This seven-day romance challenge can rev up your sex life.
When you’re in a long-term relationship, it’s normal for things to ebb and flow. But once you’re parents, there’s no time for quiet nights cuddled up on the couch together because you’re busy changing diapers, doing homework, or going to soccer practice. So when you want to rev up the romance as a sleep-deprived parent, holistic sex and relationship expert Kim Anami says this seven-day challenge can do it. And you don’t even need a babysitter!
Day 1: Wake up 30 minutes early to have sex - At the end of the night, we’re too tired for sexy time, so set the alarm and get up half an hour earlier. Kim says you’ll be energized and full of pleasure hormones, not a bad way to start the day.
Day 2: Say only positive things to and about your partner - It’s easy to get irritated by little things our partners do as a roommate or co-parent, but for one day, follow the golden rule: if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
Day 3: Send each other a steady stream of sexy text messages - It’s a great way to “simmer in your connection” while you’re apart and you don’t have to talk dirty if it makes you uncomfortable. The important thing is to let your partner know you’re thinking of them “both emotionally and sexually,” Kim says.
Day 4: Dig up old memories of your pre-kid lives - Go through photos and mementos from your early days as a couple and reminisce about your adventures before you had kids to “help remind you of what drew you to each other to begin with,” Kim says.
Day 5: Plan a mandatory three-hour "sex date" - Kim calls this solid chunk of non-negotiable intimacy time the “bedrock” of a relationship. “Just you and your partner naked and touching each other in some way,” she explains. “No matter what else happens all week, you need to have this time to be together uninterrupted.”
Day 6: Compliment each other on five things and then have some real talk - Tell each other five things you appreciate about each other, big or small. And then the tough part: open up about something that you’ve been struggling to tell each other. Kim says clearing the air is key to a happy sex life because “everything shows up in bed.”
Day 7: Show PDA at the most inopportune moments - Touch each other as much as you can this day, especially while you’re out and about. “Everyone loves touch,” Kim explains, “and public displays of affection from your partner reinforces that you care, you are attracted, and that you want to make them feel good.”
Source: PopSugar