Pat Benatar famously said, “love is a battle field”, but it doesn’t have to be!

Why celebrate love in the first place?

Because we’re all busy that’s why!

But being thoroughly modern women, we don’t need to wait around for Prince Charming to sweep us off our feet. It’s 2015 girl, time to get your own sexy on.

Pamper Me

This is about you. Don’t think about what you think your significant other wants, think about what you want. What makes you feel good about yourself? A new dress? A new hair do? Sweating it out at a cross fit class? What ever it is, do it. Take the time to treat yourself like the goddess you are. You don’t need to live up to anyone else’s standard of beauty, do what makes you feel beautiful.

Feed Me

For someone who has a major relationship with food, this is what love is all about for me. Whether you are cooking or eating out, there are a few Cosmo Hippy guidelines.

Avoid wheat. That right sweet lips, no bread, pasta, cake or biscuits. It will bloat you, making you look like you swallowed a boulder and make you feel equally bad. Not conducive to romance.

But there are plenty of sexy wheat free foods like:

• Oysters – especially good at giving you that loving feeling thanks to their high amounts of zinc
• Strawberries – packed with vitamin C that helps stimulate libido in women. Strawberries also help relax blood vessels and promote blood flow
• Dark chocolate – contains phenylethylamine (PEA) and serotonin. The same chemical produced in our brains when we fall in love
• Asparagus – promotes the production of histamine a chemical that helps both men and women reach those highest of highs
• Figs – full of trace elements like vitamin E and magnesium that are essential for sexual health
• Watermelon – high in a compound that helps our bodies produce Nitric Oxide, a chemical that dilates our blood vessels. Very similar in action to that little blue pill starting with a V
• Chillies – helps raise the heart rate and release endorphins, giving us a happy natural high
• Red Wine – again with the nitric oxide production, but you can’t really get enough of this good thing when it comes to love
• Salmon – high in omega 3 that helps raise dopamine levels and trigger arousal

Why not try raw oysters with a chili dressing or chocolate dipped strawberries?

Talk to me

You’ve taken the time to make yourself feel fabulous, the food is perfect, it doesn’t even matter if the company is so-so. Just relax! Take the time to really enjoy yourself.

Avoid talking about politics, family, religion, the kids, the bills, the washing, the neighbor’s dog. Take the time to get to know your date, whether they are a new thing or the same old hat you’ve been with for the better part of a decade, now is the time to really plug into them and talk.

Turn your phone off, look into your date’s eyes and truly listen to what they are saying. Be present in the moment and you might be surprised at what you discover.

If you take the time, you might just fall in love with a whole new side of dating.

About the author

Dr Leandra Brady-Walker

Dr Leandra Brady-Walker is The Cosmopolitan Hippy. She helps women to find the balance between raging party girl and blissed out hippy all while nourishing their inner goddess.
A typical busy modern woman, Chiropractor, award winning business owner, author, domestic goddess and mummy to a toddler she is a woman who wants it all. Good food, a fast paced fashionable lifestyle and good health, she knows how to strike that balance.
If you've ever wanted to be healthier without giving up the cocktails, chocolate, heels or beauty products you've found your gal.
Currently living and working in tropical Darwin Australia, Leandra spend her days as a Chiropractor. By night, she is the Cosmopolitan Hippy, writing books, recipes and running various programs that teach women how not to give up the life they love, while loving and respecting their bodies at the same time.

• Cosmo Hippy Salted Caramel Tart
• Cosmo Hippy Seed Crackers
• Asian Fish Parcels
• Size Does Matter...Or Does It?