Warm Her Up

Thanks to chilly winds, dry skin and chaffed lips, her libido could wane as well. Follow these steps to avoid sexual hibernation, no matter how cold it is outside

Control her thermostat

Lower body temperatures dampen arousal for both men and women, thanks to constricted blood vessels and a slowed heart rate. It's basic science: if your skin is warmer, it's more sensitive.

Don't wait until you spot goose bumps to warm her up. Before the sun dips, hand her a hoodie to prevent her initial chill (that simple gesture will not go unnoticed, either). With any luck, you'll be pulling it back off in no time.

Embrace your inner sap

So you're stuck indoors with nothing to do? "You shouldn't let your love life be controlled by the climate," says Dr Linda Banner, the author of Advanced Sexual Techniques. "Winter can actually be one of the best times of the year for getting close." Hot chocolate, snuggling under a doona and lazing around a toasty fire will warm her up - and put her in the mood for love.

No fire? Nothing heats you up faster than body heat. According to the McKinley Health Centre at the University of Illinois, one of the first steps in the treatment of hypothermia is to "share body heat by lying next to or hugging the person with as much skin-to-skin contact as permissible". Enough said.

Bring her the right bloom

Flowers in winter? Sure, if you choose correctly. Once they're cut, hothouse blooms are fragile in cold weather. Instead, consider a living cymbidium orchid (ask at your nearest plant nursery). "It blooms in colder climates until the first frost, but it can bloom year-round in your home," says the American Orchic Society's Valerie Smith. "With the right amount of light, water and fertiliser, it will come back next year."

Flowering cacti and succulents are also good choices, as they don't require frequent watering. Put the plant in a spot where it'll get lots of winter sunshine to promote flowering.

Indulge her nesting instincts

A trip to the Sheridan warehouse doesn't have to be a mood killer. She spends more time indoors during winter than any other season, which means giving her a new outlook on the same old digs can pay dividends.

"We tend to get bored with anything we've seen a million times," says interior designer Melinda Sechrist. "But a fresh environment helps create energy and you never know where energy might lead."

A few easy ways to change things: new sheets and bed cover, a new paint scheme, or a clutter-clearing set of shelves. The best feng shui colours for the bedroom are "skin colours", varying from pale-white to rich chocolate-brown.