A lot goes in to a good sex life, and for women it can be more of a mind game with our conscience than anything else: Are my legs shaved? How’s my breath? Am I bloated? What’s he really think of my naked body? It’s common for women to over analyze things and want everything to be perfect to be “in the mood,” but that can be the biggest antagonist of them all.
We’ve got four weeks to get you ready for a romping good Valentine’s Day night. So follow these four key tasks our experts have identified to help you work on body image, toning, flexibility, and a little weight loss. There’s a good chance you’ll be the one wanting to skip dinner and head straight to the sheets…
Body Image
We all have insecurities about our bodies, but realize how important a positive body image is for enhancing our sex lives.
“Even without changing your body, learning to love it (or parts of it) can do wonders for you in the bedroom,” says Brooke Randolph, LMHC, our resident mental health expert. “If you hate your body and want to hide it, it’s hard to really relax and be tuned into your partner and what you’re experiencing. When you feel good about yourself, you’re more likely to not only try to seduce your partner, but you’re more easily seduced by them as well.”
Jennifer Livingston of WKBT-TV (CSB affiliate) in LaCrosse, Wisc. recently received an e-mail from a viewer who called her out by saying she’s “overweight and obese” and that she should reconsider her physical responsibility as a public personality. He backed his harmful comments up by saying she’s not setting a good example to children when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle.
Instead of taking these harsh comments in the worst way possible and beating herself up over it, the morning show host fought back against the viewer on public television. “The truth is, I am overweight,” she admitted in a candid and honest segment. “You can call me fat and yes, even obese on a doctor’s chart. To the person who wrote me that letter, do you think I don’t know that? Your cruel words are pointing out something I don’t see? You don’t know me. You are not a friend of mine. You are not a part of my family, and you admitted that you don’t watch this show so you know nothing about me besides what you see on the outside — andI am much more than a number on a scale,” asserted Livingston.
She continued with an inspirational speech to her viewers by saying, “We are better than that bully. We are better than this email. We are better than the bullies that would try to take us down.” Read Full Post >
There are so many challenge-based fitness programs out on the web and they are proving to be effective for many people. Accountability and encouragement seem to be the magic ingredient for many people to stay motivated. Under Armour has gotten in on this trend by introducing “What’s Beautiful,” a promotion encouraging women to set goals, share the process, and hopefully meet them. Oh, and they’re giving away sweet prizes along the way.
The process is very simple. At the What’s Beautiful site, any woman can set a fitness goal, any goal, and begin her journey to victory. They are asked to document the process by sharing photos and video on the Under Armour site. During the journey they are also encouraged to choose one of the daily challenges set by Under Armour trainers. As these challenges are documented, users can cheer on others who are working hard, too. Then, at the end of each week, Under Armour will give away swag bags full of gear to the women who they say, “are seriously bringing it.”
This weekly challenge and goal setting promotion is on until the end of November. At the end of that month, ten finalists will be chosen as the winning athletes, those who’ve documented what Under Armour sees as the most impressive, motivated, and monumental stories. These deserving ten women will win a trip to Clearwater, Florida to train with the elite Under Armour trainers. That is where the some of the top athletes in the world go to enhance their performances. In addition to the amazing training sessions, the winners will be treated to sessions with nutrition experts and spa treatments. Read Full Post >
The woman made famous for her amazing voice has been getting much more attention lately for her voluptuous figure. Thirty-one-year old performer and mother Christina Aguilera is much curvier than she was when she first burst onto the scene as a teenage singing sensation in 1998.
Earlier this year, Christina was slammed for her weight after making concert appearances in scantily clad ensembles revealing a much curvier figure. Specifically, she drew much attention for her appearance at the Michael Jackson Tribute Concert after uncomfortably donning a tight corset and fishnet stockings during her performance.
The star admitted to drinking more after going through her divorce from former husband of five years, Jordan Bratman, and being lax on her diet.
Her poor diet choices and junk food binge eating slip-ups added up to lots of extra calories and plenty of weight gain. As a result, Aguilera’s weight has fluctuated drastically over the last several years.
Proof of this came just months after her Michael Jackson Tribute appearance when she was photographed looking much slimmer and seemingly “back on track” in terms of her health and her size. Read Full Post >
Sometimes life can catch us off guard, whether for good or worse. Julie Ragland (right, in the photo) can testify to this truth. Her journey through weight gain and weight loss were not in her original life plans, but she’s managed to give this story a happy ending. With many positive changes since spring 2011, Julie has gone from depressed and weighing 243 pounds to being a spirited, happy woman who weighs 189 pounds. She says she’s not done losing weight (with 25 more pounds to go), but her weight loss to date has given her back much that she lost.
Julie admits that life was good leading up to 2008. Weight was not an issue for her, she had been an athlete playing soccer, volleyball, tennis, and was also a cheerleader. However, this all changed when her family was overwhelmed with many tragedies. Julie admits to falling into a depression that came with “a huge weight gain.” This weight gain manifested in struggles through many areas of her life.
Julie told us, “I struggled with my body image and the way that I thought that others perceived me because of my weight. I didn’t hang out with friends much because I was ashamed of my weight gain and I thought I was being judged.”
Julie stopped shopping for clothes because it only fueled her depression. She said she’d only buy shoes or purses, but never clothes. However, it was the clothes that caused Julie to see things differently.
“My Ah-ha Moment came when my size 18 jeans started getting tight on me and I REFUSED to put a 2 in the front of my size!” Read Full Post >
