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"Not to be nosy, but how&amp;#039;s your love life? For those not newly wed, possible answers to that question might range from the noninformative &amp;quot;Fine, thanks&amp;quot; to the slightly weary &amp;quot;Okay, considering...&amp;quot; to the ever-popular &amp;quot;None of your business.&amp;quot; But what if we told you that a few easy changes could make your sex life more electric \u2014 wouldn&amp;#039;t you be interested? Well, listen up. It&amp;#039;s entirely possible to put the good lovin&amp;#039; back into your partnership. All you need is the inside scoop on secrets that researchers are uncovering \u2014 real, people-tested truths about what keeps a couple&amp;#039;s physical connection charged. So go ahead, sneak a peek. We promise, your marriage will be glad you did. Wear His Cologne Yup, most women need a longer sexual warm-up than men do. But rather than wait for the ideal time, when all the kids are at sleepovers, why not get yourself in the right mind-set before you see your husband? Your trick: Dab a little of his favorite scent behind your ears and just beneath your nose before you leave for work. The scent of a man&amp;#039;s cologne significantly increases a woman&amp;#039;s arousal, say researchers at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s not as if sniffing your husband&amp;#039;s cologne will magically make you passionate,&amp;quot; cautions Cynthia Graham, Ph.D., one of the researchers. &amp;quot;But it certainly helps put you in the mood.&amp;quot; Go for a Bike Ride Who knew? Bicycling can be good for your sex life. A study released by the American Heart Association found that men with a heart condition who regularly do some exercise, including cycling, are better able to perform in the bedroom, due to increased blood flow throughout the body&amp;#039;s arteries and vessels, including those that lead to the genitals. Women may reap the same benefits as men, so why not schedule a little cycling expedition this weekend? Be aware, though, that there&amp;#039;s controversy about how bike riding can affect men. Some research shows that pressure from the seat can cause impotence, most notably among serious cyclists. &amp;quot;Specially designed seats may solve that problem but can create others,&amp;quot; says Gerald Weeks, Ph.D., professor and chair, department of counseling, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Some experts contend, though, that the typical weekend biker isn&amp;#039;t really affected by the seat and that the benefits to the circulatory system outweigh possible risks. Take Care of Your Health For the same reason that exercise can be a bonus to your love life, any activity that decreases blood circulation is a passion killer, says Annette Owens, Ph.D., M.D., a certified sex counselor in Charlottesville, Virginia, and cofounder of the Sexual Health Network. Smoking, consuming alcohol, eating a high-fat diet and living a couch-potato existence all hamper your body&amp;#039;s blood flow, making it tougher for you to feel aroused. Committing to a healthier lifestyle is an essential part of stepping up your sexual heat. Check Your Meds How&amp;#039;s this for irony: The medications you and your partner may be taking to stay healthy could be pulling the plug on your physical connection. So many pills have passion-dulling side effects, says Dr. Owens, that &amp;quot;the very first question I ask my patients is what medications they&amp;#039;re on.&amp;quot; The biggest offenders are blood pressure drugs and antidepressants, but there are hundreds of others. In fact, Sexual Pharmacology, the standard reference book on medication-related sexual problems, is 589 pages long! Oral contraceptives can also cause problems. &amp;quot;Many women report that the Pill diminishes their desire,&amp;quot; says Dr. Owens. She adds that even drugs that seem innocuous, such as over-the-counter allergy treatments, can get in the way when taken over long periods. The bottom line: If you&amp;#039;ve recently begun a medication program and have found that your interest in romance has dropped, talk to your physician about damage control. Don&amp;#039;t Forget to Brush! Your husband has seen you in sickness and in health, but that doesn&amp;#039;t mean he has stopped noticing little things like oral hygiene. &amp;quot;We just concluded a study in which we asked men and women who were in long-term relationships \u2014 mostly married couples \u2014 whether the &amp;#039;taste&amp;#039; of their partner&amp;#039;s kiss influenced their interest in intimacy, and if so, what taste was best,&amp;quot; says Alan Hirsch, M.D., neurological director of The Smell &amp;amp;amp; Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, in Chicago. Both sexes agreed: &amp;quot;Women said minty, and men said spearmint and peppermint were tastes that turned them on.&amp;quot; Go for a Simple Cuddle &amp;quot;People think you have to feel passion before you reach for your partner,&amp;quot; says Dr. Owens. &amp;quot;But that&amp;#039;s not true. You don&amp;#039;t have to be hungry for sex to start making love.&amp;quot; Instead, relax and let some plain old affection show, and see what develops. Spoon at night. Give him a quick pat in a strategic place when the kids aren&amp;#039;t looking. Ask for \u2014 or give \u2014 a foot rub at the end of a hard day. Before you know it, you&amp;#039;ve got desire. Rent a Thriller You&amp;#039;d never mistake it for erotica, but watching a movie like Fatal Attraction can actually have the same engine-revving effect as something more overtly sexual. &amp;quot;Fright and arousal originate from the same part of the brain,&amp;quot; explains Dennis Sugrue, Ph.D., former president of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists, so something that taps into your fear factor may tune up your romantic feelings as well. Of course, you can get a good scare outside the movie theater. &amp;quot;When a couple rides a roller coaster, for example, and engages in romantic activity soon afterward, some of the thrill from the ride comes along into the bedroom,&amp;quot; explains Weeks. &amp;quot;Anything that cranks you up physiologically will add excitement to the relationship.&amp;quot; Flirt \u2014 Mercilessly Kid with the mailman, the plumber, the salesclerk and, yes, your husband. Don&amp;#039;t hold back \u2014 according to scientists, flirting causes a woman&amp;#039;s body to produce oxytocin, a feel-good hormone that plays a key role in encouraging romantic relationships. &amp;quot;Oxytocin is the body chemical that causes those tingling sensations when you&amp;#039;re aroused,&amp;quot; explains Dr. Hirsch. So go ahead \u2014 bat a few eyelashes, tell your sexiest joke. Hey, it&amp;#039;s all in the name of science. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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