There's two ways to enjoy healthy vacations. One - You can choose a resort which puts a lot of emphasis on health, regardless of destination. Second, you can choose a destination which is famed for it's health-oriented activities and facilties.

We'll be taking a very close look at the latter, but there'll also be some pointers towards some especially health-crazy resorts, which may or may not be in a health-conscious town or community.

Hilton Head Health Spa H3

The pictures above provide a prime example. The one at the top is looking out onto the beach from the Health Spa H3 in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. You won't find Hilton Head vacations at the top of any healthy vacation lists, but if you're a client of the spa, it's as good as ground zero for health fanatics.

H3 (www.hhhealth.com/) calls itself America's premier healthy lifestyle destination, offering a realistic approach to fitness, nutrition, stress management and successful weight loss.

One of their weight-loss activities is morning walks along the beach. It's not only invigorating, but also extremely suitable for fitness activities, like biking - because the beach is hard packed.

Another unlikely candidate for a healthy beach vacation is Tybee Island, 18 miles eats of Savannah, in Georgia. The 3-mile stretch of beach on Tybee Island was recently recognized as 'America's Healthiest Beach' by Health magazine.

The judging panel, comprised of travel and health experts, selected Tybee Island as the winner because of it's all-round suitability as a health-conscious beach community. Biking is the most common mode of transportation on Tybee, and as such, the place has extensive bike rentals and other related facilities like bike parking all over the island.

Also, the restaurants on Tybee Island mostly offer relatively healthy food like fish tacos, salads, and veggie-filled sandwiches. And the lodging facilities - the Tybee Island motels, B&B's, vacation rentals, hotels, etc. are the cheapest out of all the towns the Health.com panel considered for inclusion in their list of 'Healthy beaches and lake getaways'.

You might find this weird, but it's true. A place which is healthy for men might not be so for women, and vice-versa. A joint study last year by Men's Health & Women's Health magazines showed that Salt Lake City, Utah, is the healthiest city for women, while Madison, Wisconsin is the healthiest place for men.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the worst place to live for women is Bakersfield, California, and Charleston, West Virginia is the unhealthiest place for men. Don't ask how these results were conjured up. Matters of sex don't usually adher to logic and science. If any of you have thoughts on this subject, feel free to enlighten me. I'd love to know more.

Anyway, the point here is that if you're a woman, you might want to enjoy the healthy attractions of Salt Lake City, and if you're a man, then it's off to Madison. If you're a couple, well...fight over it.

I'll throw in a vote in favor of Madison, WI - because I read what both magazines had to say about said locations, and turns out that Madison calls itself the Bike Capital of the Midwest, and is home to some 100 miles of biking and hiking trails. There's also plenty of lakes and parks, which allows for outdoor activities including canoeing, kayaking, iceboating, skateboarding, hiking and swimming.

Even more importanly, Madison doesn't offer too many fast-food options, so it's not really difficult to eat healthy while you're vacationing in Madison. And the cost of living is very, very affordable.

So if Madison is the healthiest vacation destination for men, I don't see how it can be said to be less healthy than Salt Lake CIty for women, so personally, I'd choose Madison over Salt Lake CIty, if I was looking for a healthy vacation. But, like I said, if you know better, please educate me.

Another place you might want to consider is Seattle. The weather might be irritating, but TripAdvisor's travelers just voted in Seattle as the healthiest city for visitors. And in case you're wondering, Detroit was named as the dirtiest city in the U.S., which can't be healthy, so you can strike Motown off your list of healthy vacation destinations.

Hilton head beach photo by ninahale via flickr (creative commons). Tybee Island photo by rjones0856 via flickr (creative commons).