The New Year is coming and I predict that all of you single gals who are seeking men are going to be wanting some new ideas on how to make a love connection in 2009.  I’m a huge believer in combining your quest to stay fit with your search for romance, so I’ve put together list of the five sports you might want to try to expand your fitness and dating horizons.

1. Hiking – Men who hike are generally outdoorsy and rugged. Think J Crew catalog models with nice calves. A lot of men who hike have Boy Scout skills carried over from childhood. They are like MacGyver in hiking boots. Most of them can start a fire with their bare hands, if you know what I mean!  These guys also have good rear ends from hiking uphill, so if they are walking the trails in front of you, it’s good viewing for you while you strike up the nerve to have a conversation. The best thing about a hiking man is that he loves a hiking woman!

2. Mountain biking - Men who mountain bike have great buns! They are very brave and masculine and dare devilish, and not afraid to get dirty. They have a lot of endurance and tend to like nature. They wear tight biking shorts, which gives a nice view of their assets. The only drawback is the helmet factor. It’s hard for a girl to look cute in those things and yet almost all men look sexy in them, so it’s possible to miscalculate your attraction level to him.

3. Martial Arts - Men who do martial arts can protect you with their bare hands. It is a sport that teaches discipline, which means these guys are capable of delaying gratification, which would have to mean they are skilled and patient in the foreplay department, right? They are also very flexible from all those roundhouse kicks. With a martial arts guy, you can practice self defense moves together, which usually results in being twisted up like a pretzel with him.

4. Racquetball - Men who play racquetball have nice upper bodies and quick reflexes. It’s a great way to be in close, tight quarters with a sexy, sweaty guy for an extended period of time. These guys have great stamina and well developed fast twitch muscles, both of which come in handy for other extracurricular activities as well!

5. Rock Climbing - Men who climb rocks have great forearms and hands. Actually, they have great everything.  They have a lot of the same qualities as hiking guys but with extra long ropes. Wink. When you learn to climb at the rock gym, there’s no real risk of death like on the side of a mountain, and yet, the height factor does allow you to build trust with your climbing mate (while starting at each other’s ass).