Remember that “birds and bees” conversation you had with your mom? 

Well, there are a few things she may have left out. Which is why women of all ages often find themselves asking, “Why didn’t my mama say there’d be days like this?” 

Thankfully, Dr. Lauren Streicher, clinical associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s medical school and author of Sex RX: Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever, has some answers. 

Here she shares nine not-so-fun sex facts that your mother probably should’ve warned you about… plus a few modern-day fixes.

Every time the holidays come around, the hopeful eyes and ears of millions of people tune into the ocean of what media tells them to eat in order to avoid gaining weight.

Depending on the tips they have learned, folks start counting calories, restricting certain food groups, measuring out portions, or, what’s even worse, avoiding the holiday parties altogether.

In this article I propose to open up your minds to a paradigm shift: what if you abandon the holiday food vigilance and the New Year’s resolution?

Fitness has become such a huge trend and a major focus in the industry is based on the physical aesthetics one can achieve with fitness. 

However, do you know that you can truly learn lessons in the gym and apply them to your life to grow personally and professionally? 

After training over 1,500 clients, I saw some amazing changes in their lives from finding new love to some of them becoming entrepreneurs. Seeing a physical change is absolutely lovely, but something bigger happens when you see the innate qualities that are developed through consistent workout habits. 

Being dedicated to a workout program can prepare you to better manage your life, deal with obstacles and accomplish goals. 

For the next three minutes, I want you to embrace a new way of thinking as I share with you how your life can improve by looking for lessons you learn in the gym like pushing past that last most challenging rep to conquering a new exercise that you once believed you couldn’t do. 

Learn the four ways you can turn fitness success into life success.

Before you tune out, this post is not just about sports. 

I had a different blog planned for today, but I felt strongly about this message. 

If you haven't heard, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series on Wednesday night in an epic (literally epic) game seven. I could attempt to list all of the "hasn't happened since" moments, but just know it was a game for the books. 

I'm not a born Cubs fan. I'm actually a Minnesota Twins fan, good or bad, through it all. But, when this team got to the Series after not having won the whole thing for 108 years (yes, you read that correctly), my heart was with them. I didn't feel like I was betraying my team at all. And, I wasn't jumping on the Cubs bandwagon.

Sick of dieting? 

Me too, but there’s an alternative option that doesn’t sacrifice fat loss progress.

Intuitive Eating is a practice we are beginning to master, by providing actionable advice that leads you on a path to be more mindful, not restrictive, of the dietary decisions you make.

Through INCLUSION not EXCLUSION we introduce techniques that encourage fat loss while maximizing lifestyle gains. #Winning

What are these techniques?

The flu shot receives a lot of attention at this time of year, but remedies for cold and flu season drastically differ depending on where you live in the world. 

From the Iranian Honeypot to the French homeopathic remedy Oscillococcinum, there are many culturally diverse ways to calm and minimize flu-like symptoms.

Common flu-like symptoms include fever, chills, body aches and pain.

Sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving, health goals go out the window to make room for treats galore. 

We start planning menus focused on traditional recipes, and even with the best of intentions, end up compromising on intake of sugar, unhealthy fats and artificial additives in order to enjoy some family time around the table. 

What if I told you that you can stay true to those flavors of the holiday without having to undo all the hard work you put in throughout the year to get healthier? 

By swapping a few ingredients here and there, you can still have your sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cranberries and all the other comfort foods this time of year brings to the table. A recipe with just the right pieces can not only deter you from making the wrong choices this holiday, but also add some much needed nutrients to your plate.

Before you grab that morning cup of coffee on an empty stomach, that lunchtime slice of pizza, or indulge in a steak dinner or ice cream while watching TV, understand that what you eat and when you eat it can lead to stomach upset. 

It can also trigger more severe issues in your gut. 

On the flip side, there are some foods that when eaten at certain times of day may soothe already existing stomach issues or may even prevent stomach ailments from occurring down the line. 

Dr. Gina Sam Assistant Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, offers insights on what and when to eat certain foods for a healthy gut.

It’s happening. The governors of Illinois and Ohio have bet each other ballpark favorites! 

The 2016 World Series standoff is in action with my favorite team, the Chicago Cubs. 

To be sure, baseball isn’t fair. You know this already. Sometimes, perfect pitches get hit; other times, awful swings connect. 

Are you a little league player or a middle-aged armchair athlete with a real desire to get involved in hitting some home runs or throwing a mean curveball?

You won’t find this berry in your parfait, and you may have never even heard of it. 

The berry you need to know about is from the Aronia family of shrubs, which are native to North America. 

The best-known fruit of aronia are Aronia melanocarpa and Aronia prunifolia, known as black chokeberries due to their astringency. Their dark pigmentation is the result of an abundance of polyphenols that include flavonoids, anthocyanins, and proanthocyanins, which are potent antioxidants. Among berries, aronia is particularly high in these factors.

Compared to elderberry, seven varieties of black and red currant, and six varieties of gooseberries, aronia has been shown in research to contain the highest total anthocyanin concentration and antioxidant capacity!

An opioid epidemic sweeps the nation affecting tens of thousands of young males, those with their whole lives ahead of them. Policy makers feel impelled to do something, anything to curb the tide, and so they act.

The year was 1914. The primary policy was the Harrison Act. As a result of this act, physicians who prescribed more opioid than what was deemed reasonable faced loss of license and criminal prosecution. 

The patient in pain became someone to be feared and avoided at all costs. Out of a sense of self-preservation, physicians chose to view chronic pain as merely a character flaw, something not worthy of attention. 

But, there was more… 

Because of this act and subsequent interpretations by the Supreme Court, those addicted to opioids and other drugs became criminals.

Millions of people have been harmed by this act, unnecessarily, and are still being harmed.

Just today in the New York Times there was an opinion piece by Paul Tough entitled, To Help Children, Coach Their Parents, about research on young children who were at high risk for developmental and behavioral problems in Jamaica. 

What did they coach the parents to do? Promote more educational activities? Nope. 

Use techniques to help children improve their behavior? Guess again. 

Play more? Yes! 

Parents in one arm of the research study were coached to spend time enjoying being with their child in a fun and interactive way with long term positive impacts on I.Q., less aggressive behavior and better self control.