These 4 intentions have health and relationship benefits.
Wellness-related resolutions extend beyond those of the fitness and nutrition variety. This year, consider making one of these also good-for-you intentions.
Start sexting.
Surprising your partner with a coy mid-day “Guess what I’m thinking about…” is effective at relationship-building. It’s only appropriate that dirty texts are used as foreplay in the digital age, but according to new research from the Sexuality, Sexual Health & Sexual Behavior Lab at Texas Tech University, most sexting is done for a rather PG purpose: As a way to reassure your partner that you’re still into them, and to elicit more favorable non-sexual behavior later.
Masturbate more.
Prioritize your self-pleasure as another key part of self-care. It’s a tool to help optimize yourself in other areas of your life. Frequent orgasms boast similar wellness benefits to a regular yoga practice: reduction of anxiety and pain, lower cortisol levels, and improved sleep. If you’re ready to move from analog to digital, try these vibrators of the future; to take it up yet another notch, lube up with one of these tingle-inducing CBD products.
Prioritize foreplay.
This year, resolve to spend at least 45 naked or minimally clothed minutes with your other half—or yourself—once a week. And remember that your whole body, and your partners’, can experience pleasure. This study from the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that the forearm ranks among the most erogenous zones for women. For men, one overlooked area is behind the knee, which is packed with nerves.
Enjoy some erotica.
A 2008 study on porn and arousal found that men were aroused by the content they saw, while women found more arousal in the context of the story than its visuals. Enter audio erotica, a wave of adult podcasts geared towards the interests (and fantasies) of Millennial women. Though, of course, all genders can listen. Try hitting play on a story during the cool-down of a sweaty cardio workout. When timed with the release of your endorphins, you’ll head home ready to get down ASAP.