Tips to Spring Clean Your Relationship and Start the Season Fresh (and Frisky)

Winter weather is behind us and the signs of Spring are everywhere: temperatures rising, buds budding, birds chirping, and bees buzzing. Now’s the time to Spring clean our homes—and also our relationships.

“Whether you’re in a new relationship…or feel like you’ve been together forever, it’s time to take a step back and assess what’s working and what’s not,” says Madeleine Castellanos, MD, Manhattan relationship guru and sex therapist. “If something isn’t working, and you’re feeling less than connected to your partner you might try some simple refresher tips to help bring you and your partner closer together,” she advises.

Below are some insightful tips from Dr. Castellanos to spring clean your relationship and restore the sparks of passion. After all, Spring is the season of Amore…and love is in the air!

1. Find new interests together. Maybe you don’t do enough fun stuff together any more. Or maybe your outings have fallen into a rut. Take some time and find new activities a deux—a sport or a hobby like Argentine Tango, square dancing, or golf. Sometimes just making a simple choice for a regular “date night” can inspire new closeness.
2. Set aside time to fantasize. Share your fantasies with your partner or keep them to yourself. Bottom line: fantasizing is a great way to prime the pump for your heart and passion to soar. Don’t be afraid to push the envelope a little! There’s no judgment in the world of imagination.
3. Listen to your partner’s wants, needs and desires.  You don’t have to fulfill all of them, but you do need to listen. Also, feel free to whisper sweet, spicy messages that you don’t usually say out loud. The ears are located close to the brain for a reason—so use that pathway to flip the “turn on” switch in your partner’s brain!
4. Get back into gazing into each other’s eyes. Taking a couple of minutes every day to do this can communicate your deepest feelings without words. It actually helps to align your heart and mind with your partner’s in the subtlest way. In other words, dare to stare!
5. Reach out and connect. A simple phone call at lunch to say, ‘I miss you’ can make your lover’s whole day; a sexy text message can prime you both for an evening of intimacy; and a meaningful touch on the arm or even hand-holding while walking the dog, can really restore your connection. Don’t underestimate the power of touch for physical, emotional, and sexual healing.

Get Organized with New Bedroom Supplies

1. Spring clean your bedroom routine. Stuck with the same-old/same-old between the sheets? Try something new, such as sexy lingerie, enticingly fragrant Inttimo by Wet™ aromatherapy massage and bath oils, and Wet® Flavored™ Gel Lubricants—which really add a new level of sizzle to a hum-drum bedroom routine.
2. Find fresh adventures together. Spring is the perfect time to celebrate love. Pack your weekend get-away bag and don’t forget to bring some romantic gifts, gastronomic delicacies, Wet® Platinum® lube (the long-lasting, condom-compatible type that never dries up or gets sticky), and a copy of Getaway Guide to the Great Sex Weekend by Dr. Pepper Schwartz. Also, take along Dr. Lauren Streicher’s newly published Love Sex Again!
3. Add some natural aphrodisiacs to heat up your life. Dark chocolate, hot chilies, garlic, oysters, pomegranates, and the Peruvian root Maca, are all known to be time-tested love-enhancers. Don’t hold back…feed them liberally to your mate, and you may become the main course!

So, now that the chill of winter is over and the coolness of spring is here you know what that means...the sizzling heat of summer is just around the corner.  Why wait? Gear up for summer fun now, get busy, change routines, and get frisky.

Sexy Summer Aphrodisiacs

Are you thinking about whipping up a summer love potion?

It's that time of year when things get sizzling hot outside and your thoughts become focused on sex and romance. It's the perfect time of year to include a few foods that may have aphrodisiac properties in a romantic dinner just for two.

We've got some great ideas about what you should have on your table to increase you and your lover's libido.

Strawberries: How could a tiny fruit that's covered in seeds not be a symbol of fertility and sex? It's also delicious and sweet. And perfect when paired with the year-round libido-stimulating chocolate. Yum!

Honey: You can drizzle it all over your lover's body and then lick it off for fun. Honey was  once known as the “nectar of Aphrodite" and has been known to have properties that give people an extra boost of energy.

Basil: This leafy herb is said to increase blood flow, and as you know, sex is all about the blood flow. So nibble a little basil and don't be surprised if you notice your sex drive revving up. If that doesn't pump up your libido, what will?

Arugula: It's spicy! And it makes a delicious summer salad, especially when you include asparagus, a vegetable that's been known to boost your stamina (in bed).

Tomatoes: These delicious fruits of summer were once known as "love apples." Pair them with basil and some fresh mozzarella to make a summer salad that will certainly satisfy you and whet your appetite for a little somethin' somethin' after dinner.

Bananas: How can you not consider this phallic shaped treat an aphrodisiac. Not only is it delicious, the potassium punch that it packs will keep you from getting muscle cramps when you're involved in *ahem* strenuous activity.

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Fall In Lust: Aphrodisiacs Of The Harvest Season

In addition to falling leaves and the slight chill in the air, the smell of pumpkin, apples and spice is another telltale sign that autumn has arrived. But did you know that many of your favorite harvest foods are also natural aphrodisiacs? It's no wonder that this is the perfect time of year to "fall" in love.

Apples

In Medieval England, an autumnal celebration highlighted the fermented fruit of the apple tree, and the almost Bacchanalian merriment that would ensue after consuming these natural delights. Apples deliver a jolt of sweetness, and their high pectin keeps a sugar rush at bay while their even energy distribution will keep you going during a few hours of horizontal apple picking.

Chocolate

Is there anything sexier than a drizzle of the finest dark chocolate? Chocolate is thick, smooth, creamy, and delicious, but you already knew that. It's also believed to be a source of the same feel-good chemical that the body naturally produces during those first moments of falling in love.

Buttermilk

Buttermilk is a popular ingredient in desserts for meals that call for a lush finale, and that same quality makes it a perfect aphrodisiac.  The wonderful feeling of cool buttermilk poured over the body can be enough to start an encore of good lovin'.

Cinnamon

A spice considered to be culinary fairy dust that can inspire a long night of passion. Cinnamon was used in Asia to guard against colds, the bark of the cinnamon tree is also used as an aromatherapy agent for relaxation. Cinnamon is among the spices considered useful for producing “heat” within the body, and has been measured to increase appetite, both physical and sexual. 

Ginger

Ginger plays into the aphrodisiac history of both the East and West. Although recipes for pumpkin pie spice vary, most also include nutmeg and cloves. All three of these intensely flavored spices help raise body temperature and have been used in the East to sweeten breath.

Fennel

As an aphrodisiac, fennel may be most useful to women. In the 1930’s, fennel was considered to be used as a source for synthetic estrogen.

Maple Syrup

It's dark, rich and somewhat mysterious, but maple syrup’s aphrodisiac attributes are more extensive than its obvious charms. Maple syrup is a source of zinc, essential for healthy blood flow -- which will assist and enhance any orgasm. 

Pumpkin Spice Pie

The Smell & Taste Treatment & Research Foundation in a clinical study discovered that the scent of pumpkin pie spice in combination with lavender was extremely effective in arousing men. We don't think that you should be sprinkling pumpkin pie spice in your panties, but you may want to consider inviting the current object of your lust over for dessert in front of the fire and see what happens next.

Red Wines

Ah, wine, the gift of the gods. Not only will red wine halt those evil free radicals, and keep you skinny, and keep you young…but it turns out that a delicious cabernet will also boost your libido and that of your lover. 

Saffron

The most expensive of the spices, Saffron's aphrodisiac allure, according to the Knights of Arabia, , is believed to be most effective on women. Like honey, it can give the body that quick fix of energy at a key moment but it adds a more distinctive flavor to foods than its golden cousin. 

Tomatoes

Many food experts call the tomato, the "apple of love."  The sensation of eating a fresh, fully ripened, crisp, clean, juicy tomato is sexy all on its own. Tomatoes have been known to aid in sexual performance. They help calm pre-sex nerves, which can be especially helpful in a first-time-partner situation. 

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