The One Thing That Never Fails to Turn a Woman On

Ali Eaves, the Men’s Health Girl Next Door, takes all your questions on women, love, and lust.

What’s the one thing that never fails to light a woman’s fire? 
—Ben from Charleston, South Carolina

Sometimes my husband lets me “catch” him watching the dirty video we made on vacation in Jamaica a few years ago. It’s probably a ploy, but it works every time.

The idea that he’d rather look at me than one of those barely legal blondes on PornHub? Swoon.

But even if you’ve never filmed any sexy home movies together, the idea is this: Find a way to convey that it’s her that you want. Urgently.

Women love to feel wanted. Neuroscientist Ogi Ogas, Ph.D., once told Men’s Health that female sexual fantasies center on the feeling of being desired. That feeling can instantly trigger her arousal.

Eating Fruits and Vegetables Could Make You As Happy As Getting a Job

Science has found another reason to eat more fruits and vegetables—eating enough of them could make you a happier person, according to new Australian research.

More than 12,000 people were surveyed twice about how many fruits and vegetables they typically ate—once in 2007, and again in 2009.

During both of those surveys, the subjects also rated their overall life satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10.

Researchers looked at how each person’s fruit and vegetable consumption and happiness changed over those two years, and found that with each extra serving of fruits and vegetables people ate, the happier they felt.

How Much Protein Can Your Muscles Absorb In One Sitting?

It would seem logical that the more protein you pack away during a meal, the bigger your muscles would grow.

But your body doesn’t work that way. There’s a certain amount of protein your muscles can absorb in one sitting.

“Skeletal muscle protein synthesis is maximized by 25 to 35 grams of high-quality protein during a meal,” says Doug Paddon-Jones, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition and metabolism at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

“Protein synthesis” is basically a fancy way of saying “building and repairing muscle.” Exercise creates microtears in your muscles. The harder you work, the more tears. Protein helps repair these tears, causing your muscles to grow bigger and stronger.

5 Surprising Reasons You’re Suddenly Broke

You’ve learned from experience that shopping for food on an empty stomach is a bad idea. (Nothing like handing empty bags of chips to the cashier.)

But buying clothes when you’re hungry is even worse for your wallet, finds recent research from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Feeling hungry fires up your brain’s “acquisition” system, the study authors say. Think of it as your “I need something” reflex: Even though the thing you need is food, that reflex makes you more likely to spend money on non-food items, the study shows

The Scary Truth About Lyme Disease

Michael Radonich remembers the day he got Lyme disease: It was late August 2012, the beginning of his first semester at the Wharton School in Philadelphia. He and his classmates had boarded buses for a day of ropes courses and bonding activities at a campground in the Pennsylvania woods.

About two weeks later, Radonich suddenly awoke to shooting pains in his scalp, as if someone had clipped electrodes to his temples. His heart rate began fluttering between 60 and 140 beats per minute. His experienced severe double vision, and then the left side of his body went numb. He was 28 years old, much too young to be having a stroke.

Science Just Discovered a Strange Link Between Naps and Diabetes

Pull your head out from under the covers: Taking long naps might increase your risk of heart problems and diabetes, a new meta-analysis presented at the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) Annual Scientific Session suggests.

After analyzing data on more than 300,000 people from 21 different studies, the researchers concluded that people who napped more than 60 minutes a day—and who reported high levels of daytime fatigue—were about 50 percent more likely to develop diabetes than those who napped for less than an hour a day.

The Easy Way to Help Her Orgasm Every Time

Let her mind wander: Fantasizing during sex may help her orgasm, finds a recent Belgian study.

Women who reported regularly experiencing the big O were more likely to imagine sexy scenarios while getting it on than those who had trouble finishing.

It’s possible that her erotic thoughts help keep her focused on feeling good, the researchers say. Women who have a hard time getting off tend to be more distracted during sex, according to the paper, while those who orgasm easily may be more tuned into their sensations.

6 Reasons Your Breath Reeks - Other Than Bad Hygiene

You brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash a couple times a day, avoid garlic bread on a first date, and always pop a mint after your morning coffee—yet somehow your breath still stinks. What gives?

Poor oral hygiene is not the most common cause of bad breath, says Harold Katz, D.D.S., bacteriologist, and founder of the California Breath Clinics. Most chronic bad breath is actually due to dry mouth: When you don’t have enough moisture, the bacteria that live in your mouth thrive.

“When you sleep at night there’s little or no saliva production,” explains Dr. Katz. “That’s what causes dryness and morning breath.”

5 Trendy Health Foods That Aren’t Really Healthy

If your coworkers, your college pal who you still follow on Facebook, and your gym buddy are all buzzing about a miracle food, it’s gotta be good, right? Well ...

When it comes to health foods, the trendiness-as-truthfulness model doesn’t always apply.

Skeptical? Just look at these 5 crazy-popular picks. They might be everywhere, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they deserve a daily spot in your diet.

The One Thing That Never Fails to Turn a Woman On

Ali Eaves, the Men’s Health Girl Next Door, takes all your questions on women, love, and lust.

What’s the one thing that never fails to light a woman’s fire?
                                                —Ben from Charleston, South Carolina

Sometimes my husband lets me “catch” him watching the dirty video we made on vacation in Jamaica a few years ago. It’s probably a ploy, but it works every time.

Why You Should Order the Exact Same Thing As Your Date or Client

Want to click with your dinner dates? Order the same thing they do, new research from the University of Chicago suggests.

In the study, pairs of strangers either ate the same snack as their partners or a different snack. Then they played a game designed to measure trust: One partner could choose how much money to give the other based on how much he or she trusted the other’s judgment.

On average, the people who ate the same snack as their partners gave almost 30 percent more money to their partners and said they felt about 17 percent closer to them than the pairs who ate different types of food.

Why You Should Work Your Abs First

Your core—the dozens of muscles between your shoulders and your hips—contracts first in every exercise, he explains. All the energy you exert starts in your midsection, and is then transferred to your limbs.

A strong core allows you to apply more force to a barbell, whereas a weak core decreases the amount you can apply.

But in order to prime your core muscles so they fire better during your workout, you need to train your core right after your warmup, he says.

The Truth About How Porn Affects Your Sex Life

There’s a war on porn taking place right now.

A growing chorus is claiming that porn is addictive, that it promotes misogyny and sexual violence, that it leads to riskier sex, and that it's creating an epidemic of erectile dysfunction and destroying relationships.

These are just some of the many reasons the state of Utah recently went so far as to formally declare porn to be a “public health crisis.”

Is porn really such a destructive force, though?

It’s difficult to come to that conclusion when you actually look at what the research says.

Most Physicians Say It Takes 5 to 7 Attempts to Quit Smoking. Here’s Why They’re Wrong

It might take more tries than you think to finally stop smoking for good: Smokers may need close to 30 quit attempts before they finally succeed, new research in BMJ Open found.

That’s well above the 5 to 7 benchmark that physicians usually refer to.

The 5 to 7 estimate comes from how many quit attempts former smokers actually remember having taken in their lives, says the study’s lead researcher Michael Chaiton, Ph.D.

STUDY: 78% Of Health-Care Workers Don’t Properly Wash Their Hands

You’d think your doctor, of all people, would be diligent about washing her hands at work.

But many health-care workers are sloppy with their hand hygiene, according to a new study presented at the 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) conference.

The researchers had undercover volunteers monitor hospital staff—including doctors, nurses, and even housekeeping—as they worked at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, California.

7 Signs She'll Be Good in Bed

It's an enigma as enduring as Mona Lisa's small, knowing smile: Sometimes meek women turn wild in bed; sometimes they just lie there, waiting to inherit the earth. Sometimes the chestnut filly with the riding crop turns out to be all packaging; sometimes she's as thrilling as the signs indicated she'd be.

It made me wonder: Is it possible to reliably predict what a woman is like in bed? The love scientists say yes—sort of.

"It's very hard to gauge," explains Helen Fisher, Ph.D., an anthropologist at Rutgers University and author of Why We Love, a new book about the nature and chemistry of romantic love. A woman's high heels, short skirt, and follow-me walk mean little. "Those are signs of intention. But they are not signs that this person is actually good in bed and is compatible with you."

8 Signs It’s Time To Break Up

How do you know when it’s time to call it quits, versus when you’re just going through a rough patch?

We spoke with relationship experts to get a list of eight crucial signs to look out for. If several of these apply to you, and if you’ve worked on them to no avail, it could be time to cut the cord.

YOU'RE FIGHTING OVER EVERYTHING
Fights happen. And some couples just naturally fight more than others.

But if your argument pattern is changing and you’re starting to pick fights over the littlest, most insignificant things, that could be an indication that something’s awry, says relationship therapist Rachel Sussman, L.C.S.W., author of The Breakup Bible.

Why You Bruise More Easily When You Drink Alcohol

A dry mouth, a pounding head, and an upset stomach: Those are just a few side effects you might expect after drinking alcohol the night before.

One you might not think of? Waking up with black and blue marks across your body.

That’s because boozing can make you more susceptible to bruising.

Alcohol is a vasodilator, meaning it causes your blood vessels to temporarily relax and expand.

What to Do If Your Sex Life Has Become Completely Predictable

As the years go by over the course of a relationship, sex almost inevitable becomes routine.

“Boring sex unfolds naturally in long-term relationships, because we all do what works,” says Marianne Brandon, Ph.D., author of Monogamy: The Untold Story. “Then we just keep repeating what works until it becomes a rut.”

Although you can’t rewind the clock—or magically transform your partner into someone new—you can reclaim the sexual energy you once shared. Here’s how.

14 Sex Myths—Busted!

Think you know a thing or two about sex? You may be right, but you may also be way off-base. Read on to see what widely accepted “truths” can use a bit of a refresh. Once you arm yourself with this intel, put it into action. She'll thank you—and you'll thank us.

Myth: Sex is better when you're young.
Reality:  Sure, sex when you’re young may be faster and more athletic, but most sexually active older adults report having the most satisfying, emotionally rewarding sex of their lives. "There's less emphasis on quick orgasms and more focus on sensuality, creativity, and emotional connection," says sexuality education consultant Melanie Davis, Ph.D, CSE. So don’t envy the young too much—you could very well be having a much better time.

Antibiotics Can Cause Workout Injuries, FDA Warns

Your sickness might sideline your workout in a surprising way: Taking a certain class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones can raise your risk for harmful side effects like tendonitis or even a full-blown tendon rupture, according to a new update from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).

In fact, people who take these meds—such as Cipro or Levaquin—have about triple the risk of tendon rupture as those not on the drug, researchers from the University of Toronto found.