color sticks from a local paint store.  Punch out a heart-shaped hole (you can buy a heart hole-punch at your local craft store like Hobby Lobby) and tie a red ribbon through the top one.  Viola!

6- Got kids? – Try some Valentine’s day pencils or heart-shaped erasers.  How about a little play dough container or a pack of water paints?  Then the best gift of them all is to sit down with them and create something together!
– What better way to share love in the world than to offer some to those who might be lonely?  Consider making some Valentines cards for people in a nearby homeless shelter or nursing home.  Have your kids help!  Or grab a few single roses, valentines, and maybe even some protein bars and hand them out to people you see holding signs on street corners.  St. Valentine would be proud, indeed.

So get out there and spread some calorie-free love!

Happy St. Valentine’s Day!