6 Ways to Make Mother’s Day Sweeter this Year

This week we’re celebrating Mother’s Day with our friends over at Fitbit. Whether you’re a mom or you just happen to have one, you’ll find great tips and advice for staying healthy and happy all year long. (Oh and don’t forget, mom makes a great addition to your Fitness Tribe!)

With all the negative buzz around added sugar lately, showing up at mom’s with a cake this weekend might not be the smartest move. So how do you celebrate her day without inadvertently wrecking her diet or putting her health at risk? Here are 6 simple ways to keep things sweet and make Mother’s Day even more special this year.

1. Pound the pavement Lace up your sneakers and register the two of you for a fun run/walk in your area. (Search Eventbrite to find one near you, or plan out your own route with MapMyFitness.) A sweat session with mom is the perfect time to gab about the rest of the family, and the finish line photo will totally be frame-worthy.

2. Hit the farmer’s market for flowers Sure, mom would be more than happy to get a ready-made bouquet from the grocery store. But why not take her to a farmer’s market and let her pick out her own blossoms, instead. And while you’re there, check out the produce that’s in season. You get fresh groceries and alone time with mom—score!

3. Take her dancing We’re willing to bet your mom’s got moves—and she’d probably love to show them off somewhere other than your cousin’s wedding. Country line dancing, square dancing (don’t knock it—it’s a ton of fun!), your favorite Zumba class, there are lots of places for you and mom to get your groove going!

4. Make dinner together Yes, this is mom’s special day, so she shouldn’t be spending it in the kitchen cooking for everyone else. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t ask her to share the secret family chicken recipe you’ve been dying to learn. Call ahead for the ingredients list and arrive with everything washed, prepped, and ready to go. (Pack a nice salad to serve with the meal, too.) Then watch and learn from the master mother chef!

5. Two words: tandem bike What could be more fun (um, funnier?) than a bicycle built for two? Riding a bike torches tons of calories, which will help mom burn off that breakfast in bed. And, again, think of the terrific photo ops! If you can’t seem to get the rhythm of pedaling together, you can always hop on a couple of single-seaters and tour your town with a little more autonomy.

6. Friend her on Facebook Remember when hanging with your parents just wasn’t cool? Those days are long gone (thank goodness!), and now the cool thing to do is to give your mom a shout out in your status update. Share your favorite photo and let her know how much she really means to you. She’ll get a kick out of feeling famous online.

What are some of the sweet ways you’ll be celebrating with mom this week? Tell us in the comments below!