Most of us underestimate how food can affect our moods. The brain reacts quickly to food-both good and bad- fed into your body.

Although you may feel sugary candy gives your mood a lift, you expose yourself to erratic fluctuations in your blood sugar levels. After the “sugar rush” effect wears off, your mood worsens. Caffeine is not much better. As it eventually makes you feel jittery and anxious. A better approach is to feed your brain the right nutrients so you can expect good moods to consistently dominate over bad moods.

Eating right does take some time and planning. Unfortunately, in our rushed stress-filled lives, we frequently turn to quick fixes like fast food. But these quickie meals are often nutrient deficient and heavy with ingredients that make you feel sluggish.

Nutrition for Brain Health

To understand how food affects your moods, you need to understand neurotransmitters. These are chemicals that send messages between nerves in your brain. Neurotransmitters are vital players when it comes to mood: they’re sensitive to what nutrients are circulating in your body. When your neurotransmitters are out of sync, you feel depression, anxiety and irritability.

The best way to start your day in a good mood is to eat breakfast. Dr. Winchester encourages her patients to take the time to enjoy a morning meal. It boosts your metabolism and keeps your moods stable. The best choice is to have both wholesome carbohydrates and protein.

Select carbohydrates like fruits and whole grain products. Fruits that are lower in sugar are the best option: these include berries, apple, and kiwi. If you’re not able to get these fresh or in season, choose frozen fruit (canned fruit often contains sugary syrup). And choose whole grain breads over highly-refined baked products.

Be sure to include some protein with all your meals, as it stabilizes blood sugar, reduces mo0od swings and creates energy. Protein also provides many of the building blocks for the creation of neurotransmitters. Good sources are fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, soy and nuts. Stay away from deep fried protein goods.

To help keep the pounds off, Dr. Winchester suggests using breakfast as your main meal of the day, and opt for lighter meals for lunch and dinner with a couple of nutritious snacks in between.

What do Tiger Woods, David Duval and more than 75 percent of golfers in the PGA have in common? They all sing the praises of chiropractic. But you don’t have to be a professional golfer to benefit from chiropractic. Amateur golfers also reap the performance-boosting rewards of regular chiropractic care.\

Throughout the world-from Scotland to South America- men, women and children of all ages and income levels are hitting the greens. Golf has long been heralded as one of the best ways to exercise the body and relax the mind. As in any sport, however, injuries can occur if you don’t take the proper precautions. Golf can be especially hard on the spine, often triggering back disorders. That’s why Dr. Winchester teaches patients how to keep their spines up to par.

Focus on Posture

Proper posture- both on and off the course- is key to avoiding golf-related injuries and improving your game.

For instance, a level backswing is dependent on proper posture. A backswing is actually two motions in one: the up/down movement of the arms and the rotation of the body- both directly dependent on spinal health.

That’s why a healthy spine is so vital to a golfer’s game. If the spine is out of alignment, the swing will be out of alignment. That’s also why so many professional and amateur golfers alike schedule regular chiropractic check-ups.

By correcting a spinal condition called vertebral subluxation, Dr. Winchester helps to perfect the posture and golf games of patients.

Vertebral subluxations occur when spinal movement is restricted or spinal bones (vertebrae) become misaligned. This common condition is linked with a myriad of health concerns, such s carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, backaches, and infantile colic and ear infections. Dr. Winchester corrects vertebral subluxations with safe and gentle chiropractic adjustments.

Back in Shape

Low-back injuries are particularly common among golfers.

Why does golf generate -and aggravate – low back pain? According to researchers, the answer is two-fold: poor mechanics and today’s more demanding swing. “Stiff hip and back muscles are often the root cause of flawed mechanics. Also, older golfers may have back conditions that the swing aggravates: The disks between the spinal vertebrae get less elastic with the years and, therefore, are less able to distribute the stresses that the swing puts on the back.” (Harvard Health Letter 2000)

A Chiropractic Checkup: Your Ticket to Golfing Success

Golf is a game. It is also exercise.

The number 1 rule when embarking on a new exercise program is to call your doctor of chiropractic and schedule an appointment for a checkup. To go from a sedentary to active lifestyle takes time and patience. Even if you are already are actively involved in another sport, your chiropractor may suggest some modifications to your golf game-until your body is fully up to par.