Valentine's Day!

Every year on February 14, around rolls Valentines Day. And if you don't want to end up having rolls, like the kind around your middle, make sure that you stay on track with your Orange County Personal Trainer. The first, and best, way to do this is to schedule an appointment for the morning after.

Other ways to keep it together on one of the most notoriously sweet holidays is to think ahead. If your husband or boyfriend is taking you out for a romantic dinner, have fun! Having fun does not mean ordering the Pasta with Alfredo Sauce though. Sure, have a glass of wine, share an appetizer, like grilled calamari or lettuce wraps. Not the Spinach and Artichoke Dip. The best appetizer to share would be a grilled artichoke. Skip the butter dip, get some balsamic vinegar on the side for dipping. And, artichokes are aphrodisiacs! Also, no need to order the Special Pink Drink of the night. Just because it's Valentine's Day, there is no need to order sugary cocktails. Opt for a really nive glass of wine to complement your meal. Let your sweetheart treat you to a scrumptious plate of grilled salmon or chicken, with some steamed asparagus and a glass of Chardonnay. The calorie hit you will take will be so much less than if you go wild.

After getting through the holidays, and making it a month and a half into the new year, don't set yourself back by overdoing it at a jam-packed restaurant. You owe it to yourself to be good!

Instead of waiting in line at a restaurant like everyone else in the world, plan a romantic dinner for two at home. Fix up a moist prime rib with steamed carrots and a spinach salad. When you make your own food, you know what is in it. There is no chance of some line cook accidentally dousing your veggies with oil when you're in your own kitchen. My parents used to do a family Valentine's Day Dinner when my sister and I were little, and we'd spread out a tablecloth on the living room floor, and pack a picnic basket full of grapes, cheese (I wasn't on a diet when I was 6 of course) and crackers, rolls and fresh deli meats with a bunch of fancy condiments to make yummy sandwiches. We had sparkling cider and I'm sure my parents had wine (that's where I get it from!), but it was such a great experience that my mom put together, we all got to spend time together, my parents saved money on a babysitter for the two of us, and they also skipped out on waiting in the lobby at a restaurant for their table to become available. My Mom calls Valentine's Day a "cattle call" with all the couples milling around restaurant lobbies, waiting for the call to go chow down. It's much more special to do something out of the ordinary anyway, plus no danger of mystery calorie counts.

Or if you are single, why bother at all? It's not a fun night to go hang out, there will be next to zero single guys out there, so gather up your single girls and go for a walk and do a healthy pot-luck dinner afterwards. Assign healthy salads and appetizers like Sushi or hummus and bell pepper strips, maybe even just do away with the main entree altogether and have everyone bring a dish to share family style, share a glass of wine and some hilarious bad dating stories. That is way more fun than trying to have a good time while you're surrounded by hungry couples….hunger can lead to irritation, and bickering couples galore sounds like no fun to me!

Make this Valentine's Day a good one. Say NO to boxes of chocolate, and YES to red roses!

Be eXcellent! - Ms. X - a www.socalworkout.com writer