A hearty, healthy Valentine

Valentine is just around the corner and sad to say, it has become a super-hyped , reeking-with-crass- commercialism occasion that its real significance is lost. 

Valentine’s Day became associated with romantic love in the Middle Ages when the tradition of courtly love flourished.  It was originally a day on which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, chocolates, handwritten love notes.  

Nowadays, couples seem to look at Valentine’s Day as another occasion to splurge megabucks on their significant other. Well, if you are one of those who equate love with expensive gifts, then all you have to do is go to the malls and see what the high-end stores have to offer. But if you wish to give something different but still within the parameters of love and romance, here are a few suggestions:

• Enroll as a couple in Jeannie Goulbourn’s luxe  pre-Valentine Weekend at the Peninsula Hotel on Feb 11-12. Enjoy a relaxing workshop that includes a gourmet organic menu by Peninsula’s top chefs, sensuous pressure point massages that restore balance and energy, one-on-one lectures on trendy lifestyle changes and stress management with body sculpting exercises and digestive cleansing.    

Soothing live jazz music is an added bonus during the Saturday’s candlelit dinner. It is a holistic weekend that is romantically different, relaxing, and informative. For inquiries, call Vital Global Source (look for Joyce) at 09178236738 or 8432550.

• Gift yourself and your partner with dance lessons. Dancing is one of the healthiest exercises you can do as every part of your body moves. I am surprised at the weight loss of many friends who are doing Zumba dances at Gold’s Gym and Fitness First. As they say, dancing is the vertical expression of a romantic desire.  

Ryan Jago is an excellent dance teacher for Latin dances — cha cha, samba, rhumba, mambo. For arrangements, call 09157477447 or e-mail ryan.niko77@yahoo.com.

For Argentine tango (which I think is the most sensuous and romantic of all dances), call Jun Borja at 0928 9838864, 926-6592424 or Ogie Mendoza at 09185644334.

For flamenco dancing , call Cecile de Joya at 09212818514.

I have watched couples dancing all the above dances as a pair and it is such a joy to watch them.

Dancing is one way of having a close relationship with your partner. World-class champions Belinda Adora and Ryan Jago demonstrate a sexy rhumba.

• On Valentine’s Day, watch Mamma Mia at the CCP.  It is a romantic comedy featuring songs by the famous ABBA Group, like Dancing Queen, Take A Chance On Me and The Winner Takes It All. Tickets can be secured at the CCP office or TicketWorld outlets (National Book Store branches, Robinsons Department Store, Galleria Malate, etc.) Or call 632899999.

• Watch the APO concert. My favorite trio — talented singers and comics Jim Paredes, Boboy Garavillo, Danny Javier of the famous APO Hiking Society — is performing for their Last Valentine n’APO Nila. Watch them at the SMX Convention Center, Feb. 13, Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are at P2,675, P2,140, and P1,605 at  TicketNet or call 911-5555. They will be singing Yakap sa Dilim, When I Met You, and more.

 Have a romance-filled and healthy Valentine’s Day!