Relationship Bods: Don’t be a Victim

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Relationship Bod

Ah, the honeymoon stage… A time for countless amounts of sex; dinner, lunch, and brunch dates everyday; and movie nights in with big bottles of wine for two. Oh and you might not notice it now, but it’s also the time for you to gain about 10-20 extra pounds in all the wrong places! We call it: The Relationship Bod.

I like to think of the honeymoon stage of your relationship like your freshman year of college. It freakin’ rocks, but you don’t notice all the weight you’re putting on. Eventually, whether it’s your junior year of college or your last, you start to realize (and you start majorly regretting) all those late night pizza orders, and 12 packs of beer you finished in an hour are catching up to you. The same happens with your relationship. You start out super excited and happy that you finally have someone to explore all those New York restaurants with. And your pumped that on weekends you get to just snuggle in bed all day, rather than go out and try to meet new people. Unfortunately, just like the 12 packs you downed freshman year of college, these new habits from your relationship will start taking a toll on your body, too.

The question is what do you do now that you’re realizing you have fallen victim to the dreaded Relationship Bod?? Project Soulmate has some ideas. The best trend going on right now is the development of tons of hip new workout studios like aerial yoga, or cross fit training facilities. A great idea would be to have you and your boyfriend/girlfriend join together. Maybe have some friendly competition, and in no time you two will be back to being babes. Another idea from our professional matchmakers is to start cooking your own meals. There are so many videos circulating Facebook right now with healthy meals that are easy to make (especially with two people) and look absolutely delicious. Not only does this help improve your health, but it makes your wallet happier, too.

So, yes, it is great that you’ve finally found love in New York City with someone who thinks you are beautiful no matter what, but that doesn’t mean you should just give up on yourself!! According to our relationship expert’s, one key to a long lasting, healthy relationship is pleasing and impressing your partner everyday. Give our tips a try, and if you ever need any more advice, Project Soulmate is always open to help!

 

Emily Stovall

Online Dating Genius: The Age Liar

Online Dating Genius: The Age Liar

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Online Dating Genius: The Age Liar

So let’s talk about our next greatest pet peeve on online dating websites:

Lying About Your Age.

We get it: you’ve gotten older, you’re single, and you have those great pics from last decade and they’re so much better than that one from last weekend.  So what’s your solution? To get on a dating website, lie about your age, and post old pictures of yourself to snag the matches you really want. Who wouldn’t love a 32 year-old with the relationship wisdom, maturity and experience of a 44 year-old anyway? Problem is though, now you’re kind of a big, fat, liar too…

The question is – what’s your plan? You find a special someone you’re really interested in online, the conversations begin to flow really well, and then they want to meet you in person…remember? Do you end up telling the truth or do you just cut out, and move on to the next match, trapping yourself in an eternal online dating black hole? Either option will not bring you any closer to your goal of finding that special someone who loves you for you. Isn’t that why you decided to date online in the first place?

If you decide to tell the truth before you meet, you have created a very sour taste in the mouth of your potential true love – before your first official impression. “If they lied about this, what else could they be lying about??” Even if they give you the chance…they will be so focused on your looks for your age that it would take a miracle for you feel comfortable enough to be redeeming.  If you decide to tell the truth (or never tell the truth) much farther down the road…all we can say is good luck to you.

Suggestion: Try being real from the start (Those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind, right?) and then invest in some high-quality, professional  online dating photos. (No, it does not look like you are trying too hard and yes, it has proven to work extremely well.)  If you are finally taking the plunge into the online dating world, be honest.  Be honest with yourself and with those on the site. No one wants their time or money wasted, and no one wants their preferences disregarded. Do you?

Unfortunately, you’ll never find that special someone if you are lying from the start about your age and misleading about the way you currently look. Besides, if you looked that great at 32, you probably look fantastic at 44! Embrace who you are and learn the ways to present a package that people can’t refuse. Confidence is the sexiest reported characteristic in dating. If someone doesn’t like you for your age, then you shouldn’t like them for their opinions.

So, if you’re still thinking about going old school in your profile, think about how annoyed you’d feel if you thought you were going on a date with one of these two:

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And one of these two showed up…
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(Meanwhile, some other people would thrilled to land of date with one of these two and now you’ve wasted everyone’s time. Anyway, they’re both taken.)

If you want to know which profile photos to use, or the best way to highlight great qualities about yourself in your online profile, call Project Soulmate’s online dating experts for answers.

Project Soulmate can make your online dating profile stand out from the crowd. Our profile writing, photography, communication coaching, and account management services can actually make this whole “finding the love of my life online” thing fun! Our professional matchmakers are always available and willing to help, just Click here for more info!  Or Contact Us and ask away!

Check out these Online Dating Genius previous posts: The Offspring Pic, The Bathroom Selfie, The Height Exaggeration, and The Hot Chick In Your Pic.

Find more good stuff here: Twitter: @projectsoulmate   Facebook: Like us!   Pinterest:  Project Soulmate

Emily Stovall

Emily Stovall is our powerhouse Marketing and Business Management Intern.

Jane Rudes is a Communication Consultant and the Online Division Director at Project Soulmate.

We are happy to answer questions for interested, prospective online clients regarding common online dating woes and what we can do for you and your online dating accounts.

Valentine’s Day: Avoiding the Single Girl Blues

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Our faaaavorite holiday is just around the corner and we can’t wait to gush all about it. Yep you guessed it, it’s Valentine’s Day! A day for love and laughter for those annoyingly cute, perfect couples, and a day for tears and chocolate for those hopeless romantics that just can’t seem to find a match. Well stop. This article isn’t for the already happily made couples with their reservations for dinner already booked; this is for the singles out there looking for love in New York City who wish they could just skip that dreaded date of February 14th. To you singles, I’m here to tell you: It’s not all its cracked up to be, but since I know it sucks anyways, here are some tips to get you through the day.

First and foremost, get your butt on over to the professional matchmakers at Project Soulmate. Get all of those foolish stereotypes you have about online dating out of your mind and sign up. Sure you’re basically hiring someone to help you find a match, but who cares?? You’ll honestly probably find a match faster with these love experts that turns out to be 10 times better than the guy your best friend has been dating for 4 months now. Why? Because they are professional matchmakers. Because they know exactly what you are looking for and exactly how to find it for you. And because they are not only looking for your best interest, but everyone’s best interest. This means they are not going to hook you up with a guy/girl just because he fits your description, but Project Soulmate makes sure you fit his description too. They have the recipe for success and you just need to bite the bullet and get on board!

girls night outTip two, is live it up! Find your best single friends and hit the town. Make a reservation at the hottest NYC restaurant, just like a date, but go with 3 or 4 of your closest friends. Dress up, drink a little bit, bring each person a cheap Valentine’s Day card, and enjoy your night. Sometimes the best way to get through this dreadful holiday is by simply participating in the festivities! Just remember, in second grade no none had a valentine, but everyone loved valentine’s day because it meant you got cute cards, lots of candy, and hung out with friends… there’s no reason it should be any different now!

If you’re someone who prefers to be alone, though, then so be it! Tip three is to go buy a pint of ice cream or maybe your movie nightfavorite little cupcakes, and sob at romantic movies all night. A little ice cream and tears can sometimes be the best medicine. My personal favorite romances to check out are “The Notebook,” “The Fault in Our Stars,” and “The Theory of Everything.” On the other hand though I definitely recommend you throw in some romcom’s in the mix to have a giggle every now and then. In that case, “Bridesmaids” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” are my ultimate go-to’s.

Whatever you decide, just don’t forget to enjoy yourself and to never ever give up on love in NYC. Love will come your way when the time is right!

 

Emily Stovall

Online Dating Genius

Online Dating Genius: The Bathroom Selfie

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Introducing Online Dating Genius: A new blog series brought to you by the online dating experts at your favorite NYC Matchmaking Service, Project Soulmate!  Each week we will reveal another “do-not” in online dating.

If you online date, you will relate.

Online Dating Genius

The Bathroom Selfie

Gentlemen, you may think you look great that day. Maybe you do. Problem is – women are much more likely to notice your background bedroom mess and be turned off by the unwarranted glimpse into your bathroom, than be turned on by your “hot” look.

Data shows men who include photos of themselves looking away from the camera get more responses. Just ask a friend to take a candid of you at the beach, when you’re dressed well for work or while going out at night. If you’re alone, at least use the timer on your smartphone cam. The mirror is not your friend! Get out of the bathroom…and the bedroom. Always be mindful of your background.

Relationship experts say that most women click away from male profiles that include selfies. Especially shirtless selfies. Worse…shirtless bathroom selfies. This strategy can negatively imply a lot about you. Women online often perceive men who use selfies as shallow, lonely or not confident enough to ask someone else to take their photo. You should aim for pics that highlight your personality and your hobbies. A great matchmaking tip is to include a minimum of one clear headshot, one candid with a nice smile, a clean-cut full-length picture of you dressed more formally and one shot taken while doing something you love. Mirror pics and shirtless selfies will backfire for men when it comes to dating women online, so bottom line guys…selfies are a do-not.

Written by Jane Rudes

Did you know that Project Soulmate offers professional photo coaching and management services for your online dating accounts? Click here for more info!  Or Contact Us and ask!

Up next…Kids in your pics, photos with friends, height or age fibbing and more!

Stay tuned each week and find more good stuff here:

Check out these Online Dating Genius previous posts:  The Height Exaggeration, The Offspring Pic, The Hot Chick In Your Pic, and The Not Your Baby Pic. 

Find more good stuff here: Twitter: @projectsoulmate   Facebook: Like us!   Pinterest:  Project Soulmate

Jane Rudes is a Communication Consultant as well as the Online Division Director at Project Soulmate. Jane is happy to speak with interested prospective online clients about their online profile and other common online dating woes. 

 

Love yourself first.

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Love yourself first.

When thinking about your day to day life, what comes to the forefront? Your workload? Meeting a business partner? Trekking to a different neighborhood to see a friend? No matter what you are doing, do other people come first? This is commonplace in today’s society and sometimes it’s hard to remember to think about yourself. The phrase “self love is the best love” is true, but once you love yourself you can be open to loving others, and loving them wholeheartedly with no reservations. New York’s Elite Matchmakers think that loving yourself first will lead to extremely healthy and successful relationships. The best way to do this is make sure that you take care of yourself mind, body, and spirit.

If you find yourself hearing the phrase “treat yourself” and don’t know what that means… Here are a few tips to help you finding and accepting your best self.

treat yo self

1. Add some personal time to your schedule. If you work everyday and are constantly booked with friends on the weekends, try penciling yourself in instead. Sundays are great days to relax and unwind. Grab a book or try a new hobby like writing a blog, running, or even knitting. It important to maintain your interests so that you don’t end up feeling burnt out.

2. Follow the aforementioned phrase and treat yourself. If you’ve has a long week and want Shake Shack for dinner instead of cooking… do it! Sometimes even diets need to be broken to feel full. There is no point in going through life constantly wanting more. Life is all about choices and it’s best not to overthink small things like this. If you want it, go get it.

3. Enjoy some ‘tech-free time’. Studies say that we should unplug at least one hour before going to bed to maximize the effectiveness of sleep. This seems almost impossible in today’s age where emails are flooding your inbox every minute and social media is more prevalent than ever. Make a conscious effort to put your phone down before bed and you will be grateful, so will your cell phone bill.

4. Find ways to destress. It can be as simple as looking out of your window, taking a 5 minute stretch at work, or working out. Try drinking tea before you go to bed, chamomile been proven to decrease mild anxiety! No matter what it is that you do, do it because you want to, not because you have to.

5. Start a gratitude jar! Everyday (or whenever you remember) write down something on a slip of paper that you are grateful for, or a positive thing that happened that day. At the end of the year you will have a collection of little happy things to remind you how great life can be everyday.

Relationship Experts Lori and Jenn feel that it is important love yourself before you can open up to others and find your potential soulmate. Accepting yourself as you are is the best way to live your happiest life.

BY: LILY DOERFLER

Mother Vs. Matchmaker

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“Mother knows best!” is a saying that has rung through our ears since before we were born. And honestly, for most of us, the saying has probably proved true more times than once. Then there’s the BFF who stands right alongside mom in terms of knowing you and knowing (or thinking they know) what’s best for you. From the countless phone calls about the awful date you just went on or the guy who had put your heart through the ringer, to the endless nights filled with chick flicks and drooling over Ryan Gosling, your mom and your best friend think they know the ins and outs of who you should date and (even if they won’t say it out loud) deem themselves your perfect matchmaker.

Although they have your best interests at heart, letting someone close to you play matchmaker can get messy. To find drama-free, no-muss-no-fuss love, it is best to seek out a professional matchmaker.

While you may think, “What’s the point of wasting my time/money/energy on a matchmaker when I have friends and family to do it for free?” you have to realize that there are many differences between the two.

 

Difference #1: Matchmakers have a much larger network of potential partners for you than your friends and family do.

While your best friend may have the perfect guy from the office that you just have to go on a date with, that’s probably about as broad as her network of singles that she hasn’t set you up with (or at least tried).

And we all know that mom has tried multiple times to set you up with just about any cute guy that she comes across- her boss’s nephew (who she’s only ever seen one picture of), her personal trainer, or even someone she’s never met before but automatically knows will be perfect for you.

On the other hand, professional matchmaking services, like Project Soulmate, have an exceptionally larger pool of singles and potential dates that are just waiting for a chance to go out with you.

 

Difference #2: Matchmakers get to know you and what you want

As well as your mom and best friend know you, when it comes to your love life, objectifying the topic is not their strong suit. While they may think they know your Mr. Right down to a T, more often than not they miss the target by a long shot. Remember that phase you went through where you were attracted to that grungy, hipster guy that you would always see at your local café? Well your BFF still remembers that, and even though that was five years ago and that phase has long been over, when she passes that grungy, Kurt Cobain-esque guy walking through the streets of Brooklyn, he’s automatically filed in her mind as your potential soulmate.

When working with professional matchmakers, on the other hand, being objective is their strong suit. They will get to know who you are and exactly what you’re looking for in a partner at this point in your life, and use that to find you the perfect match.

 

Difference #3: No strings attached!

If you go on a first date with someone your mom or friend set you up with and have an awful time, you’re likely to sugar coat it or lie and say you had a decent time to avoid hurting their feelings or coming off as ungrateful.

While matchmakers get to know you on a personal level to find you your perfect match, your relationship is professional rather than personal so you can be 100% honest without worrying about inciting turbulence in your relationship. If your date went horribly and you don’t want to even think about seeing him again, you can openly tell them and they’ll simply look to find you a new, more successful date.

Although your mom and best friend may know the ins and outs of your life and always have your best interest in mind, when it comes to something as important as your love life, sometimes it’s better for them to step aside and lets the professionals take the reins.

 

BY: Nicole D’Amato

An Interview: All About Project Soulmate with Arthur Kade

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ArthurKade & Project Soulmate

Watch The Original Project Soulmate VIDEO Interview With Arthur Kade (Click here)

Clipped from the adorably sweet Arthur Kade:

Lori Zaslow and Jenn Zucher are two of the country’s best matchmakers, and after finishing up their first season of Bravo’s “LoveBroker”, two well known reality stars. With their matchmaking business “Project Soulmate”, they have established themselves as NYC’s elite matchmaking combo, reliable and edgy TV Personalities that appear on various TV Shows, and as they perfectly put it, their mission is “to deliver high quality, meaningful matches that have a genuine potential for love. Whether this is your first real romance or a second chance at love, Project Soulmate is passionate to help you meet your other half.”

Here “The King Of Kamelot” sits down with the awesome and extremely funny Lori Zaslow and Jenn Zucher of Project Soulmate and Bravo’s “LoveBroker” in NYC to talk about how they have become one of the country’s leading matchmaking businesses, what the experience on their first season of Bravo was like, how they met and started working together, who they would hook me up with, and what lies ahead. I have to say that I LOVED these two, and can’t wait to see them on TV again soon!!

Project Soulmate on Blog Talk Radio

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Sometimes finding that special someone seems to be impossible. This is when you bring on the best in Matchmaking in the team of Bravo TV’s Lori Zaslow and Jenn Zucher, collectively they are the founders of Project Soulmate.

Lori and Jenn  serve as great entertainment. Not only are they outspoken and prepared to discuss the fabulous and not-so-fabulous aspects of love, but their contrasting opinions are sure to entertain all. Between Lori’s tongue-in-cheek comments and Jenn’s directness, they are a dynamic duo ready to take on any question thrown their way. Nothing is too risqué or over the top.

Tune in to hear how its done.

www.projectsoulmate.com

Listen in and get many important questions answered during this detailed interview with Project Soulmate: Bravo’s Love Broker, Lori Zaslow and her business partner Jenn Zucher are featured on the UCW Radio Show, with the wonderful Louis Velasquez

Listen to internet radio with Louis Velazquez on Blog Talk Radio