As you grow older, it’s easy to lose that spark in the bedroom. Boredom, loss of adventurousness, physical ailments, and other problems can challenge even the healthiest of relationships over time, causing a loss of libido and creating emotional distance. But keeping intimacy alive can have profound effects on your life.
Research shows that healthy people have better sex lives. Fit people enjoy sex more and have lower instances of sexual dysfunction that can impair their love life. If you’re experiencing a loss of intimacy, there are steps you can take to reclaim it. Here’s how to feel sexy again.
14 Ways To Have More Sex
Intimacy Tip No. 1: Stay Healthy
Exercise Regularly
Your arousal depends in large part on how well blood flows through your body. Regular aerobic exercise helps keep the heart pumping and the blood flowing.
Eat Right
Eat a diet low in fats and sugars and high in fibre and good nutrition. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, plenty of whole grains, and a good daily amount of low-fat dairy products. Protein should come in the form of fish, poultry, and lean meats.
Sleep Well
Good, healthy sleep gives your body the chance to refresh and recuperate.
Stop Bad Habits
Alcohol and tobacco can harm sexual function and can negatively affect your overall health.
Intimacy Tip No. 2: Communicate
Partners with a satisfying sex life talk to one another; those with an unsatisfying one need to talk to one another.
Voice Your Concerns
Tell your partner about changes in your body that worry you along with any other issues that bother you about your sex life.
Describe What Makes You Feel Good
Your partner can’t satisfy you if he or she doesn’t know what you desire.
Don't Criticize
Focus on what he’s doing right, rather than pointing out the things he’s doing wrong.
Talk At The Right Time
During lovemaking is the right time for discussing what you like and enjoy. Save your concerns, worries, and more negative issues for outside the bedroom.
Intimacy Tip No. 3: Improve Your Own Game
Try these ways to be a better lover:
Think About Sex
The brain is an important — some say the most important — sexual organ. Get your head in the game by thinking about your fantasies and desires more often. Write down your sexual fantasies and share them with your partner.
Touch
Maintaining physical affection is critical to keeping a love life happy and frisky. Cuddle, hug, kiss, and hold hands often, even if you're tired or not in the mood for sex. During lovemaking, experiment with touching your partner in ways that please and arouse him or her.
Educate Yourself
There are plenty of self-help books available that will give you tips on improving your sexual technique.
Intimacy Tip No. 4: Have Fun
Don't forget that sex is supposed to be an enjoyable experience. Be sure to have fun in the bedroom (and elsewhere) by:
Try New Positions
The tried-and-true missionary position can become stale. Experiment.
Take A Break From Intercourse
Try pleasing each other with oral sex, manual sex, massage, and caressing.
Being Inventive
Leave love notes. Plan an erotic getaway. Try making love at different times of the day. Read a love poem. Craft a scene that appeals to all five senses. Try having sex in different locations.
Most importantly, have sex and enjoy intimacy on a regular basis with your partner.
Learn more in the Everyday Health Sexual Health Center.