“What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of chocolate.”– Katharine Hepburn

With that tiny waist, who was she kidding? But a new study suggests that Ms. Hepburn may have been on to something because eating chocolate can actually help you stay thin. Researchers at the University of California-San Diego found that people who frequently eat chocolate have lower body-mass indexes than people who don’t. Say what? We’ll repeat that, chocolate can help you lose weight. People in the study, whose ages ranged from 20 to 85, reported eating chocolate an average of twice a week and exercising an average of 3.6 times a week.

But hang on there chocolate monster, before you inhale that giant bunny patiently waiting for Easter, everything in moderation. While chocolate is derived from cocoa beans, that doesn’t make that candy bar a vegetable. Chocolate in its purest form, either dark chocolate or cocoa powder, is going to pack the most super powers of the cocoa bean, not its processed counterpart. Chocolate is still high in sugar and calories, so it is suggested to have a small amount regularly in addition to working out. But this is great news to relieve unnecessary guilt from chocoholics when they break down and have “just one piece,” and it’s reason for some of us to go ahead and pick up a chocolate habit.

Chocolate is also one of our favorite Sweet 16 Ingredients that will have you looking and feeling delicious. Check out all our Spa Week spas offering chocolate dipped $50 spa treatments below. Oh chocolate, how sweet it is to (love) and be loved by you.

• 50 Min Swedish Massage with Cacao Absolute Aromatherapy/50 Min Chocolate Facial with Cacao Absolute Aromatherapy /60 Min Haircut with Chocolate Infused Coconut Hairtini Treatment at Zoe Salon & Spa in McLean & Fairfax, VA
• 85 Min Chocolate Body Treatment with Swedish Massage at Diva Spa & Salon in Jersey City, NJ
• 60 Min Cocoa Lotion Swedish Massage at Canary Orchid Retreat in Falls Church, VA
• 50 Min Red Wine and Chocolate Facial and Glass of Wine at Spa Mystyk in Chicago, IL
• 50 Min Chocolate Cake Ultimate Pedicure at Bellagio Salon and Day Spa in San Diego, CA
• 50 Min Chocolate Scented Massage at The Chocolate Day Spa in Costa Mesa, CA,
• 50 Min Package: Includes Chocolate Body Scrub and Massage at Magnolia European Organic Spa in New York City, NY
• 75 Min Chocolate and Champagne Pedicure with Exfoliating Hand Treatment and Polish Change at Serenity in the City Salon & Spa in Medford, MA
• 60 Min Anti-Aging Chocolate Bliss Facial including Brow Wax and Hand, Arm and Shoulder Massage at Pamper Me Skin Care in Wakefield, MA
• 60 Min Anti-Aging Chocolate and Berry Facial at  CosMedica in Wakefield, MA
• Chocolate-Rose Pedicure at Spa Butterfly in New York, NY
• 50 Min Package: Includes Chocolate Body Scrub and Massage at Magnolia European Organic Spa in New York, NY

When your doctor says the dreaded word “surgery,” visions of needles, tubes, recovery and scars may flash through your head. And as your doctor initiates the conversation to start preparing for surgery, you may not think of massage as a beneficial thing you can do for yourself. However, the healing benefits of massage therapy are vast and massage is one of the most-used complementary therapies in the United States. In some cases, massage can even be used as an alternative treatment for conditions that are progressing down the road to surgery.

“I have a client who was told by her physician that she would need surgery to repair her rotator cuff. After a few massage appointments with me, she was told she did not need surgery anymore!! That’s when I knew that I chose the right career!” – Diane Blalock, Bliss Day Spa in Houston, TX

Here are some of the most valuable benefits of massages that could help get you on the road to recovery:

• Helps to reduce edema or fluid accumulation
• Reduces swelling
• Reduces or relieves pain
• Increases flexibility of tissues
• Increases mobility
• Reduces stress and tension
• Enhances immune functions and improved cell functions

Even if you do have to go under the knife, massage therapy can be particularly effective for preparing for and recovering from surgery. Before surgery, massage can relieve much of the anxiety associated with the anticipation of having surgery. Massage helps you feel less stressed and lowers the expectations for pain.

After surgery, massage therapy is a great addition to, and sometimes can even substitute, other pain and recovery treatments, including pain medication. Massage also improves the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid, reducing swelling and stiffness. Additionally, sometimes just simple human touch can warrant a lot of physical and mental healing.

Of course, always consult your doctor when you are dealing with serious conditions. Massage is by no means a quick-fix to recovery, but you could find answers in massage that you have been missing in traditional treatment.

Here are a couple more success stories from some of Spa Week spas’ massage therapists (who will all be doing $50 massages this Spa Week) who endorse massage as an effective healing method:

“A woman came in to see me after being referred by her doctor because of a bad car accident. She tried everything under the sun first. All medications, chiropractic work, and visited doctor after doctor. She even had a surgeon tell her she needed neck and back surgery. Well it’s been 3 years now and I am her favorite “doctor” of all. As long as she gets her massages she is very content with her body. We will never know if she would have been better off with or without surgery… but one option is final. Why not try me first? Stories like this is why I love being a massage therapist.” — Sheena Vye, Oasis Day Spa in Tewksbury, MA

“This one particular time, a middle aged lady was having severe shoulder pain. She swore up and down she was going to have to have surgery. She came to me faithfully for two weeks every other day. The pain just completely went away. She was so excited because that meant “no surgery.” Now she looks at massage therapy in a different way, and still comes twice a month to maintain her body.” — Rachael Cabaong, Pure Daily Bliss Spa in Norco, CA

Get up off of that thang! Spa Week’s Spa & Wellness Challenge is on the move and we want to give a pat on the back to those of you who are making an effort to move too. The Fitness Team is getting pulled off  the couch by Dolvett Quince, The Biggest Loser trainer. Dolvett is leading the Fitness Team and he’s challenging his team to take a step (or many steps in place) toward wellness: exercise during commercials. Dolvett won’t take any excuses, so better just do what he says. As a matter of fact, he’s taped what he wants you to do in a short video message, exclusively for you, our Spa Week Daily readers. After a hard outdoor workout, Dolvett taped the below message on his iPhone. Even though the video is a little grainy, you can hear Dolvett’s wellness philosophy clear as a bell… get your booty off the couch and get healthy!

Dolvett’s Fitness Challenge:

Exercise during commercials

If you also want to get rid of your couch potato title, it’s not too late to sign up for a dose of Dolvett’s tough love! If fitness isn’t what you need to work on, you can also join the Nutrition, Yoga or Skincare teams (don’t worry, we won’t tell Dolvett).

So far it’s a close race, but there will only be four lucky winners of a $1,000 Spa & Wellness Gift Card by Spa Week, although everyone will win improved health and wellness as a consolation prize!

So far here are our favorite and top-voted submissions from The Fitness Team:

Angela: “The before picture… I am doing this for me and my family. We need to get healthy together. Our reward will be good health and another cruise- this time in bikinis!”

Robin: “My photo represents movement in between commercials. I want to drop 20lbs by July 2012.”

Marianne: At the age of 48, having had three children and battling weight issues my whole life, this photo was taken. I lost 40 lbs., began working out 7 days a week (and loving it) and became a regular 5K Runner. I still struggle with toning my cellulite area but continue to strive towards reaching my goal of losing the last 10-15 lbs., running a 10K, half marathon and eventually a full marathon. Watching Dolvett every Tuesday night is a huge inspiration. Wish there was a TV show entitled “The Littlest Loser” – LOL!

Pain may have you living your life on the sidelines, but what if there was a natural and effective way for you to regain your life? Routine massages can reduce the symptoms of chronic pain and, in some cases, even make it disappear. Tens of millions of Americans are living their lives imprisoned by pain. Chronic pain is pain that lasts for more than 6 months and can be pain localized in the neck, shoulders, pelvis, back or joints. Other kinds of chronic pain include tendinitis, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and carpal tunnel syndrome. This kind of persistent pain takes a physical and emotional toll on a person. No one feels like themselves when all they can feel is the pain. Massage may be the answer to get your life back. Massage therapy (the best job on earth!) can improve the quality of life by not only relieving the pain; it can also impact mood and induce positive sleeping patterns. By relieving the pain that keeps you up at night tossing and turning, your body will get the much needed time it craves to restore and to heal. Additionally, lowering anxiety and improving mood can help a person get their life back in order. Massage therapy offers both immediate results, as well as long term. Lisa Ianiro, lead massage therapist at Cure Spa in Malibu, CA, shares how she helped transform her father’s diagnosis:

My dad was diagnosed with having tendonitis from using the computer for too many hours. A doctor had prescribed a tight band to wrap around the muscles of the arm. This issue went on for a month because his job required him to use a computer daily, which only taxed the muscles more. Finally, one night I saw that this band was not giving him any relief and he was still in a lot of pain. I had a feeling the cause was due to trigger points that can develop because of muscle overuse. I started working on his arm feeling for small contraction knots in the muscle tissue. I could feel a ton of them. They are very painful to have worked on, but once you can relieve them the contracted muscles will let go, blood can then flow freely through the muscles and pain will then subside. The session took about 20 minutes. The next day my dad said he was a little sore but it felt better. By the third day there was no pain and the pain has never returned.

Chronic pain sufferers may want to look for a massage therapist that specializes in sports massage, neuromuscular massage therapy, orthopaedic massage, or someone who does craniosacral work or uses strain/counterstrain techniques. It is also always important to check a massage therapist’s qualifications and experience with chronic pain, as well as to always consult a doctor before receiving treatment. Here is what some of our Spa Week spas’ massage therapists have to say on their experience dealing with chronic pain:

“Working closely with individuals, it is very satisfying to know that I’ve eased someone’s longstanding discomfort or helped to make their hectic day-to-day life bearable. I’ve seen clients with chronic back issues become pain free. I’ve watched clients with rounded shoulders and hunched over posture stand straight and erect after a series of treatments.” Denise Quinn, Pure Spa in PA

“What I love about being a massage therapist is when someone comes to me with chronic pain; I can physically help them without giving them any medicine. And the best part of this profession, that it’s stress free.” Dexter Cabasug, Rio Spa And Salon in Las Vegas, NV

“I have met countless people who have dealt with chronic pain and general discomfort in their body from day to day stress. I take great comfort in knowing that once they leave my table, I have in some way released the negativity of pain and irritation that has plagued them for days, months or in some cases even years. Christopher Ruhulessin, Elements Therapeutic Massage in Orland Park, IL

Spa Week’s Spa & Wellness Challenge is in full swing and we are so excited about everyone who has signed up, as well as all the encouragement the participants have received. We asked you to pick a team to get healthy and the Nutrition Team is kicking bad habits in the butt by choosing veggies and gaining health. Joy Bauer, TODAY Show Nutritionist, is leading the Nutrition Team and she’s challenging her team to take a simple step toward wellness: eat veggies before dinner. Here is Joy’s philosophy to eat by:

Joy’s Nutrition Challenge:

Eat your veggies before dinner

If you also want to get a handle on your diet (while getting rid of your love handles), you should add some Joy to your life! It’s not too late to sign up! If nutrition isn’t what you need to work on, you can also join the Fitness, Yoga or Skincare teams (don’t worry, we won’t tell Joy).

So far it’s a close race, but there will only be four lucky winners of a $1,000 Spa & Wellness Gift Card by Spa Week, although everyone will win improved health and wellness as a consolation prize!

So far here are our favorite and top-voted submissions from The Nutrition Team:

Jazmine: “Still working to tone out and define my muscles. I chose nutrition because food is my biggest weakness, I’d like to gain some control and work on portioning.”

Christina: “This is me after loosing 30lbs for my sisters wedding.”

Alicia: “This is how I think, feel and speak. I live to be healthy and strive to educate others to be healthy.”

Brandy: “I believe that without proper nutrition fitness and health goals simply cannot be perfected. I love modeling what great nutrition means to my family!”