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Top 10 lifestyle factors to boost your libido
 "My
libido is very low and I just can't be bothered with sex at all." A lot of
women report drop in their sex drive with progressing
age and a busy lifestyle.
Low libido can be an indication of a
health condition that you may not have heard about from your doctor: adrenal fatigue.
Your adrenals, two walnut-sized organs that sit on top of your kidneys, are
the workhorses of your body. If you are exhausted, chances are, your adrenals -
and their partner the thyroid - need attention. What happens when the
adrenals and thyroid have lost their life force or "spirit?" Your
digestive system, the organs in your brain (e.g., hypothalamus and pituitary), your
thyroid, liver, endocrine system, sexual organ system, heart and central nervous
system suffer.
Now the question arises- How to improve Libido?
Let's face it, we are all so busy we often don't take time out for ourselves -
to rest, relax,
breathe or nourish ourselves in the ways we wish we could.
Often, it's because we fall into "doing," putting off self-care until "someday
when we have the time." The vital constitutional energy that is stored in our
adrenals is essential to reaching old age looking and feeling like a teenager.
Interestingly, just a few changes - maybe just one step in the right direction
of healing your adrenals (and don't forget your thyroid) - can be just what you
need.
  Stay
positive: Negative thoughts and emotions can sabotage your best efforts at
relaxing. Just like
diet, thoughts and emotions become habits.
Concentrate more on what is going right. Be happy & contented
for all you have and don't crib for what you don't have. If you don't find
anyone to talk start maintaining a diary. This exercise will give a boost to
your thoughts.
A balanced diet: It has
been observed that a diet comprising of processed foods, too much sugar,
over-dependence on drugs and antibiotics can weaken your immunity, pave the road
for early aging and cause diseases like cancer because health begins in the
digestive system. Your goal should be to have a balance of alkaline and acidic
foods so that you can maintain the alkaline state of your blood. If you get out
of balance and your blood becomes too acidic, you become more susceptible to
illness and disease. The foods that have been marked as taking a special role in
boosting libido are: asparagus, cheese, figs, avocado, fish, raw oysters,
basil, bananas, turkey, liver, eggs, aromatherapy essential oils, coffee,
chocolate, celery, vitamins A, B, C and E, Ginkgo, brown rice, Ginseng, arginine,
and Don Quai. To read the role of these foods, read the article,
Top 10 foods to boost your
sex life.
According to Beverly Whipple, professor emerita at Rutgers
University, fats in the form of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated
help promote testosterone and estrogen which are needed for sex
drive. Some examples of these include avocados, seeds, nuts, olive
oil and salmon.
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  Exercise:
(not again!) As much you would like to ignore, aerobic workouts (running,
biking,
swimming) not only improve blood flow to sex organs but also boost your
mood, pumping up "feel good" brain chemicals called endorphins. An increase in
testosterone levels about one hour after work out can leave you feeling sexier.
Do avoid overstraining yourself, though, since extreme
exercise
actually lowers
testosterone levels.
Ban Stress: Too much stress
increases the stress hormone cortisol, which causes
testosterone to plummet.
Find a way to tune out for 15 minutes a day, whether through
meditation,
yoga, chilling to music, or schmoozing with a friend.
  Detox
once a week: Your body cleanses every day through elimination, urine,
tears, and sweat, your body rids itself of
toxins that would otherwise build up
and could lead to sickness and disease. Fevers, colds and
skin eruptions are
actually a natural part of the cleansing process and shouldn't be suppressed.
Cleansing allows your body to restore balance and occurs when imbalance is too
great and threatens life.
 Cut
back on the booze and cigarettes:
Smoking robs the blood of oxygen, due to narrowing of blood vessels
compromising the flow of blood to the body and the sexual organs. It also saps
your stamina and most people don't like kissing an ashtray. Alcohol is a
depressant and drinking it in high amounts will have a negative effect on
libido.
  Lose extra Weight:
Being overweight can affect not only your self-esteem and your feelings of
sexuality but you're likely to suffer from blood vessel disease which can reduce
essential blood flow to the genitals. According to a recent study conducted by
Binks and his colleagues at Duke, up to 30% of obese people seeking help
controlling their weight indicate problems with sex drive, desire, performance,
or all three. Often, the latest research shows, these problems can be traced to
physical conditions that co-exist with
obesity. "We are beginning to see that
the width of the blood vessels leading to the clitoris [the area of the vagina
most closely related to sexual response] in women are affected by the same kind
of blockages that impact blood flow to the penis," says Susan Kellogg, PhD,
director of sexual medicine at the Pelvic and Sexual Health Institute of
Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia. When this happens, says Kellogg, a woman's
body is far less responsive, and a drop in desire is not far behind. The more
body fat you have, the higher your levels of a natural chemical known as SHBG
(short for sex hormone binding globulin).
Reflexology: The areas corresponding to sexual desire and libido
are the big toe and the ankle.
Applying pressure onto the big toe is believed to stimulate the release of
sexual hormones while the area around the
ankles is responsible for genital arousal.
Just
massage
your partner’s feet and observe his or her response. This exercise helps
you understand each other on a whole new level and makes you sensitive to each
other’s needs. Reflexology is a completely natural technique which can be safely
carried out at home. Even those who are not sure of its benefits
wouldn’t mind some loving foot play!
  Add
a spark in your life: Recent research shows that partaking in new and
challenging experiences with your partner can boost the brain chemical dopamine,
which helps fuel sex drive. These don't even need to be in the bedroom. Enter a
race together, on a tandem bike. Get a little lost on a wilderness hike—without
a map. Host a game night with friends where each couple kicks in $30 and the
winning pair takes all.
 Consider
Supplements:
This
herbal remedy made from the leaves of the
gingko biloba tree, is known
to improve blood flow to the brain and sexual organs. It is thought to have an
enhancing effect upon desire, excitement and orgasm. Vitamin B5 (pantothenic
acid) could be useful, since it's critical for the manufacture of sex hormones
in the adrenal glands. Choline, meanwhile, purportedly helps to enhance levels
of acetylcholine, a brain chemical that sends sexual impulses from your brain to
your sex organs.
There's nothing that feels better or gives more energy than your health.
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