Find your inner sex goddess by adding these simple, sexy habits to your everyday routine.
Don't wait 'til Valentine's Day to remind your sweetie how much you care. According to REDBOOK's new book, Love Your Sex Life: The Busy Girl's Guide to Getting Busy by Lisa Sussman, the happiest couples are those who take the time to show their affection for one another all year 'round. So follow the 10 tips below to fill your life with those small attentions — the little bits of time stolen together, the sweet gestures, the private rituals that pull you closer together and remind you of your bond and the commitment you have made to each other — and make every day your own personal Valentine's Day.
1. Touch him as much as possible.
Place a gentle hand on his shoulder or thigh when you're talking to him, rumple his hair or pat his butt when passing by him, hold his hand when walking together, squeeze your thigh against his when sitting together at your child's practice, straighten his shirt before he walks out the door, knead his neck when he's driving. Remember, action speaks louder than words. You can tell someone you love them and are proud to be with them dozens of times and it won't get the message across nearly as quickly as giving his hand a kiss when he leaves for work or sneaking up behind him and hugging him. It's these little gestures that reinforce your oneness.
2. Make your surroundings a little more sensual.
Don't wait for special occasions to dim the lighting with candles or perfume the air with a sexy-scented incense such as jasmine or vanilla.
3. Ask him to slowly and gently brush your hair. It's such a simple move, yet it both relaxes and stimulates you while making you feel totally pampered. Ask him to take his time, stroking you from root to end, section by section, until your tresses feel smooth and silky.
4. Turn a hug into a surprise sensual neck and back massage and give your partner a blissful experience.
5. Put on a CD.
Everyone knows that mood-setting music can put you in romance mode. But some sounds are more sensual than others. When you hear music with a strong bass beat, like reggae or Latin songs, you can feel the vibrations resonating through your lower body. And these vibrations are what make you feel aroused and get you itching to move in sexual ways.
6. Hand feed each other unusual fruits like kiwis, pomegranates, or star fruits.
They're exotic, smell delicious, and feel sexy in the mouth. Slices of mango are also a good sensual choice with a bonus: You get to lick the juices off each other's fingers.
7. Take turns reading Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?").
Most of his romantic poetry was written in iambic pentameter; literary critics have pointed out that its rhythm echoes the beat of the heart. Feel silly reading it? Then laugh together. Laughing isn't just sexy — it pushes energizing endorphins into the body, according to a study published in Psychology Today. And it causes your brain to pump out extra serotonin — your body's natural antidepressant — making you feel more alert and alive and hot to trot.
8. In bed at night, make sure to touch at least one part of his body, even if you don't go for full-tilt spooning.
9. Throw away your TV Guide.
Instead of going on autopilot with the remote, pledge to have a "No TV Night" once a week. Then fill the time reconnecting by conversing, cuddling, and canoodling.
10. Start sleeping in the nude.
If you're usually a head-to-toe flannel woman, take it in small steps: a tank and shorts, then just a tee, and so on until you're completely nude. Once you get over the nakedness of it, the feeling of having nothing on is actually powerful and potent — and may even lead to sexier dreams, not to mention a more tantalizing nighttime cuddle...or more.
