Written by Jennifer Ricciardi

Your bed’s feeling a little too crowded. You kick out the dog. But it’s still crowded. What gives?

It’s time to examine your gut. You’re getting older, your metabolism’s slowing, your handles are growing… maybe your thighs jiggle and your hips shimmy when you shake your booty. All in all, you don’t feel, well, sexy anymore. If you’ve forgotten what the phrase “frisky devil” means, keep the Viagra at the doc’s office and make some of these easy changes to your health regimen (or just start a health regimen) to rev up your sex life.

1. OJ’s Not Just for Glove Wearin’

Vitamin C’s a perfect fit for boosting your pleasure. Popping a couple thousand milligrams a day will improve your blood flow (making for stiffer, longer erections for men and riper Tweety Birds for ladies); and this potent little antioxidant will also work hard to take down any free radicals that try to damage the cells in your private parts - C’s your own, personal sex brigade.

2. Couples Stretch

Stretching your muscles is great for increasing flexibility and helping you achieve some of those positions you’ve only been able to read about (what is “Skin the Cat,” anyway?). Stretching with your partner has the benefits of 1. learning more about each others’ bodies, 2. testing each others’ limits and developing deeper trust and 3. getting good visuals while you lengthen. Start off by trying this simple stretch for your hips and back: Sit cross-legged, facing each other; grab each other at the elbows; one of you leans back (while the other one supports); and hold it for 15-30 seconds. Switch. Now hop in bed and reap the benefits of your work!

3. Sunflower Seeds Aren’t Just For the Birds

Sprinkle these seeds on a salad or grab a handful as a snack and feel your energy soar. Sunflower seeds are packed with B1, an energy boosting vitamin. Energy boosting, as in more endurance in the sack. B1 is also responsible for making sure your nerves and muscles work together and for keeping your ticker strong - both essential bodily functions for crazy sex. Foods also high in B1: tuna, black beans, asparagus and spinach - ten bucks Olive Oyl was one satisfied ho’.

4. Go Nuts

Nuts are chock full of B3, a vitamin that aids in beauty, emotional stability and energy. B3 is one of those vitamins responsible for freeing the energy from your food so that it can be used by your body. For sex. High energy = good sex. B3 also increases blood flow (we love those hard-ons!), controls your blood sugar (because who wants to sleep with a moody monster?) and helps your nervous system function properly (so you can tingle all over). Enjoy these treats in moderation, as they’re also high in fat.

5. Throw out the Cow

Substitute your regular milk for soy and reap the benefits of this magical bean. Besides being high in B vitamins and good for your heart, soy helps the ladies get lubed up. Soy adheres to a woman’s estrogen receptors, which determine how much lubrication her vagina needs. A little more soy means a little more lube. You’ll make your man think he’s turning you on faster, giving him more confidence, and, dare we say, inspiration in bed.

6. The Reason they’re Red Hot

Add some spice to your day by enhancing your meals with chili peppers. Chili pepper’s another food to help your blood circulation and it also stimulates your nerve endings, making for more pleasure in your pounce.

7. Take a Walk

Even if you’re not a hardcore exercise fanatic, doing something as simple as walking two miles a day can improve your sex life. Besides making it easier for you to move around in bed, people who workout get hornier. An Italian study of men and ED showed that the more men exercised, the better their wangers performed - a simple walk cut any risk of ED by 70%. And they’re not alone, ladies. Some science types at UT Austin studied women pre and post exercise. After watching a porn flick, the physically active women had 169% greater blood flow to their vaginas compared to when they were inactive. Getting your heart pulsing gets the rest of you pulsing.

8. Throw out the Cow II

Next time you think of ordering a burger, think of ordering one made out of fish instead of beef. Fish is high in Omega 3, a nutrient otherwise missing from our American diets. Scientific evidence shows that it helps with brain function (making for smarter sex), staving off depression (making for happier sex) and improving cholesterol and blood circulation (making for mmmmmmmmmer sex). If you can’t bear to let go of your beef, try popping a pill; Omega 3 can also be found in your vitamin aisle.

9. Cut Down On the Booze

Almost everyone’s had the unfortunate experience of a not-so-hot night in bed after knocking back a few too many: She needed to fake orgasm because she just couldn’t get aroused and he, unfortunately, couldn’t fake orgasm so he had to face his limp willy. Face the sad, sad truth: You don’t recover from a hard night of partying like you used to. The longer you prolong the beginning of the end, the lonelier your own end will be. Take care of yourself now so you can take care of your partner later.

10. Masturbate

You hear it right: go to town on yourself! The better you know your body and the more in tune you are with your “feel good receptors,” the more you can help your partner bring you to that place of ecstasy. You know how your doctor recommends you exercise three to five times a week? Just add this onto your regular routine. (Except you might want to wait until you leave the gym.)

*11. Suck It Up

Since this isn’t as easy as popping a pill, we’ve listed it as our bonus tip: suck it up and lose that weight you’ve gained since college. You keep talking about it, whining about it - just do it. You’ll feel lighter, you’ll look better, your confidence will skyrocket and so will your sex life. Eat less, exercise more, cut out the carbs, stick to yellow food, count your calories… so many diet options out there guarantee that you (or your lover) will be harder. In so many ways.