Break A Sweat
Valentine's Day has a reputation for being sedentary by design. You sit at a restaurant, you sit at a bar, you sit through a movie, and then you go home feeling overstuffed and still full of energy. There's nothing wrong with traditional romance, but there's also something to be said for dates that get your heart rate up in more ways than one. Active dates tend to feel less formal and more memorable, partly because you're doing something together rather than just sitting across from each other making conversation. Here are 20 ways to celebrate Valentine's Day while actually moving your bodies around.
1. Go Ice Skating
Ice skating combines the romance of gliding around holding hands with the reality of occasionally flailing into the boards like a newborn giraffe. Outdoor rinks in city parks or town squares often stay open late on Valentine's Day, and the cold air keeps you from overheating even when you're working hard to stay upright.
2. Take A Cooking Class Together
Cooking classes keep you on your feet for two to three hours while you chop, sauté, and plate whatever cuisine the instructor has planned for the evening. You'll learn actual techniques you can use at home, and the social pressure of other couples in the class prevents either of you from getting lazy about participation.
3. Go Bowling
Bowling gets you up and moving every few minutes without requiring athletic ability or particular coordination. You can usually reserve a lane for an hour or two, which gives you enough time to play a couple of games without feeling rushed.
4. Try Rock Climbing
Indoor climbing gyms have become more common in recent years, and they're surprisingly welcoming to beginners who just want to try bouldering routes close to the ground. You'll get a solid workout without realizing how much effort you're expending.
5. Take A Dance Class
Swing dancing, salsa, or ballroom classes designed for beginners teach you enough basic steps in one session to feel moderately competent on a dance floor. Many dance studios offer drop-in classes on weekends that don't require advance registration or any previous experience beyond the ability to count to eight.
6. Go Hiking
Hiking gives you hours of uninterrupted time to talk without the pressure of maintaining eye contact across a dinner table, and the physical activity makes silences feel natural rather than awkward. Most cities have trail systems within a short drive that offer everything from easy flat paths to more challenging elevation gains.
7. Visit A Trampoline Park
Trampoline parks are mostly filled with children's birthday parties, but they're open to adults who want to bounce around as well. The constant jumping provides a surprisingly intense workout that engages muscles you forgot you had, and the inherent silliness of the activity makes it hard to take yourself too seriously.
8. Go Kayaking Or Canoeing
Water activities work well for Valentine's Day if you live somewhere with mild winter weather. Many parks and recreation areas rent boats by the hour, and being out on the water feels more adventurous than most typical date activities.
9. Play Tennis Or Pickleball
Tennis and pickleball courts are often empty on Valentine's Day evening because most people don't think of racket sports as romantic activities. You don't need to be good at either sport to enjoy hitting a ball back and forth, and the competitive element can make the date feel more engaging than collaborative activities.
10. Take A Pottery Class
Pottery classes keep your hands busy and require you to stand or sit at a wheel for the duration of the session. Most pottery studios fire and glaze your pieces for you, so you can pick them up a week or two later and relive the experience of trying to center clay while it spins off the wheel.
11. Go To An Arcade
Old-school arcades with pinball machines and vintage video games get you walking between machines and standing while you play, which keeps you moving for over a couple of hours. The competitive nature of arcade games makes them more interactive than watching a movie together.
12. Try Axe Throwing
Axe-throwing venues have proliferated in recent years, offering a safe and surprisingly meditative way to hurl sharp objects at wooden targets. The physical act of throwing engages your core and shoulders, and the primal satisfaction of sticking an axe into a target never really gets old.
13. Go Roller Skating
Roller skating rinks have maintained their 1970s aesthetic in many places, complete with disco balls and organ music piped through crackling speakers. Roller skating works different muscles than ice skating and feels slightly less precarious once you get your balance. Most rinks rent skates and offer adult-only sessions on weekend evenings.
14. Take A Yoga Class Together
Yoga classes designed for couples or beginners provide a gentle workout and some feel-good energy to boot. You'll spend an hour stretching and holding poses while an instructor talks soothingly about breath work and alignment.
15. Visit A Botanical Garden Or Conservatory
Large botanical gardens and conservatories require several hours of walking to see all the different plant collections and themed rooms. The tropical greenhouse sections stay warm year-round, which makes them particularly appealing during cold February weather.
16. Go Mini Golfing
Mini golf combines mild physical activity with the low-stakes competition of trying to bank a ball off a windmill blade. The courses with elaborate themes and obstacles tend to be more entertaining than the basic putt-putt setups.
17. Take A Bike Ride
Bike rides let you cover more ground than walking while still being slow enough to actually see and talk about what you're passing. Many cities have dedicated bike paths or rail trails that keep you off busy roads, and riding in the evening when traffic is lighter makes the experience more pleasant.
18. Try A Barre Or Pilates Class
Barre and Pilates classes offer low-impact workouts that still leave you shaking and sweating by the end of the hour. The small, controlled movements target muscles you didn't know existed, and the group class format keeps you accountable to actually showing up and participating.
19. Go To A Farmers Market
Winter farmers' markets might not have the abundance of summer produce, but they still require you to walk between stalls and carry increasingly heavy bags of vegetables and baked goods. The social atmosphere makes it feel more like an outing than an errand, and you can use whatever you buy to cook dinner together later.
20. Play Frisbee Golf
Frisbee golf courses wind through parks and wooded areas, requiring you to walk several miles while throwing discs at chain baskets mounted on poles. The game takes longer than regular golf without the stuffiness or expense, and luckily, most courses are free to use.
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