Tennis legend and entrepreneur Serena Williams is generously sharing her secrets on how she prevents the appearance of stretch marks during her pregnancy.
Williams is married to Reddit co-founder and businessman Alexis Ohanian. The couple share a 5-year-old daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., who goes by Olympia. Williams and Ohanian are currently expecting a second child, which has since been confirmed to be another girl following a recent gender reveal celebration.
Although Williams didn't disclose any information about her pregnancy routine in the past, the 41-year-old changed her mind this time around because she developed a step-by-step regimen that has proven to be effective so far in her goal to reduce stretch marks. In the YouTube video "My Belly Routine featuring Olympia," shared last month, Williams opens up about the particular products she uses regularly and some she applies on multiple occasions.
Serena Williams' Belly Routine
Serena Williams YouTube
At the start of the clip, Williams revealed another factor contributing to the release of the belly routine video: her determination not to get stretch marks.
"I thought it would be really good for me to show you what I use on my belly because I love beauty products. I love my makeup. I love all that stuff," she said while mentioning the products she used when she was pregnant with her first child. "But when I had Olympia in my belly, I didn't really put a lot of things on. I just put like, lotion and stuff. This time around, I'm like, I don't want to get any stretch marks."
Williams added that when she was pregnant with Olympia, she got little stretch marks and was willing to do anything to not have any for her second pregnancy.
Raw Cocoa Butter And Raw Shea Butter
Serena Williams YouTube
Further into the video, Williams shares that she begins her daily routine by rubbing raw cocoa butter on her belly, which reportedly improves blood circulation and prevents UV rays damage.
"I'll show you what I do. I have my own concoction... The best thing to do, I heard, was cocoa butter. So I order cocoa butter," she explained. “So I got raw cocoa butter, and I just rub it on my belly in the morning. Every morning I wake up, I just rub it on. The lower area is also super important for me. So I get a little bit on the lower area as well."
In addition to rubbing the cocoa butter on her belly regularly, Williams would apply it to her breasts and back. The next step is raw shea butter. Williams claims she usually combines both butters and rubs them on her belly, back, and chest, but she placed them one at a time for video purposes.
The main benefit of using raw shea butter on one's skin is retaining moisture.
Pure Vitamin E Oil
Serena Williams YouTube
After lathering herself up with cocoa butter and shea butter and the products set in, Williams applied pure vitamin E oil to improve her skin's elasticity.
"Say ten minutes has passed, I'm like, okay, that's all set and feels good. I get pure vitamin E oil," she stated. "Vitamin E oil is good for storing, and I'm just trying to make my skin more elastic, so I rub all that vitamin E oil on there...Again I get the lower part because that's where most of the stretch marks occur. So I get all that area, and then anything extra, I put on my back."
Pure Coconut Oil And Bio-Oil
Serena Williams YouTube
In the latter half of the clip, Williams disclosed the items she uses on different occasions, including pure coconut oil, especially if she notices that her belly feels dry after applying her go-to products.
"In addition to the products that I've already used on my belly, I usually like to switch it up. So at night, I'll change up my routine a little bit or during the day if I feel like my tummy's a little dry. I add on this pure coconut oil," she said.
Following that step, Williams explained that she started incorporating bio-oil into her routine because of the rave reviews she received from friends and family.
"Another one that I use, people swear by it, I started using is Bio-Oil," she stated while listing one of the oil's benefits. "It is natural, and it's for stretch marks."
Belly Masks
Serena Williams YouTube
Williams wrapped up the video by suggesting that individuals currently expecting, like herself, invest in belly masks because they were created to reduce the appearance of stretch marks.
In addition to that statement, Williams also shared the best times to use the masks.
"Another thing I've been trying are these little [belly] masks.
So it's really cool. They're like stretch mark targeted sheet masks. You put the whole mask on your belly. Super fun if you want to have like a day just for you to just relax and rewind. Take a deep breath and spend time for you," she stated.
For Williams' full video on how to reduce stretch marks during pregnancy, click the video below.
My Belly Routine featuring Olympia
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Feature image by Serena Williams YouTube
Although this might seem like a heavy way to intro this particular topic, because the O Method is an orgasm-achieving technique that centers around housing energy, embracing the mental practice of manifestation, and the attempt to achieve the best climaxes ever — it all works together pretty well if you ask me. If you want to take your orgasms to the next level, it’s important that you get out of yourself (to a certain extent), that you see the spiritual role that manifestation plays, and that you are open to trying new things. No doubt about it.
So, let’s learn more about what the O Method is all about and how it very well could be just what you’ve been looking for…even if you didn’t know it.
What Is the “O Method” All About?
GiphyQuestion: When’s the last time you’ve had an orgasm? Not just any orgasm — I mean a really mind-blowing one (I’ll give you a second to think about it). Now, what if you could manifest that experience to the point where it wasn’t a rare occurrence but something that happened almost every time that you and your partner had sex with each other? How absolutely awesome would that be?
That is pretty much what the O Method is all about — helping you achieve the kind of orgasms (and sexual pleasure, in general) that you desire through the practice of manifestation. And since your biggest sex organ is your brain, it would make perfect sense that even with all of the tips and techniques that you might learn to do as far as your body is concerned, honing in on what you think about is super imperative to sexual fulfillment, too. And that’s just where manifestation comes in.
What If You’ve Never “Manifested” Anything Before?
GiphyBefore we get into a quick lesson on manifestation, I think it’s important to mention two things. One, for the cynics, there is a lot of truth in the fact that it’s got some solid spiritual basis to it because even the Good Book says that as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7). At the same time, that same Good Book tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26). So, while it is always a good idea to focus on good, positive, and productive thoughts, just thinking about them isn’t enough — at some point, you’ve also gotta get out here and DO something (bookmark that).
Okay, with that mini-sermon out of the way, whether it’s in the bedroom or not, manifestation is basically about focusing on something tangible that you desire, harnessing your energy in such a way that your words and actions are directed towards that longing until what you want, well, manifests. For the record, aside from this having a spiritual backing to it, in many ways, science cosigns on manifesting, too. There is actually a scientific process known as neuroplasticity that consists of reframing your mind so that your actions ultimately end up aligning with your goals — and that is another way to look at manifestation.
So, what if you’re someone who has never set out to do a manifestation practice before? No worries. Something that’s awesome about it is there are several different approaches that you can take.
Some people manifest what they want in their lives via:
- Journaling
- Visualization/Creating vision boards
- Writing down their desires before going to bed (so that they can “download” them into their dream state)
- Creating mantras and affirmations
- Applying the 369 Manifestation Method (you can learn more about that here)
- Meditating
- Learning more about what you want to manifest (which brings forth clarity)
This is important to keep in mind because, when it comes to manifesting the types of orgasms that you want to have, as you can see, you can try different manifestation methods until you find one (or ones) that you are truly comfortable with. One that can ease you into the entire process rather smoothly is something known as sex journaling.
How Sex Journaling Can Actually Help You to Have an Orgasm
GiphyAs a writer, I’m a big fan of journaling. Mostly because it’s a way to get out some of your deepest thoughts and feelings so that you’re able to really process what is happening inside of you in a private setting. And when it comes to sex journaling, specifically, it’s all about centering yourself on the things sexually that you want to “unpack,” get clarity on or come to some revelations about. For instance, if there’s only been one partner from your past who’s been able to help you achieve the type of orgasms that you wish to manifest, journaling about what makes him different from the other guys can provide you with some solid ah-ha moments.
Or if you need help getting as specific as possible about the sexual experiences that you’re after, journaling can help to make that happen for you — because one thing that manifesting reminds us all to do is be as specific as possible.
Yeah, simply saying, “I want to have better sex” isn’t detailed enough when you want to get your energy to match with your desires — instead, describe how all of your senses should feel in the experience, along with why, that can get you so much closer to achieving your goal. Once those things are documented, you can segue into creating mantras and/or meditation that are based on them. Yeah, sex journaling really is an underrated superpower on a lot of levels (check out “The Art Of Sex Journaling (And Why You Should Do It)”).
5 Tips for Making the O Method Work for You
GiphyNow that you know more about what the O Method is and how manifestation plays a direct role in its process, let’s talk about five ways to make the O Method truly effective in your own (sex) life.
1. Focus, FULLY, on your feminine energy. What do rose quartz, amethyst, moonstone (which is a Gemini birthstone as well; yes, I’m a Gemini), selenite, and rhodonite all have in common? They’re crystals that help you to go deeper into your divine feminine energy. Traits that are associated with this include compassion, creativity, kindness, gentleness, and sensuality (feminine energy is also accepting and forgiving). If you were to study energy from a biological standpoint, it’s about producing change, responding to stimuli, and having the ability to do what needs to be done (work). So, when it comes to manifesting the kind of orgasms or sexual experiences that you want, using things like your creativity and gentleness in your thoughts and actions can play a role in bringing balance to your partner’s masculinity, which can create a profound sense of pleasure — after all, opposites do attract.
2. Don’t hold back on what it is that you desire. Whenever I interview sex therapists, something that they all say is, a huge mistake that people make as far as sexual satisfaction is concerned is, they have walls up — not just with their partners but even within themselves. Sometimes, there is intimidation, fear, or even shame around what they really want to happen during sex to the point where they aren’t able to channel their energy fully in those directions in order to manifest what they want. For the O Method to work, you can’t let those types of negative emotions hinder you; the more you are able to articulate what you want and how you want it, the better chance you have of making it happen. So yes, get graphic. As graphic as possible.
3. Make manifestation a daily practice. Repetition is important when it comes to manifestation. That’s because the more you declare what you desire (a mantra), get still and think on it (meditation), or look at the “art” that you’ve created surrounding it (visualization), the quicker it becomes a part of you. So yes, make manifestation a daily practice. For instance, if one of your mantras is, “I am going to have intensely passionate orgasms, one right after the other,” don’t just state that 15 minutes before sex is going to happen. Wake up and declare it. Then say it on your lunch break. And again before turning in. The more your thoughts are “streamlined” in this way, the easier it will be for your body to follow suit.
4. Share this practice with your partner. If you were to do even more research on the O Method, one thing that most of the articles will mention is it’s a practice that you can do alone or with your partner. Indeed. However, I just want to make sure that you get into your psyche that great sex is, in part, about good communication. And so, the more comfortable you are sharing with your partner what you are doing as far as the O Method is concerned and what you ultimately want to happen as a result of the practice, the easier it will be for him to “match your energy” — both in and out of the bedroom. And when your partner is on the same page as you? That definitely increases the chances of attaining your sexual desires — exponentially so.
5. Stay in the moment. While I was reading one article on manifestation, I really appreciated something that the author said: manifestation isn’t some supernatural power. In other words, while it can be beneficial, it’s not like you can just think of something, and it instantly appears out of nowhere. Manifesting is a discipline, and it must be accompanied by action, consistency, and patience — this means that you must also practice mindfulness. Meaning, now that you know better what you’re looking to achieve as far as sex is concerned, every time that it transpires, maintain a level of positive energy, remember what your end goal is, and then determine in your mind to enjoy the moments as they come. Remember, manifestation isn’t to add stress…it’s to cultivate clarity.
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At the end of the day, the O Method is simply a way of reminding you that your mind plays a huge role in your sexual pleasure, and when you channel it and your energy exactly where you want them both to go, you’ll be amazed what your body is capable of doing…and accomplishing.
So, what kind of orgasm are you wanting to achieve? You’ve got a tool to get you there. USE IT.
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Featured image by Giphy
