When you’re trying to stick to a healthy lifestyle, the holidays can be a challenge, and Valentine’s Day is no exception. All Valentine’s Day gifts — like candy hearts, boxes of chocolates, decadent dinners, and glasses of bubbly — can test your mettle.

So how can you enjoy the lovefest without abandoning your healthy habits and fitness goals? Here are 10 simple hacks for a healthier Valentine’s Day.

1. Cook a Romantic Dinner at Home

Let’s be real — eating out on Valentine’s Day often means scoping out a reservation weeks in advance, putting up with crowds, and paying way too much for a prix fixe meal. Save the headache, money, and calories by cooking dinner at home instead.

2. Enjoy Fruits

Valentine’s Day usually means making everything from cupcakes to candy to drinks colored in a festive shade of red or pink. Instead of using additives, get inspiration from naturally pink foods like beets, strawberries, and raspberries.

A great option: Start your day with this strawberry Valentine’s Shakeology smoothie. It has 19 grams of protein, 9 grams of fiber, and probiotics.

3. Plan an Active Date Night

There are no rules to planning your Valentine’s Day have to include a quiet dinner and cuddle on the couch. Make Valentine’s Day healthier (and more fun!) with active date ideas — go for a walk, take an acro yoga class, try throwing an ax, or dance.

4. Upgrade Your V-Day Candy

Those chocolate samplers may also be the official symbol of Valentine’s Day, but if you’re trying to stick to a healthy eating plan, choose healthier Valentine’s Day candy — like those more low-sugar versions of your favorite sweets, or homemade truffles made with strawberries and unsweetened coconut. Even better: Instead, surprise your partner with a delicious fruit basket.

5. Watch Your Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol is usually full of empty calories, so whether you’re sipping bubbly or sipping red wine, keep your portions in check. Instead of filling your glass, measure out a five-ounce serving — and alternate between alcoholic beverages and water or seltzer.

6. Stay On-Track With Healthy Food Replacements

Whether you’re planning your menu for a Galentine’s Day party or baking a Valentine’s Day dessert for your sweetie, a few simple meal changes can help you cut back on added sugars and empty calories. Try these:

• When baking, use unsweetened applesauce instead of sugar. (You may need to reduce the amount of oil you use to keep the recipe from being watery.)
• For dip recipes, replace the sour cream with low-fat Greek yogurt — you’ll get less fat and protein (around 3 grams per ounce of yogurt).
• Use mashed banana in place of butter in recipes. (Use a one-to-one ratio, but reduce your cooking time by 25 percent.)
• Substitute pureed black beans or white beans for all-purpose flour in recipes for cookies, cupcakes, or brownies.
• Swap chips and crackers for spiced popcorn or roasted chickpeas.

7. Exchange Gifts That Support Your Goals

Instead of the usual cliché Valentine’s Day gifts, ask for something that will help you achieve your fitness and nutrition goals — like some stylish activewear, a streaming exercise subscriptionor useful kitchen tools.

Sure, getting a veggie spiralizer or pressure cooker for Valentine’s Day might seem like the least romantic gift idea ever. But think about it — while the roses wilt in a week, you’ll be making your favorite InstantPot recipes for years to come!

8. Choose Healthier Desserts

If you’ve been thinking about Valentine’s Day desserts since the first minute of February, you don’t have to skip sweets altogether. But branch out from your usual pink confetti cupcakes and use V-Day as an excuse to try a healthier dessert recipe, like these strawberry-dipped chocolate or red velvet Shakeology waffles.

9. Get Creative With Valentine’s Day Treats for Kids

Need to send kid-friendly treats for a classroom party? Think outside the usual sweets and send non-food goodies instead — like stickers, crayons, or heart-shaped sunglasses. (Their teachers will thank you!)

10. Don’t Forget Self-Care

Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating the people you love — and you should be on that list! Be sure to incorporate some simple self-care practices into your Valentine’s Day plans, like starting a gratitude journal, scheduling a massage, or trying walking meditation.