Forget the predictable box of chocolates and dozen long-stemmed roses. Celebrate this Valentine’s Day by wrapping up one of these clever gifts with a built-in health benefit for the one you love. And because the day shouldn’t be limited to only romantic partners, why not shower all the loves of your life — your kids, best friend, co-workers — on the 14th?
Here are 14 gifts sure to make everyone on your list swoon (we really hope our Honeys are reading this!):
1. Dark Chocolate
We don’t care where your if you have a romantic entanglement or not; everyone likes a little chocolate on Valentine’s Day. Forget about the cheesy sampler box and go for something that’s smaller but higher in quality. And let’s not forget that dark chocolate has loads of healthy benefits.
Zazubean Dark Chocolate Bars combine a delicious dark chocolate from Panama and Ecuador with a unique blend of botanicals, making this the first Canadian functional, organic, fair-trade dark chocolate. With names like “hottie” (chili & cinnamon) , “squeeze” (orange & ginger), “nudie” (pure extra dark chocolate) and “smooch” (vanilla caramel crunch), they’re the perfect V-Day gift.
2. Seed Kits or Gardening Tools
Rather than flowers that die quickly, why not give a complete garden kit, a seed kit or even some gardening accessories. 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.
3. Coconut Oil
If your loved one has seen anything on all 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.
Coconut oil has recently migrated from the kitchen cupboard and taken up dual citizenship as a beauty, wellness and skin care product that can do just about anything. From moisturizing the skin to soothing bug bites, coconut oil is an all-natural powerhouse product. It still has its foot in the door of the kitchen however and can be used for many things (including a substitute for butter!) and it also has used beyond beauty and food.
4. Organic Tea with a Beautiful Design
Pukka Love Tea is a unique blend of fragrant herbs with fantastic soothing properties. Drink this 100% organically grown and fair-traded tea to help you feel cherished and well nourished, night and day. Rose and lavender warm the heart; elderflower and chamomile relax and soothe, and marigold petals are beautifully balancing.
5. Anytime Massage
With the Restore by Gaiam Total Body Foam Roller 36, you can treat your loved one to a deep massage. The gentle massaging and stretching releases built-up tension, loosens stiffness and elongates and aligns the skeletal system. Encourage flexibility, tension and stress relief with a regular rolling routine.
6. Monitor Your Love’s Steps
Build cardiovascular strength with the help of the best workout accessory ever: a fitness tracker! Get your Valentine started with a Sportline SYNC Elite Monitor. Simple to set up and use, these trackers capture core motion and calorie burn data and upload all information to your smartphone or tablet.
7.Water Bottle
If there were ever a chic water bottle, S’well is definitely it. A sleek, elegant, and insulated bottle designed to keep drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 12 hours. By crafting their bottles of non-leaching and non-toxic stainless steel, S’well bottles work towards bettering our environment. With beautiful designs, eco-conscious construction, and unmatched thermal control, S’well bottles are the complete package and then some. Not to mention the bottle’s been spotted in the hands of celebs like Ellen deGeneres, Tom Hanks and Guy Pearce. Stay within the V-day theme and get a red, pink, or champagne-hued bottle.
8. Give the gift of quality time.
Plan a fun activity for you and your partner. Enjoy being outdoors? Go for a moonlit run, or bundle up and go ice skating, snowshoeing, or skiing. If you aren’t a fan of the cold, try an indoor activity like rock climbing or take a partner yoga class. End the day with a couples massage. Either way, you will have a great time together, and you just might burn a few extra calories.
9. Give Some Serious Romance
Light the Earthly Body Edible Massage Oil Candle and let it burn while the wax melts into a super smooth massage oil and a warm scent fills the room. Extinguish and pour melted wax in the palm of your hand and gently spread onto the skin (the oil will be warm, but will not burn). This soy-based candle does not contain any paraffin, which means that it does not contain any toxic substance of any kind. The soy, coconut & almond oils soften and nourish the skin and do not clog pores.
10. Satin & Sugar
Two of every girls’ V-Day must-haves—satin and sugar (3 if you count beautiful skin)—are combined in Cake Desserted Island Demerara Sugar-Oil Body Scrub. Driven by raw, natural shea butter, this vitamin-packed sugared oil instantly transforms dull skin into supple, radiant and satin-smooth skin, without the harsh chemicals.
11. Register for a Race Together
If your sweetheart is into fitness, why not register for an upcoming race to run and experience together. You can train for it and then make this part of a weekend of fitness together. Be sure to make it a gift by wrapping the registration voucher with a new pair of runners or a great new tank top. These are the healthy memories that will last forever!
12. Exercise Equipment
A yoga mat, a new set of weights, resistance bands or even jump ropes are all great pieces of fitness equipment that will brighten up your sweetheart’s Valentine’s day, especially when paired with a kiss. This will show your support of their healthy lifestyle and they will love you even more for this!
13. Treats for Your Little Loves
Valentine’s Day isn’t (and shouldn’t be) just for grown-ups. Kids deserve a way to mark the day of love. Art supplies, baking supplies and even nail polish are the perfect gifts for the littles you adore.
14. Give Back
Consider making a donation in your loved one’s (or your bestie, your parents or your co-worker’s) name to the Heart & Stroke Foundation this year. Your money goes towards the organization’s effort to reduce death caused by cardiovascular disease.
All of us at Well.ca hope you have a happy and healthy Valentine’s Day with these gift ideas. How will you celebrate the day of love this year?
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