By Healing Lifestyles and Spas

It seems we’re always walking a fine line between being good: opting for the rice cake instead of the cupcake, and being guiltily, indisputably bad, bad, bad: Waiter! Bring me that cupcake, after all. And add a side of candied bacon ice cream.

The human brain is actually what determines whether something is good for you or bad for you—not based on reality, fact or science, of course, but based on a faulty belief you might have been carrying around for decades.

But being healthy doesn’t have to be so black and white. And it certainly doesn’t have to be constricting, boring or unappealing. Healthy can be sexy. In fact, it’s the new sexy! Sex up your health life with these 10 steamy tips by Tracy Shields, writer, triathlete and nutrition junkie, co-owner and Marketing Director of N3 Oceanic, Inc., maker of Res-Q products, and Nature’s Shield, a subsidiary of N3.

It’s sexytime!

1. Flirt: Did you know that flirting is a healthy de-stressor? Researchers at the University of Washington found that flirting in the workplacehelps employees to increase their happiness and de-stress. Flirting, when appropriate, can also keep levels of oxytocin (the “love hormone”) high in both males and females. Wink, wink!
2. Eat more aphrodisiacs: There’s no such thing as a fried, battered, processed aphrodisiac loaded with trans-fats. The very essence of an aphrodisiac — a food that, in ancient times, aided fertility and sexual performance — is that it has the ability to offer high amounts of nutritional value so as to increase libido. Foods such as almonds, avocados, bananas, chocolate, figs, garlic, ginger, honey, and of course, oysters, have all been touted through the centuries as great performers. Lucky for your waist-line, chicken wings aren’t on the list.
3. Swim: Swimming is sexy. Alone or with a partner, there’s something beautiful and tantalizing about a body gliding through a pool of clear water. Even a brisk dip in a cool Northern lake during summer is, well, hot. And, ahem, there’s always skinny dipping. Leisurely swimming, by the way, can burn up to 650 calories.
4. Sexercise: It’s almost cliché now. Sex burns calories. It’s exercise. But the truth is, the amount of calories burned depends on, er, the energy manufactured during the act. Just as you can’t burn any calories at an aerobics class just lying on the mat, neither can you do so during sex. So, don’t just lie there. Get your heart rate up and get busy! Need a few ideas? Try the “Standing Ovation.”
5. Wine & Dine: Decide on a stressless dinner and go out to eat. And I’m not talking about some beer and shots joint down the road. How about a wine and oyster bar in the city? Red wine, if you haven’t already read the studies, is packed with Resveratrol (also, coincidentally, an ingredient in today’s Bite Beauty prize), a naturally occurring antioxidant that helps eliminate free radicals in the body and aids in longevity. Oysters are packed with zinc to help fortify the immune system. Both are aphrodisiacs, and even if they weren’t, how sexy is a wine and oyster bar with a bunch of your friends, or your second half?
6. Chocolate Massage: There’s something decadent, erotic and oh so healthy about a chocolate massage. But, as bad as that sounds, don’t forget that chocolate is packed with antioxidants. And the mind-body-spirit effects of a professional massage are priceless. There are hundreds of great spas that offer this crazy sexy service (such as the 60 Min Whipped Hot Chocolate Massage at Spa West in Westlake, Ohio in our July Spa Deals.)
7. Misbehave: I’m not talking about robbing a bank or shooting up a convenience store. But how about a little mischief to get the adrenalin going? Adrenalin is your stress hormone and believe it or not, some stress is good for you. The fight or flight response “speeds up heart rate and increases blood pressure,” allowing you to have that “I feel alive” sensation. Trouble is, prolonged, nagging stress, where your adrenal glands are triggered non-stop is not good. So, think quickie in the park, playing hooky from work, booking a last-minute flight to Vegas; liberate yourself a little. It’s good for your spirit.
8. Get Naked: For some of us (me included), getting naked is the last on my list of sexy things to do, let alone healthy. And yet, “garments limit the flow of air over the skin and interfere with the evaporation of perspiration.” Getting naked—at least for a little while—also helps skin to breathe and take a break from restricting clothes that may have many harmful chemicals, dyes and allergens. And if you feel completely uncomfortable with even the tiniest bit of flesh showing, try switching to 100% organic cotton clothing, which is breathable and has been manufactured with less harmful chemicals.
9. Soak it up: Bubble baths used to be all the rage. Now it’s the soak. Draw a bath and avoid reaching for the bubbles. Instead, sprinkle some healthy alternatives into the tub: oatmeal is great for psoriasis, dead sea salt has an exfoliating effect, rosemary, orange, aloe, lavender or eucalyptus soothes and opens pores. For a super sexy effect, draw a jasmine and sandalwood scented bath for two.
10. Think Sexy: Your brain is your most powerful tool. Not only does it have the capability of defining the objects and actions of your life, but it has the power to redefine them if the old definition isn’t working. Case in point: who says rice cakes, broccoli, and a sweaty aerobics class isn’t sexy? You do. There’s so much about a healthy lifestyle that can be considered “sexy.” But you need to reinforce your brain’s positive way of defining what sexy is. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help you “become aware of inaccurate or negative thinking,” as well as create positive impressions with respect to events or actions you’d normally prefer to avoid. My point? Don’t give up on healthy just because you believe it’s boring or limited. Start to see sexy in all your healthy ways. The more you transform your thinking, the more solid your commitment to your healthy lifestyle becomes.

It’s aphrodisiac season and Cupid is confused. Cupid is pressuring you to reel in your Valentine by eating aphrodisiac-filled chocolate (Yikes! Not THAT much), showering in Axe (use at your own risk), hanging out with Rhinos (questionable) and sweating out your good ol’ natural stank. Right?

Well, it came to my attention that for many people, cleanliness can be the biggest aphrodisiac of all. “I like a girl with a nice fresh lemony scent,” a friend explained last night. “Being clean is the #1 thing I look for in a girl.”

So today, to help you land a Valentine, find love, maintain a healthy relationship, or at least kill 99.99% of the germs in your life… we’re going to be giving away 5 bottles of Clean Well Hand Sanitizer.

I’ve been using it for a month or so, and believe me, this stuff is as fresh and lemony as it gets, and no illnesses to report… not even a sneeze! Are men falling in love with my clean, lemony self left and right? I’ll get back to you.

To Enter:
In the comments below, tell us the germ-iest thing you’ve touched recently. The 5 of you who we think need it most will win a 4 ounce bottle of Clean Well All-Natural Hand Sanitizer. That’s 900+ sprays of sexy, germ-free clean! Enter until Monday, 2/8, 11:59 pm EST.

PS. Bonus points for our friends on Facebook and Twitter who already carry around hand sanitizer to keep aphrodisiac-quality clean! We asked about it last week. Su’Ona Johnson Thompson carries around Purell, @heavensfear and Ravinder Kaur like their germs killed by stuff from Bath & Body Works, Kim Hopkins keeps Germ-X Wipes in every possible spot she could be, and @amymartinG told us Clean Well is her favorite because it’s great for kids and it’s non-drying. (Because all kids could use a good aphrodisiac…)

Update: THE WINNERS

Congratualtions to the 5 of you, you’ve won a bottle of CLEAN WELL Hand Sanitizer! (There are a lot of germs to kill – I hope you guys use this stuff regularly! Contact me with your address to claim your prize – michelle @ spaweekmedia.com or DM me @michellejoni.

Susan @grumpy1970 - I had to dig through our outside garbage can for my sons lost tooth that was wrapped in a napkin. Ugh! Thanks for teh opportunity to win your giveaway!

Dianestokes – I was going to say grocery store carts, but I remembered reading once that elevator buttons and escalator rails are actually the germ-iest things we touch. They never get sanitized. :/

JM @pbrandpbj – I have an adorable 3-year old Yorkie who will eat and chew on pretty much anything. Most recently, on one of our evening walks he sniffed out a half eaten chicken wing that someone so lovingly discarded for him on the sidewalk. I had no choice but to pry open his mouth and pull out the food item with my bare hands.

Melissa Finley @mymendinghands – New York City Subway Poles and Handles….multiple times a day….every day.

Zachary Adam Cohen @zacharycohen – I touched a homeless persons mouth the other day, i was taking a cigarette out of their mouth because smoking is bad for you.