5 Exercises to Gift Yourself or Loved Ones for Valentine’s Day and Beyond

Valentine’s Day offers many treats—here’s a gift from me to you in the form of a sweet, heart-health exercise program.

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I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day. It’s a beautiful day full of smiles and love, and though it passes quickly, it usually leaves sweet memories in its wake. It’s a time of the year when we think about family and friends and doing things with and for them.

Valentine’s Day is also a time to give and receive small, thoughtful gifts. With this in mind, I present to you my own little Valentine’s Day gift in the form of the following exercises. Romance and repetitions—what a wonderful mix.

The following exercises can help you get stronger and healthier. Though they can tire you out, love never grows weary, so you’ll get stronger the longer you keep up with them. After all, it’s all about the hearts and handweights on Valentine’s Day, right? Oh, and the chocolate and the flowers, too, but I’m sure you’ve already got that covered.

Valentine’s Day is all about love, and you’re going to love these exercises even if nobody else is around to do them with you. Beyond that, one of the most important things in life is being able to love yourself so you’re good either way—your body will love you for these!

These exercises work well for my patients, but you may wish to speak with your medical provider to see if they are right for you.

5 Exercises for Valentine’s Day and Beyond

1. Honey Hugs (Chest Expansions)

Honey hugs, also known as chest expansions, are a great way to work on posture, breathing, and stress relief simultaneously. This exercise is also fun to perform alongside a partner.

If nobody else is around to share hugs with, hug yourself! Trust me, you’re worth it, and it’s a great exercise. All you need is love—and ten more repetitions.

Step 1: Stand with your arms by your sides and facing another person or a mirror if you’re performing them solo.

Step 2: Give yourself a high hug by wrapping your arms around your shoulders, reaching back as far as you can.

Step 3: Bring your arms straight out to your sides and continue back as far as you comfortably can while pushing forward with your chest. Hold this stretch for 2 seconds before returning to the hug position.

Step 4: Hugging and then expanding your chest counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 3 sets of 20 repetitions, feeling free to modify sets and repetitions to suit your needs. It’s Valentine’s Day, after all—hug all you want!

Modification: If holding your arms straight out is too challenging, hug around your tummy instead, and then bring them straight back from your sides.

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2. Sweetheart Dips (Plié Squats)

Otherwise known as plié squats, sweetheart dips are a great way to increase your heartbeat and give you an excellent workout. These exercises may leave you feeling a little awkward at first, but stay with them because your movement will soon smooth out, and you will love them.

Step 1: Stand with your arms straight at your sides, feet approximately double your hip-width apart, and your toes turned outward approximately 45 degrees.

Step 2: Slowly squat down, taking approximately 1 second to reach 90 degrees of hip flexion. As you squat, keep your arms straight out to help with your balance. Once you reach 90 degrees of hip flexion, return to a standing position.

Step 3: Squatting down and returning to standing counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions, feeling free to modify your sets and repetitions as wanted or needed. Start with as many as you can at first, then work up to more as you become stronger.

Modifications:

• With a Partner: Facing each other, reach forward and hold hands as you do the exercise together—it will make it much more dynamic.
• Want to Make It Harder? Bring your legs a little closer together and stand on the balls of your feet to make balancing more difficult.
• Want to Make It Easier? Hold onto a counter while performing the activity to increase your balance and allow your arms to help in the movement.

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3. Heart-Box Hops (Box Jumps)

Just like those heart-shaped boxes full of all those lovely chocolates, this exercise is packed with goodness. You can use a yoga step for this exercise or even a curb or stair step. The jumping motion is natural for most people and this exercise is renowned for its ability to quickly accelerate your heart rate and provoke a great workout.

Step 1: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and facing a curb, yoga step, or stair step.

Step 2: Hop onto the step as fast as I jump into a box of chocolate. Seriously, only jump up as fast as you safely can.

Step 3: Once you hop up, immediately hop back down.

Step 4: Hopping up and then back down counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 3 sets of 12 hops, modifying the sets and repetitions as needed.

Modifications:

• Want to Make It Harder? Increase the speed of your hops—just be careful.
• Want to Make It Easier? Step up with one foot at a time versus hopping.
• Want to Make It More Fun? Find a partner to share the activity with.

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4. Cupid Cross (Toe Touches)

Cupid was never cross because he was always so happy he exercised. That may or may not be true, but research strongly supports the notion that being consistently active can contribute to happiness. The Cupid Cross is a high-low motion that will allow you to increase the strength and flexibility in your back muscles.

Practice Tip: Slow down and rest as needed if you get dizzy during this exercise. If you can’t reach your toes, touch as far down your legs as you can.

Step 1: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and arms straight out to your sides.

Step 2: Bend your hips and touch your right foot with your left hand. Take approximately 1 second to do so.

Step 3: Move back up into the starting position.

Step 4: Repeat the movement with the right hand to the left foot.

Step 5: Touching your toe and moving back up counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 3 sets of 20 repetitions.

You can perform this exercise one side at a time or alternate sides, depending on what works best for you.

Modification: To make it harder, hold hand weights and keep your hands overhead instead of out to the sides.

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5. Candy Crunch (Standing Cross Crunch)

The Candy Crunch—known as the standing cross crunch on other days—is a great way to strengthen your abdominal muscles and hip flexors, and it also works to increase your balance. It provides a great way to elevate your heart rate and burn off a few calories—especially beneficial after eating all that Valentine’s Day candy.

Step 1: Stand with your elbows bent and your hands up and feet hip-width apart.

Step 2: Bring your right knee up and your left elbow down so that they touch.

Step 3: Return to starting position and repeat the movement with your left leg and right arm.

Step 4: Touching your elbow and knee counts as 1 repetition. Try to complete 15 repetitions per side per set for 3 sets. You can do all the movements on one side and then the other or alternate between sides.

Modifications:

• Want to Make It Easier? Try doing the exercise while sitting. Be sure to keep your back straight and your head up.
• Want to Make It Harder? Try extending the amount of time your elbow and knee touch, which introduces a balance challenge.

Ceridwen Hunter/The Epoch Times

Valentine’s Day is red, white, and fun, and these exercises can help give you the sweetest treat of all—better health. I hope you find them useful. Trust me, you’ll “love” them.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.