Blog Posts by Care2 Healthy Living

Is this still necessary?By Arielle Ford, Care2 Healthy Living

In the movie, Shall We Dance, starring Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez and Susan Sarandon, there is a terrific scene where Sarandon's character is sitting at a bar explaining to a stranger why being married is important.

She says, "We need a witness to our lives. There are billions of people on the planet…I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything - the good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things - all of it, all the time, every day. You're saying, 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness.'"

For the 65 percent of Baby Boomers who are married (of which I am one), this ideal of marriage probably resonates. We do want someone to share ourselves with and to eventually grow old with. Even for those Boomers who have divorced, most seek to remarry… to find a new lover, best

Frustrated.

By Dr. Bill Cloke, Care2 Healthy Living

I don't have to tell you that sex is everywhere: in films, on television and in any other venue advertisers can lay their hands on. The blaring message: sex is not only important but absolutely necessary and if you aren't having it, there's something wrong with you (which isn't true, so don't worry). But from a relationship happiness perspective, how important is sex, really? How critical is sex to long-term relationships or marriage? Let's look to a recent national survey for a glimpse into what's really going on in the bedrooms and minds of women, gathered from the community website iVillage. I will attempt to interpret the results and provide some tips for whatever percentile you find yourself in.

Seventy-five percent of women think that a good sex life is very important. (Men, that's 3 out of 4 women you'll meet on any given day. This is obviously nice news for our gender.) But what is "a good sex life"?

Here's where the rubber

What's the science behind this magic?

By Wendy Strgar, Care2 Healthy Living

A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.
-Ingrid Bergman

I love to kiss. When I think back to living in France in my 20s, the most memorable part of my time there was all the kissing that occurred. I got to kiss everyone: strangers, friends and of course, lovers. Participating in that social ritual that demanded one come in close was what I missed most when I left.

I had no idea that there was a science and study of kissing when I started this article and I must admit that I feel a bit miffed that we can consecrate a science to kissing, philematology, and people still balk at the idea of loveology. Still, the more I learn about kissing, the more legitimate the science becomes. Kissing is the building block of intimacy. Done with intention and passion, the kiss is the most profound of all our communication devices and the pathway to sustaining loving relationships.

Think back to

Cheers!

By Liz Dawn Donahue, Care2 Healthy Living

There are a ton of horror stories out there about people meeting on the internet trying to find love, and then there are some wonderful stories about people who have met on the internet. I am one of the wonderful stories. My husband and I met on match.com and we are absolutely perfect for one another, so it can definitely work. The internet is an unavoidable tool these days if we want to be more efficient with our work, shopping and even sometimes play. In a previous post, I wrote about the 8 Dos and Don'ts of Internet Dating, but today I am going to discuss something rather old fashioned: Finding love in the real world and not the cyber world.

For those of you who have done the internet dating thing, you know how frustrating it can be to weed through thousands of profiles, e-mails, photos and go on those 20 minute coffee dates. It can be as time consuming and exhausting as making the effort to get yourself out in the world and find

Is it time to break up?

By Liz Dawn Donahue, Care2 Healthy Living

My nieces are such a great resource for helping me to remember not only what I went through when I was dating, but we talk about things they are currently going through as well. They are in their mid 20′s, quite the intelligent young women filled with much more insight and the ability to be introspective than I was at their age.

The topic of conversation last night was breaking up and why we stay in relationships too long. Not only have I personally experienced being in a relationship WAY too long and where fighting was normal, but the up and down drama became a routine. Somehow we justify this because when it's "good" it's really good, but when it's "bad" it makes your life miserable. And then there are the litany of excuses to stay. Here are just a few we came up with.

1. Afraid you won't find someone else that you will feel as familiar and comfortable with:
Not only will you absolutely find someone that you are comfortable

Don't worry, your time will come.By Diana Vilibert, Care2.com Healthy living

Paired up? Your single friends are happy for you…but you're driving them crazy with your well-meaning words. They're too nice to tell you to cut it out, so I'll tell you instead.

"I have the perfect guy for you!"
There's nothing wrong with setting up your single friends-but please, know something about the guy other than "he's single too!" before you tell your friend how perfect they are for each other.

"Are you sure you're happy?"
Accompanied by the sympathetic head tilt, there is nothing more rage-inducing than having a friend not believe that you're happy being single. Let's make a deal-keep it to yourself if you think your friend is kidding herself when she says she's happy flying solo, and she'll keep it to herself that she doesn't think your boyfriend is as charming as you think he is.

"Your life is like an episode of Sex and the City! What's your latest crazy story?"
For some reason, this exclamation