Can you “murder” your metabolism? Not really – but you can certainly screw with it’s “mind.” Let’s say, just for example, you are not consistent with your diet. You have been in and out of weight loss programs and, over the years; you gain and lose weight.

This can seriously screw up your metabolic rhythm. But it doesn’t destroy it – if your metabolism was truly murdered, you would be, too. Metabolism is merely the process by which your body converts food into energy. If it were to stop doing that, you would be dead.
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Organic food consumption has increased in popularity over the years and that increase continues to rise at a relatively steady pace. There is a good chance that you have seen an organic food aisle at one of your local grocery stores. In fact, you may have even driven past a farmers market where organic food was sold. Even WalMart has come out with a line of organic foods. Alas, if you are like many other Americans, there is a good chance that you kept right on walking or driving by. This is because many people don’t eat organic foods.

Why should you eat organic? Many claim that eating organic foods helps promote lifelong health and happiness. Some believe organic foods can help detoxify the body. And, organic foods are environmentally friendly. Let me talk about each point individually.
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If you’re anything like me, you keep a busy schedule. Ideas for new stories come at you from all directions — the news, the book you’re reading, your dreams, bits on conversations you over hear, etc. You do keep a note book with you at all times to jot this stuff down, right?

Anyway, the reason I mention all this is that being busy can prevent us from doing do diligence with our diet. We forgo prep time and grab something convenient, like a cookie or a burger. But this can be a slippery slope that not only takes away from your appearance (which can have far-reaching psychological effects), but it takes away your energy and, at least some of your health.
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Sometimes, when you look at the grocery aisle, it can seem that you need a lot of money to eat healthily. Fast food is cheap. Good food … not so much. But I have good news, if you are interested in eating a healthy diet, you don’t have to be rich to do so.

It is totally possible to involve yourself with a healthful diet on a tight budget (and so many writers are on tight budgets these days). Of course, you may have to “pay” for it in other ways. For example, you might have to forgo fast food and take a little bit of extra time and effort to plan your meals. But you can make good and inexpensive food choices to provide your body with excellent nutrition.

Step One: Planning
When you go shopping, take a list with you of the healthy foods you need to purchase. Don’t wing it. Don’t just walk up and down the aisles without a plan. Basically, shop with purpose.
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OK, I’ve spent two weeks discussing exercise. And, if you followed the link I put at the end of Jan. 9’s post, you’ve been reading my food related posts at Carma’s Cookery. But that’s really treating food and exercise like they are separate topics.

Now, of course, to some degree they are. But, because both impact your body and its shape, they need to be considered together, as well. There are many factors that come into play when you want to begin to talk about exercise and healthy eating. Healthy eating is important for any kind of exercising program.

Let’s focus on the most common type of exercise program, aerobics. This includes running, cycling, dancing, Jazzercise, and more. As you get more and more active, you should have a good meal and a good diet to fall back on. In fact, your diet is really the first thing that you should change about yourself when you want to become healthier.
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