6 Sneaky Ways to a Better-Looking Partner on Yahoo! Health

Pride may be one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but your lover's lack of pride in how he looks can be even deadlier - to your love life, that is.

Sure, dedication, intelligence, and a sense of humor are what really stir the chemistry between you, but that doesn't mean you don't want your partner to feel like they're on top of their game, looks-wise.

After all, a confident partner is a sexually motivated partner, and sometimes an extra dose of sensuality is all a relationship needs to go to the next level. But beware: Goosing your loved one into taking better care of himself can be dicey territory, and even the most polite suggestion that "maybe you need to lose a few pounds" can lead to somebody sleeping on the couch for a week.

The solution? Sneaky partner upgrades, the kind that are good for his or her health, as well as their libido. So if you want to motivate your partner to dress sharper, eat better, and get their butt down to the gym, you need to take a stealth approach. Here's how to save their ego - and perhaps your love life.

Get Him Into The Sack Sooner

He may stay up late watching the game, or surfing the Web, or rearranging sock drawers. If so, lure him into bed earlier - or at least encourage those weekend naps. Sleep lowers levels of stress hormones and benefits the immune system - both helpful for improving appearance.

And a recent Columbia University study shows that people who manage only six hours of shut-eye each night are 23 percent more likely to be overweight than those who sleep for seven to nine hours. Plus, another study showed that those who had trouble falling or staying asleep were significantly more likely to eat fast food the next day.

Invite Him To Join You At The Gym

If his interest in workouts is falling faster than Britney's chances in the "Mom of the Year" awards, then he might be more motivated to stick with it if you stick with him at the gym. Nearly half of men who exercise alone quit their programs after a year, but two-thirds of those who exercise with their partners keep on pumping.

And of course, you know the benefits, and they don't only affect how he'll look in jeans: scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham discovered that men who performed three weight workouts a week for six months not only built muscle and lost fat, but also improved their scores on measures of tension, anger, and overall mood. A smile will make anybody look good.

Go Scent Shopping

He may be stuck in the good ol' days of 11th grade cologne, and that makes him about as sophisticated as, well, your 11th grade boyfriend. A man's scent will stick in a woman's memory as much as anything he says or wears, according to a Cornell University study.

And since the nose is connected to the limbic system of the brain, which controls libido, you'll want to be sure that he occasionally splashes on a hint of rose, jasmine, green apple, or ylang-ylang, all of which have been shown to trigger sexual arousal. Or you can simply swap in a new hand soap, and the fragrance upgrade will change his appeal.

Keep A Picture Of Him On Your Desk

Not just to keep a work stalker from hitting on you. The more often you see your partner's face, the better it will look to you. The brain favors familiar faces when choosing a partner, according to a new study from the University of Liverpool, in England. Researchers showed more than 200 men and women photos of faces that had been digitally altered. When asked to rate attractiveness later, people preferred faces similar to those they had seen the most often.

Dress Him Down

Stuck on what to get him for the holidays? Besides the kind of tech stuff every guy loves, like these possible gifts, go for a plain, conservative addition to his closet. Why the conservative look? He'll be more attractive with less advertising on his wear. According to a Men's Health survey of 160 women, the biggest money-related turnoff is a man who's a walking logo.

Help Him Change The Spare Tire

You probably help your guy eat well when you're at home, but here's a scary stat: we consume 17 percent of calories from fast food, and more than 40 percent away from home. Worse yet, we underestimate our calories when we eat out by as much as 93 percent, which would make it easy to gain 15 pounds in a year - without even realizing it.

You might win the battle on the home front, and lose it when you're out and about. The fix? Learn what's good and bad on restaurant menus. Call your partner over to the computer and play this addictive and interactive Eat This/Not That game. Together you can have fun, learn a lot, and be better off the next time you're talking to the clown at the drive-thru.

If your mate stores more information between his ears, I guarantee that he'll be carrying less fat around his waist.

Remember, anybody can lose weight, and nobody is hopeless. Check out these amazing weight-loss stories - they'll inspire both of you to start the year right.

Have other ideas? Please share them here.

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