Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for the Health Enthusiast

If you are dating or married to a health enthusiast, (or if you are one *ahem*) you know that the typical box of chocolates just won’t cut it for Valentine’s Day or any other holiday!

My husband doesn’t celebrate Valentines Day (or any other “Hallmark” holidays) so I don’t expect anything, but the most recent figure I’ve seen showed that the average consumer will spend over $126 on his/her Valentine’s date.

That is a lot of unhealthy food and flowers that will die in a couple of days!

If you are going to spend $126 on Valentine’s Day (Does anyone actually do that?) I have some gift ideas for the health-nut in your life that will bring lasting health and happiness, not just a temporary sugar rush .

Bacon Roses:

If you are set on flowers (and who doesn’t love flowers!) consider these homemade bacon roses. They are surprisingly pretty, for being made of bacon, and you could get really adventurous and dip them in dark chocolate!

If meat flowers aren’t your thing, consider these non-food options…

Seed Kits or Gardening Tools:

Rather than flowers that will die quickly, why not give a complete garden-in-a-can seed kit or gardening tools. Your loved one can grow fresh, organic, non-GMO vegetables… Romantic, right?

You could even make a “bouquet” by sticking some paper or styrofoam in the bottom of a clay pot, taping the seed packets to bamboo skewers and sticking them in as the “flowers” and throwing in some small garden tools for filler!

A Pull-Up Bar:

Because nothing says love like doing pull-ups together… hmmm… maybe just in our family? Either way, pull-ups are a great arm and core strengthening exercise and the newer door mounting pull-up bars let you do pull-ups five different ways, along with dips, elevated push-ups and sit-ups.

Coconut Oil:

If your loved one has seen all the info about the health benefits of coconut oil, he or she will be excited to get a big jar of it! (Maybe put a bow on it though).

If you’re really adventurous, use some of the coconut oil to make some organic (edible) mint-chocolate massage butter and give a massage to go along with it.

Barefoot Shoes:

Barefoot shoes like Vibram Five Fingers have gained popularity lately, as they are supposed to help improve your running form, help with posture and sore joints, and just be really comfortable. Yes, these are those shoes with toes!

I have a pair of the Women’s KSOs and I LOVE them. They can be tough to run on really hard surfaces with if you heel-strike when you run, but they are very comfortable and I wear them all the time.

In an attempt at style, Vibram has recently released some hot pink versions of their shoes, as well as some that look more like women’s flats.

Bonus: You get all kinds of weird looks and questions when you go out in public in them! I’ve gotten things like “Why are you wearing socks in public,” “What the…?” and “What’s wrong with your toes?”

A Sauna:

I just got the chance to try a portable infrared sauna and I love it! The portable units can collapse and store under a bed or behind a door, and they heat up much faster than traditional saunas. The infrared versions supposedly heat the body more and are great for detoxification. In a literal sense, nothing will make your love “hot” for you as much as a sauna will!

A Kettlebell:

These cannon balls with handles are a complete gym-in-a-box. They are cheaper than a monthly gym membership and you can get them ranging in size from 5 pounds to over 100 pounds (don’t start with that one!). Kettlebells make up the majority of my workouts and a great for strength and cardiovascular health!

Rumble Roller:

I haven’t tried the Rumble Roller, but I’ve heard great things about it! Basically, you roll you back or other muscles on it and it (painfully) releases tension. It’s cheaper than a massage, so I definitely hope to try it sometime.

Immersion Blender:

My Immersion Blender is by far one of my most used kitchen tools. It chops, blends, mixes and makes a mean hollandaise sauce. Since it’s stainless, it can even be used in a pot of boiling tomato soup without worries about it leeching plastic into your food! If your love is a healthy-foodie who doesn’t have an immersion blender, this might be a perfect Valentine’s gift…

Some Fermented Foods or Kits:

The gift that keeps on giving…. let your love make their own Kombucha or Water Kefir Soda (You can order the cultures here). You could also get your love a fermentation crock so that he or she could make sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, etc and reap the health benefits of naturally fermented foods all year round.

Other fun local gift ideas:

• A CSA share
• Some pastured meat from a local farm
• baby chickens (the gift that really keeps on giving…)
• A picnic (if it isn’t too cold)
• Tickets to a local theatre or performing arts center
• Cooking classes, personal training or massage gift certificates

What did I forget? What would you love to get for Valentine’s Day (or any other time?) Please share below!

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