In her article Fun First Dates for Single Seniors author Sharon O’brien shares ten great first date tips for singles over 50. A few of my favorites:

Spread a Blanket. Nothing is more romantic than a picnic in a beautiful spot. Make it even more special by shopping together to choose the food and wine that will fill your basket. It’s a great opportunity to share some of your favorite things with someone you’re just getting to know.

To Market, To Market. Check out a farmers market or flea market in your area. Browsing among the stalls and having so many different things to see and discuss will help keep the conversation flowing.

Fruit of the Vine. Whether you’re a wine connoisseur or have trouble telling Cabernet from Merlot, visiting a local winery or attending a wine tasting together is a great way to get to know each other while learning something new and sampling one of life’s true pleasures.

As I was reading the list it also occurred to me that these first date tips would also work well to add a little variety to long-term relationships as well. Variety is the spice of life!

It’s the same thing when it comes to getting older and dating. When we were young it was easy to meet people of the opposite sex because we were always out with our friends who had friends who introduced us to their friends. Instead of worrying about dating troubles why not get out of the house to the places where you can meet other singles.

You can find lots of places to meet other singles, from local events to online dating. No matter how you start you will find that even the simplest effort to meet other singles will be rewarded.

On the site Finding Love after 50, author Tom Blake states in his article Where to go to meet other singles “To meet a potential mate, older singles need to get out of the house and get involved in activities that interest them.” He goes on to list such singles-rich environments such as ballroom dancing, joining special interest clubs like a nearby boating club, to taking special interest classes at the local continuing education  association.

The Romancepedia Seeking Other Singles article has a nice selection of date finding tips broken down by age, from your forties, fifties and beyond. In the article they point out that from the thirties online dating sites make it easier to meet singles without the hassles of singles bars and other venues that work better for younger people.

One of the favorite tips I found was if you love the ocean why not try a singles cruise? the nice folks at Cruisemates have put together a short guide to help you: Top 10 Ways to Flirt on a Cruise. A cruise in itself is romantic, and a singles cruise will be full of other like-minded singles who are looking to meet someone special. These tips work really well on a cruise ship, but as you read the article think about how these ideas could work when you are back at home. Soon enough you won’t be able to get away from all the sexy potential dates you have started to attract!

For instance, on Romantic Tips you’ll find romantic ideas for her and him such as:

Float a love note in a bottle in the bathtub.

Hide a love note in his pants pocket.

Shower together by candlelight.

On the site Romance Tips you will find romantic tips by category for singles, married couples, and dating couples. You’ll also find helpful articles such as successful online dating tips, how to plan a romantic date, and finally marriage proposal ideas. One particularly pleasant part of the site is the romantic stories, where readers of the site share their most romantic memories.

“It’s very important to bury the idea that older people don’t have sex. They need to be touched, they need to be caressed, and they must keep that interest in sex alive even if the actual orgasmic response is less intense. A couple can be sexually active until late in life.”

What are the most important things for people after 50 to do to keep an active sex life?

“Don’t ignore your sex life — cultivate it, make sure your libido is in good shape. Don’t let your sex life become boring or routine. Rejoice that the children are out of the house, that you don’t have to worry about getting pregnant! Rejoice that information about good sex after 50 is available. Be happy that we in this country have the best scientifically validated data about sexual functioning that has ever been available. So let’s use it!”

Do you have any specific tips to get the fun back into the bedroom?

Yes. Try these:

• A little bit of red wine — not too much.
• Read Dr. Ruth’s Sex After 50.
• Kick boredom out of your bedroom.
• Watch some sexually explicit movies.
• Go for a walk.
• Do something you have never done before.
• Pull your car into a lover’s lane; watch that no police are coming.
• Use your fantasy.

Good luck!

“Look at my book, Dr. Ruth’s Sex After 50, because it talks about romance, passion and excitement; it might help. It’s a paperback. Go out and get it today. The most important sentence in it is kick boredom out of your bedroom.”

According to a new Canadian Boomer Sex survey by Ipsos Reid “Even though it’s been often reported that we are having sex twice a week, experts now think the real number is closer to once every two weeks.”

The article headlines put it bluntly - Baby boomers prefer TV to sex.

“Most people had a list of excuses for their lack of action: Fatigue, stress and a lack of time. However, those surveyed managed to spare four and five hours a day - more than 30 hours a week - watching TV or surfing the Internet.”

But there is good news. “Another yet-to-be released study found that 37 percent of Canadians over 55 prefer a good night of sex to a good night of sleep, indicating that sex is still important to that age group.”

“Of the 97 million Americans who are 45 or older, almost 40 percent—36.2 million—are on the loose, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

We have more creative ways of finding each other, too. While the go-get-’em spirit of baby boomers had already created a bumper crop of dating services, personal-ad vehicles, and Club Med-inspired singles vacations by the mid-1980s, the more recent Internet explosion has made looking for love as routine as shopping for cheap airfares.”

If it was only that easy!

Fortunately, help can be found at the bookstore with books like “50 Ways to Find Romance After 50″ and “Dating After 50 : Negotiating the Minefields of Midlife Romance”, as well as articles online with tips, advice, and recommendations, such as “Cupid for the young at heart” by Ruth Rovner.

It seems more and more often I hear of people telling of their success with online personal ads. Here is one story I found while browsing Yahoo news today:

“Susan Gladstone’s moment came when she turned 50. Divorced, with two children, she was getting tired of asking friends to fix her up and being told they just couldn’t think of anyone. And so, she turned to online dating.

Two and a half years and dozens of dates later, Gladstone, an event planner in Miami, hasn’t yet found her perfect soul mate. But she’s had lots of enjoyable dinner dates, met fascinating people from around the globe, and to her delight has made a number of lasting friendships.”

To read more, click here: Online Dating Attracts Older Daters

I was reading this interesting article in Newsweek called Sex & Love: The New World where they find “more middle-aged people than ever are single, and they’re finding the rules have changed.”

“According to the Census Bureau, 28.6 percent of adults age 45 to 59 were unattached in 2003, compared with only 18.8 percent in 1980. And many of these singles are on the prowl. In a recent AARP survey, up to 70 percent of single boomers said they dated regularly. Of those between 40 and 59 years old, 45 percent of men and 38 percent of women have intercourse at least once a week.”

And the sex is spicier too. In the article Sex in America the author explains that due to new drugs such as Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra, women have reported “their own sexual satisfaction was enhanced by their partners’ use of the drugs. Not only that, some reported that the various medications also increased the frequency of sex.” Add to that a more open mind to sexual experimentation and you have a recipe for good lovin’!