What’s a better way to say, “I love you,” than to do something to help assure you will stay healthy and together for many, many years to come? Here are five healthy things you can do.
1. Buy a trial gym membership.
A gym membership is a ridiculously great bargain, provided you use it regularly. Most gyms will give you a one-week trial membership for little or nothing just to get you to join. And while there are expensive high-end gyms, the national chains--Gold’s, 24-Hour Fitness, and others-- cost only a few dollars per visit, if you make it a habit to go three times or more every week. We all know the rule of “use it or lose it.” A gym membership helps to assure that you and your loved one will keep all those body parts we love most in tip top shape.
2. Get fit at home.Retailers would love for you to believe that an expensive home gym is the only way to get fit and stay fit. That’s nonsense! One of the best pieces of equipment for you to give or get sells for as little as ten bucks. It’s called a stability ball, or Swiss ball. About half of your stretching and flexing routine can be accomplished with this wonderful ball. Best of all, it will give you a fabulous abdominal workout. There’s about a thousand product demos online showing you the many moves you can make with this wonderful ball. Get two of them, and you and your loved one can do your workouts together.
3. When seeking better health, read all about it.
There is no better gift you can give than the gift of knowledge. And learning more about your body is a gift that keeps giving for decades to come. From diet to exercise books and guides, there is a wealth of material to choose from if they indeed want to improve their level of fitness. Look to qualified and reliable sources. In fact “Dummies” and “Complete Idiot’s” brands both have excellent titles to help both of you get started on a sensible fitness program.
4. Spas and massage can be the real deal.
Often and wrongly dismissed as just a pleasurable diversion for the wealthy, spas and massage treatments have become more affordable to the public over the past ten years. Buying a couples massage is a great way to begin. Research continues to show the many positive effects of massage and other spa treats, which include lowering your blood pressure, increased flexibility and range of motion, and a reduced chance of muscle strain. And of course none of that takes into account the benefit of an attitude adjustment that time at a spa with a massage can do for having, and holding onto, a happy and healthy attitude.
5. Great Sex.
Personal faith-based beliefs and predilections aside, we humans (as so many other creatures) were built for mating. The physical benefits of intimacy are so numerous they could, and have, taken up volumes of medical books and studies. Suffice it to say that on this, of all days, make love! Kiss, cuddle and do the deed! Your body and your mind will be so glad that you did.
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Health journalist Martin Brown is the author of The Ultimate New Year’s Resolution Diet: 5 Easy Steps to Create the Body You Deserve and also Fit in 50 Days: Creating the Habits that Will Keep You Fit for a Lifetime