Ten strategies to give your sex life a lift

Bored in the bedroom? Do you and your partner experience more excitement from watching reality TV than from enjoying each other’s company? Candlelight and romantic music are nice but did you know that your diet and lifestyle might have a more lasting impact on your love life?

Think about it. When you are in good shape, you feel better about yourself and you’ve got more stamina. It all fits together. Short-term performance solutions may sound inviting, but to put the spark back into your love life day in/day out, there are other simple strategies to consider.

Here are my first five strategies for living a “better sex” lifestyle. Get together with your partner and have fun turning these simple ideas into lifelong habits. Check back next week for “Part Two”.

• Honey, call the doctor! As soon as you notice an issue in your love life, get over any embarrassment and talk with your doctor. Low libido and/or sexual performance issues can be early warning signs of everything from cardiovascular disease and hypertension to thyroid disease or other hormonal disorders. So the first thing you must do is have a medical professional rule out an underlying health condition.
• Laugh and chill out. Mother Nature was smart. She didn’t want us having babies during stressful times. Stress lowers testosterone, an important hormone for our libido and performance. Find activities that help relieve stress on a regular basis, and stick with them.
• Kick the smoking habit. Smoking can damage the blood vessels that affect performance.
• Think ‘better sex through nutrition’. Processed foods and high fat diets have been linked to poor sexual performance and libido. So instead of a burger or pizza, choose foods that may help boost libido and arouse passion such as avocados, almonds, basil, dark chocolate and garlic. Who knew that guacamole was an aphrodisiac?
• Schedule romance before dinner. If you’re going to unzip your pants, make sure it’s for reasons of romance—and not because you’re so bloated that it’s either unbutton or risk cutting off circulation. There’s nothing like a big, heavy meal to crush your performance and desire, especially if it includes alcohol.

JJ Virgin is one of the nation’s foremost fitness and nutrition experts, an accomplished public speaker and media personality. Her 25 years in the health and fitness industry, the past 10 in holistic nutrition and functional medicine, have earned JJ recognition as the go-to weight loss expert who can unlock the door to lifelong weight management through her sensible, no-fail approach to nutrition and fitness. JJ is the author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy published by Simon & Schuster Gallery and the co-star of the TLC reality series, Freaky Eaters.