Make Your Long Distance Love Hot

If you're one of the seven million Americans currently in a long-distance relationship (LDR), you don't need us to tell you how hard it can be to keep that love alive. The good news is that most LDRs and often report similar levels of satisfaction, intimacy, trust and commitment as do regular couples - you just have to work harder at it.

According to the Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationships, a couple's sexual experience often parallels and predicts the overall relationship intimacy. Research shows that LDRs report just as satisfying sex lives as other couples: the trick is remaining sexual when you aren't physically close.

Be Hands On
Sad reality: if you stop having sex, you soon stop wanting sex, putting long distance couples in a dangerous position. Make sure you enjoy lots of erotic time alone to keep your libido humming and your body primed for the passion marathon that usually happens at reunion time.

Pillow Talk
Long distance duos have no choice but to really verbalize what they're thinking. The sexual part of a relationship is so important that the quality of phone/email sex can actually make or break a relationship, say the researchers at the Center. You can learn to be more comfortable with sexy talk. Try reading stories over the phone, or leave a sexy voicemail when you know your partner can't answer the phone.

DIY Porn
The truly brave exhibitionist may look into getting a web cam or taking lots of intriguing photos. For safety and privacy reasons, treat your film exploits as sneak previews and not full exposés. According to experts, exhibitionism and voyeurism are the themes in 80 percent of sexual fantasies, so you'll probably both have a good time!

Honeymoon Effect
One of the greatest benefit of LDRs is that they often enjoy intense and novel "honeymoon" experiences when they reunion. But after such long periods of enforced abstinence, any sex may feel like great sex. Remember to try new experiences, or you risk winding up in the same sex rut as any other couple.

Don't Elevate It
Couples in LDRs are sometimes guilty of measuring the success of the relationship by the quality of the most recent time spent together. Don't let yourself think your relationship is ruined just because of one bad weekend. Disappointing times are normal.