6 Exercises You Can Do Together for Valentine's Day

Plank and Reach Challenge

Lie on your chest on the floor facing your partner. Keeping your abdominals tight, lift up onto your forearms, curl your toes under, and raise your hips into a plank (push-up) position. Holding the plank, lift your right arm and give your partner a high-five, then lower and switch to give your partner another high-five, but with your left hand. Alternate for 30 seconds, and then lower gently back to starting position.

__Bonding bonus:__A little friendly, healthy competition between the two of you is fun! Try challenging one another to see who can hold the plank the longest or who can do the most high-fives. You'll be strengthening your bond and your core at the same time!

Lovers' Lateral Leaps

Lay your tubing or a large towel on the ground. Face your partner, and leap from side to side, from one leg to the other, over the tubing or towel. Synchronize your leaps so that you match each other's tempo for 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times with a 15-second recovery in between each set. For an extra challenge, try pausing and balancing on your leg for 5 seconds before you leap back to the other side.

V-Day V-Sit Partner Toss

Sit down facing your partner, with your knees bent and toes touching. Hold a medicine ball (or basketball, or whatever ball you have available) into your chest. Keeping the spine long and sitting up on your sitting bones, have both of you hinge back slightly until you feel your abs engage. Hold that position as you throw the ball back and forth. Your partner will (hopefully!) catch. Repeat back and forth for 30 to 60 seconds. Pause for 15 seconds, and then repeat 2 to 3 times.

Sweetheart Stretch: Trust-Me Tree Pose

Stand side by side next to your partner. Wrap your inside arm around your partner's waist. Each of you should take your outside arm in to meet the other's in a prayer position, and bend and lift your outside leg up into a "tree pose" (place your foot on the inside of your standing leg). Make sure your foot is either above or below your knee. Once you have your balance, you can either lean on each other's hands, or lift your hands above your head to meet at the top. Slowly inhale and exhale for 5 breaths before switching to the other side.

Little does my husband know we're totally doing this tomorrow (I'll give him his box of chocolates afterward. Or maybe before! As motivation—for him and me!) Will you try them out?