Why wait for Valentine’s Day, a birthday or a special occasion to show you care? Start now. These simple gestures are designed to engage both of you in more loving, intimacy-based ways. The challenge is as simple as it sounds. Commit to being intimate with your partner every day for an entire week.

Day 1

Rewind time! Recreate intimacy from early on in your relationship.  Take it back to the beginning when you really cared about things like atmosphere and impressing your partner. Research shows that nostalgia can literally revive dying relationships. Play a song that evokes your early years together, break out some long-hidden lingerie, or dust off the candles that have become purely decorate and have a candle lit night together.

Day 2

Explore a fantasy you’ve never tried before. On Day 2, keep the momentum going by exploring a fantasy with your partner. Fantasies are a crucial part of physical intimacy and feeling safe enough to act on them has been shown to greatly enhance overall sex life.

Day 3

Keep it spontaneous. Spontaneity during a planned intimacy challenge sounds counterproductive but it’s not! On Day 3, surprise your partner with sex at an unexpected time. Get things started in the morning, or head into the bedroom before dinner to spice things up at night.

Day 4

Switch it up. You’re more than half-way done! To keep things interesting, switch up your typical love-making routine by trading top/bottom positions with your partner. Take it slow.  Clothes on, kissing, light touch. The simple act of changing your vantage point even for just foreplay will add a dose of excitement to keep you both in the game.

Day 5

Change your location. Pick a place outside the bedroom. Whether it’s the living room, the guest bedroom, or even the kitchen, you’ll see each other in a whole new light. Research shows that expanding lovemaking outside the bedroom brings couples closer together and increases feelings of sexual empowerment. Get to it!

Day 6

Don’t take dates for granted. Plan a date night. Key up the romance by planning a dreamy date night that brings you back to your dating days. Studies show that date nights increase sexual satisfaction in both men and women, so expect great things.

Day 7

Do it and talk about it. Communication is king. Close out your One Week Intimacy Challenge by talking with your partner during or after sex. An open conversation about your physical intimacy will continue the momentum you’ve built over the past week. Other benefits of pillow talk include higher sexual self-esteem, more pleasure, and less apprehension.