Uncover His True Feelings

So. You're talking to a guy at a party; he seems flirty, yet you aren't quite sure he's into you. What gives? "Men are conditioned to suppress their emotions, and as a result they're not as good as women at expressing their feelings," says Kevin Hogan, Psy.D., author of Irresistible Attraction. Luckily, their body language often gives them away—all you have to do is learn to interpret it.

He fusses over you
If you're mid-convo and he suddenly brushes the hair out of your eyes, he isn't being paternal; he's showing interest.

"When a man is attracted to a woman, he fusses over her by grooming her clothes and hair," says body language expert Patty Wood, author of Success Signals. "It's called 'lint picking'—animals do it too, swatting bugs off potential mates."


He's probably also looking for an excuse to touch you, and briefly entering your personal space is a way to gauge how close he can get. But watch where his hands wander—if his intentions are sincere, he'll respectfully avoid areas like your waist or chest, Wood says.

He looks slightly shocked
As cool as a guy tries to play it, when he's wowed by you it will register on his face. Pay close attention and you'll see him lift his eyebrows slightly and look surprised when talking to you. "This is a subconscious reaction," Wood says. The idea is that he likes what he sees and wants to take it all in.

He turns his chest toward you
When a man points his pecs in your direction, it means you're on his radar, says Helen Fisher, Ph.D., author of Why Him? Why Her? The reasons: evolution and ego. Much as a gorilla commands attention by pounding his chest and roaring, when a guy points his chest your way it means "Look at me, I'm important!"

He slouches
Once you're engaged in conversation, he'll ditch the king of the jungle act and slump forward, rounding his shoulders to appear smaller. "Slouching is a way for a man to seem more approachable to a woman," Hogan says. "His posture says 'I'm on your level, let's connect.'" And according to Fisher, his relaxed stance (otherwise known as "crouching") says he's vulnerable yet comfortable in your presence.

Source....

The Better Sex Diet

Food has been used to express love for centuries. But some eats actually have sexual superpowers, like fueling your libido and enhancing your orgasms
Enhance your chemistry
Fuel your libido
Intensify your orgasms
Share a dark chocolate dessert
Add a carnal condiment

Munch on a banana

11 Foods to Enhance Your Sex Life

If you had to choose between eating a rich piece of chocolate cake and having mind-blowing sex, which would you pick? If you're finding it a tough call, here's why: Food and sex are two of the strongest and most closely linked human desires. "The satisfaction from eating a delicious meal and the satisfaction from having sex both activate pleasure receptors in the brain," says Audrey T. Cross, Ph. D., formerly a professor of nutrition at Columbia University's School of Public Health. "This explains why humans often associate eating with sex." And while the notion of aphrodisiacs is largely unfounded, there are certain foods that can energize you, trigger your libido, and give you stronger orgasms. Eat these foods regularly for a boost in the bedroom.

Source...

Sex Secrets All Men Keep

When you first start dating a guy, it makes sense that he would conceal stuff he's not particularly proud of—his disorderly apartment, his hairy back, his mother's daily phone calls. But by the time you're a serious couple—maybe even living together—you probably assume you know your bedmate's every last habit, flaw, and idiosyncrasy. Don't be so sure.

According to new research published in The Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, one in 10 men are harboring a serious sexual secret. "There are two kinds of secrets guys keep," says Les Parrott, author of Crazy Good Sex. "Things they wish their wives or girlfriends would understand but are scared they won't, and things they're just plain trying to get away with."

With that in mind, we polled hundreds of men to learn what they hide at each stage in a relationship and enlisted experts to offer their insights. We discovered there's a decent chance your man is keeping at least one dirty secret. Read on to find out what, if anything, you should do about it.

When You're Dating...

What he's hiding: The number of women he's had sex with
Some men exaggerate to sound more sexually experienced; others lowball so you don't dismiss them as players. "Men know that if they confess to a large number of partners, it sends the message that they're unlikely to commit to one. That is, to you," says David Buss, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and author of The Evolution of Desire.

What you should do Take him at his word, but protect yourself. Be vigilant about using a condom every time you have sex—at least until you've both been tested for STDs and you feel secure that you're in a committed relationship. If you do somehow discover that he's deceived you about his sexual history, get it out in the open, but give him a chance to explain. "He could have fibbed out of embarrassment, insecurity, or sincere interest in you," says Ian Kerner, Ph.D., author of She Comes First: The Thinking Man's Guide to Pleasuring a Woman.


What he's hiding: He looks at porn—maybe a lot
According to a study at Brigham Young University, 87 percent of men have looked at some form of porn in the past year, and one in five help themselves to X-rated fare daily. Men like to look at naked chicks—no surprise there—but what is shocking is how quickly they can become dependent on those erotic images. A powerful pleasure cocktail of endorphins and epinephrine (hormones responsible for arousal and alertness) are released while a man watches porn, Parrott says. And that feeling can become addictive.

What you should do Occasional porn isn't the problem; it only becomes a wrecking ball when it starts to intrude on your sex life together. "The two big questions are 'Is it interfering with your life and relationship?' and 'Is he using it to avoid something?'" says sex therapist Sandor Gardos, Ph.D. If he actively hides his material and makes excuses to avoid having sex, be concerned.

Broach the subject when you're calm and rational. "Angry accusations never go over well," Gardos says. Another tactic: Suggest watching together. "It becomes compulsive when he feels like he has to hide it," he says. So if you're willing to share it with him, you'll take the compulsion out of the equation. Plus, experts say, viewing erotic images together can enhance your sex life.


What he's hiding: He compares you to his last girlfriend
It's true: Your guy whips out his ex ruler and measures everything about you: your looks, your bedroom abilities, how well you get along with his friends. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. "It's normal to make comparisons, and an ex is his most recent reference point," says Christopher Blazina, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Tennessee State University.

What you should do Nothing. He'll inevitably come to the conclusion that you blow away anyone else he's ever been with, and the silent comparathon raging in his mind will cease. When you should do something: if he frequently blurts out things like "My ex always..." or "My last girlfriend never..." It's not necessarily a sign that he hasn't gotten over her, but it can still be hurtful, Blazina says. When that happens, it's fair to tell him, for example, that you don't want him bringing up the details of their trip to Mexico. Chances are, he's not even aware he's been doing it and will be happy to stop.
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-relationships/mens-sex-secrets

SEX & RELATIONSHIPS

By Nicole Blades; Illustrations by Yoco/Dutch Uncle Ltd.
Is your sex life screaming for an upgrade? With more than 35 orgasm--inducing ways to get your grind on, our sex-position guide will help fulfill all your naughty needs.

Feels Best For

• her
• him
• solo

Customize

• His Size

• His Stamina

• Your Flexibility

• 

  

• 

  

• 
• 
  
• 

  

• 

• 
  http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-relationships/sex-positions?action=grid
  

7 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR BREASTS HEALTHY

When it comes to young women and breast cancer, there's good news and bad news.

The good: Their chances of having the disease are much lower than an older woman's.

The bad: If cancer does strike, it can be more aggressive, says Debra Mangino, M.D., of New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

But a healthy lifestyle can help protect your breasts. These are the changes and early-detection methods experts say are key:

1. Stay at a healthy weight
Being heavy can increase your risk of developing the disease as well as reduce your risk of surviving it, says Harold Freeman, M.D., president and founder of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer and Prevention in New York City.

2. Break a sweat
Aim to exercise for 45 minutes to an hour five days a week. Regular gym time may help prevent the disease by boosting immune function, warding off obesity, and lowering levels of estrogen and insulin.

3. Drink less alcohol
Research has shown that two drinks a day could increase breast cancer risk by 21 percent. Instead, try swapping wine for fresh grapes. Resveratrol, found in the skin of grapes, may help reduce your estrogen levels, which in turn may reduce your risk.

4. Eat your veggies
A low-fat diet can do a lot to reduce your risk, but for even more protection, add some cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and kale, to your plate. They contain sulforaphane, which is believed to help prevent cancer cells from multiplying. For an extra dose of cancer-fighting power, eat them raw.

5. Know your family history
"In about 15 percent of breast cancer cases, there is a family history of the disease," Freeman says. If you have one first-degree relative who had breast cancer, your lifetime risk doubles, and if you have two your risk increases five-fold.

6. Get checked
All women should have a clinical breast exam at least every three years and annual exams and mammograms starting at age 40. Women with a family history should begin screening 10 years prior to the family member's age of diagnosis. Ask if the facility offers digital mammography--it allows for adjustments in contrast so the image can be easier to see. Young women at increased risk may also want to ask for either an MRI or a sonogram in addition to the mammogram.

7. Consider genetic testing
"When cancer strikes young women, it's more likely to be connected to a BRCA mutation," Mangino says. Two red flags for being a BRCA carrier: being of Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish descent or having a family history of both breast and ovarian cancer. "If you have either of these factors, see a genetic counselor to talk about getting tested," she says.

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/protect-yourself-from-breast-cancer

Calcium Scans May Be Effective Screening Tool For Heart Disease

A simple, non-invasive test appears to be an effective screening tool for identifying patients with silent heart disease who are at risk for a heart attack or sudden death. Coronary artery calcium scans can be done without triggering excessive additional testing and costs, according to the multi-center EISNER (Early Identification of Subclinical Atherosclerosis by Noninvasive Imaging Research) study, led by investigators at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute.
The findings appear in the September 30 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Coronary artery calcium scans that detect plaque in the coronary arteries have been shown to be more effective than standard cholesterol and blood pressure measurements in identifying patients who are most vulnerable to heart disease. Currently, these scans are not covered by private insurance carriers, in part because of concerns that detection of low levels of cardiovascular disease will result in unnecessary and expensive further testing, including exercise imaging and invasive cardiac catheterization procedures. "Over half of patients who suffer heart attacks have no warning that they have heart disease until the heart attack occurs. If we knew the patients were at risk, current treatments could prevent the majority of these unnecessary events. We had to address the concerns about unnecessary testing and costs related to this potentially lifesaving procedure," said Daniel S. Berman, M.D., the study's principal investigator and chief of Cardiac Imaging at Cedars-Sinai's S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center in Los Angeles.
In the EISNER study, supported by The Eisner Foundation, researchers performed coronary calcium scans on 1,361 volunteers at intermediate risk for coronary artery disease, and followed them over a four-year period, from May 2001 to June 2005. The objective was to determine the relationship between coronary artery calcium scores and subsequent cardiac events and to evaluate the performance of additional cardiac diagnostic testing. Coronary artery calcium scores of 0 indicate no plaque, 1-9 minimal, 10-99 mild, 100-399 moderate, 400-999 extensive, and 1,000 or more very extensive plaque.
Coronary artery calcium scores varied widely but the vast majority of the patients had low scores. More than half — 56.7 percent of subjects -- had scores of less than 10, and only 8.2 percent had scores higher than 400. There was a strong relationship between the coronary calcium scores and subsequent cardiac events. The unique finding of the EISNER study was that there was a marked difference in the number, type and frequency of medical tests and costs given a subject's coronary artery calcium score. Additional stress testing was infrequent and related costs were low among subjects with low coronary artery calcium scores. Both rose progressively as the coronary artery calcium score increased, particularly in the patients at highest risk—those with scores of greater than 1,000—found in only 2.2 percent of subjects (31). Importantly, catheter-based invasive coronary angiography was performed exclusively among subjects with high coronary artery calcium scores. And even then, only 19.4 percent of participants who were in the highest risk category underwent this expensive procedure associated with a small but definite risk.
Recent evidence has demonstrated that screening with coronary artery calcium is a better prognosticator of risk than the Framingham Risk Score—the traditional way of assessing risk based on blood testing and blood pressure--in middle aged and elderly patients. Yet controversy surrounds expansion of cardiac screening to include coronary calcium scanning imaging because of concerns that the extra costs may not outweigh the benefits. The findings of the EISNER study, the researchers note, is the first direct evidence that coronary artery calcium scanning could be an acceptable cost-effective screening test for coronary artery disease, since it is able to identify high risk subgroups in need of aggressive medical treatment, and patients who undergo additional testing constitute only a small fraction of the screened population.
The study was funded by a grant from The Eisner Foundation, a private philanthropy in Los Angeles.
Financial Disclosures: Leslee J. Shaw, M.D., of the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, has received grant support from GE Healthcare (which makes one of the imaging machines used in the study); Matthew Budoff, M.D., of the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, has served as a consultant for GE Healthcare; James K. Min, M.D., of Weill Medical College of Cornell University inn New York, has served on the Speakers' Bureau for and received research support from GE Healthcare; Daniel S. Berman, M.D., has received research support from GE Healthcare.