Feelgoodery is recorded in front of a live studio dog
Hi friend, we’re doing a special Wedesday release episode to do a romantic feelgoodery short. Because it’s Valentines day today. Now listen, is it a ridiculous day that can bring up all SORTS of feelings. BUT - it is a good day to talk about sex and sex drive, or lack there of. We’re hacking sex drive today and going through some things to consider when it comes to boosting our mood.
Now this is a quickie. I had to. But we’re all busy lives, and if we are stressed, which I’ll talk about in a second - you want in, you want the info, and then you want out so you can get to business. So let’s get into some thoughts.
First, I want to talk about a major libido killer - and that is stress (trombone).
Here’s the thing: If your body is stressed out all the time, the last thing it wants to do is get jiggy. And from an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense. Sex leads to babies, and our bodies don’t want to bring a baby into a potentially hostile environment, STRESS can tell our body that it’s NOT SAFE to and reproduce and OUR sex drive will go down. There’s also something called the Cortisol steal. So cortisol, our stress hormone, comes from the same starting material as our sex hormones. When you are consistently stressed out, more energy will go towards making cortisol to keep up with demand, and LESS energy will go towards making your sex hormones. So you’ll have a lower sex drive.
It’s for these reasons that it is SO important to manage stress. Meditate, exercise moderately, connect with friends, drink calming teas, take a vacation. Proper stress management can be a gamechanger for libido.
And if you’ve ever noticed this, your sex drive can naturally go up on vacation. Suddenly things wake up down there. I mean you might have heard that people tend to conceive when on vacation after they’ve been trying for a bit. And stress, or lack there of, is a big reason for this.
So if your sex drive is down - and you’re not doing things to actively manage your stress, it might be time to calm things down a bit….to rev other things up. There are SO many corny puns that can be made in this episode.
Anyways, moving on - I want to talk about some ingredients to consider including to boost sex drive. In quickie fashion - the first is
Maca
Maca is a root that comes from Peru and some call it Peruvian Viagara. It has been shown to help boost libido in men and women, improve sperm quality in men and if you are on antidepressants, it can help counter the deceased libido that can be a side effect of the drug. (Most studies on this use anywhere from 1.5-3.5g of maca per day for 2-12 weeks.) There’s different ways to take it, it comes in a liquid, you can get in capsules, but the way I do it is just add a tsp into my smoothie.
Next up is Saffron - it a spice that has been shown to improve mood and reduce stress and when it comes to sex - It’s been associated with greater erectile function compared to a placebo, and its been shown to help increase arousal and improved lubrication in women.
Pistachios come next - who knew - they’re source of good fats, which are great for your hormones. BUT - in one study, men who consumed a hundred grams of pistachio nuts per day for 3 weeks experienced better blood flow to the penis and firmer erections. So do with that what you will.
Chilli - contain a compound called capsaicin that can stimulate nerve endings on your tongue which can trigger the release of endorphins, which can help get the drive going .
Dark Chocolate - helps increase dopamine, the pleasure chemical, and the flavonoids in chocolate help encourage healthy blood flow.
Finally we have FenuGreek
Fenugreek has been shown to boost libido in both men and women, typically when included in the diet for 4-8 weeks. It’s a common one for encouraging breast milk production for mothers, but who knew it can work down there too! It can influence your testosterone production whcih can impact your sex drive. Consult your healthcare practitioner for this one, do not use it if you are on blood thinners. It can also lower blood sugar levels which is good, but can be an issue if you have diabetes and need to monitor these numbers.
Beyond foods - another strategy to boost sex drive is just to get the ball rolling.
Now I am by no means a sex expert, but I DO know one and I woudl love to get her on the show. Anyways, with that said - sometimes when we’re out of making sex a habit - solo or oherwise - it just becomes easier not to. But for some, just starting and getting the ball rolling can be the spark that snowballs into a higher sex drive. This could be due to the physiological effects of arousal and the release of endorphins, which can positively impact mood and desire. That initial touch or stimulation can be the wake up call of sorts, that encourages you to chase the feeling and keep going. However, it's essential to approach this with sensitivity to your own feelings and boundaries. If you're not feeling up to it or if there are underlying issues causing your lack of interest, you want to address those as well.
Lastly - note on lube, which is a great tool for all of us. You are putting it on a sensitive area, and maybe because of that - going a more natural route free of parabens and petroleum might be your thing.
So if you’re looking - I’d recommend Lorna Vanderhaeghe’s Love Personal Lubricant. it contains no parabens or petroleum products in other lubricants that really aren’t so great for your health. It also contains something called Turnera Diffusa Leaf extract, which can reduce stress and increase sexual function and- for women, it does help prevent vaginal dryness and can help support a healthy vaginal bacterial balance. Lube, and a non-toxic lube like this one, can really go a long way to giving you a boost. I sat with Lorna at an awards ceremony last year, the founder, and she said that this stuff FLIES off the shelves, people love it. (put in show notes).
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This is a short feel good thing because today’s feel good thing writes itself. Todays feel good thing is sex. (Yay sound effect). Whether alone or not - it’s Fun, enjoyable, and good for you. Of course that’s the feel good thing.
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With that, we will say goodbye on this Valentines Day. I’ll put some romantic music on in the backround as I close out this short.
It is a corny holiday, let’s not let the pressure of this day affect us in anyway. Because every day should be filled with love, and if some physical love is part of it, well that’s a great bonus. But I hope you love yourself first and foremost, and take yourself out on a little date once in a while, and who knows - you just might get lucky. Have a great day, and I will see you next time on feelgoodery.
And now for the legal stuff, the information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please always consult with your health care provider.