The Benefits Of Including CBD In Your Exercise Routine

For those of you who still don’t know what CBD is, it’s a chemical compound found in cannabis called a “cannabinoid”. The cannabis plant contains dozens of these, including the ever-famous THC. Unlike its popular cousin, CBD is non-psychoactive. This means that it won’t give you the traditional cannabis high. CBD’s effects are more physiological in nature, helping you achieve a state of balance, focus, and calm. Let’s understand better how this happens.

HOW CBD WORKS

When you exercise, there are a number of chemicals that your body produces naturally to help you in the process. Whether that be to reduce pain or get you focussed, your body knows what you need. One thing that you most definitely need is anandamide. This is an endocannabinoid, meaning it’s a cannabinoid produced naturally in the body. Anandamide is considered the “bliss molecule”, and not by random. It helps you achieve a state of bliss and calmness that many also refer to as the “runners high”. But people who exercise regularly don’t seem to have enough of this. The body isn’t prepared to handle 2 hours of extreme exercise every day.

It just so happens that CBD interacts with TRPV-1 and adenosine receptors, these being responsible for things like inflammation and pain perception, blood flow, and general cardiovascular wellness. This means that CBD could ultimately help during and after a workout.

 WHAT THIS MEANS FOR ATHLETES

Even if you don’t fully understand what the TRPV-1 receptor is or have never heard of anandamide, here’s what everything we mentioned truly means.

Consuming CBD before a workout is reported to have great effects on the way the mind stays focussed. A lot of athletes use it so that they’re more efficient during their time at the gym. This leads to better time management and a more consistent exercise routine.

After working out, CBD can also help you recover in several different ways. It is reported to help with muscle regeneration and pain. This means that not only could you experience less pain, but your muscles may recover faster than ever too. You can wave goodbye to cursing stairs after a leg day. And finally, for that ultimate recovery, CBD will help you sleep better by contributing to a more structured and deeper night’s rest. And we all know how important good sleep is for muscle recovery and overall health and wellness.

 IS IT SAFE?

Even though there’s still a lot to find out about CBD and cannabis in general, it is fair to assume that CBD is safe to consume on a daily basis. As long as you’re not combusting huge joints of CBD flower all day long, you should be fine. The safest way to consume cannabinoids will always be to ingest it through a tincture or even an edible. It’s virtually impossible to overdose on CBD. And because it does not have any psychoactive effects, it can’t lead to any mental problems nor dependency. But you obviously shouldn’t take it from us. Do your due diligence and ask your doctor for all the info they can give you. One thing to consider is that CBD does interfere with the behaviour of some medicines, so this is absolutely a conversation to have with you doctor if it concerns you.

HOW YOU CAN GO ABOUT USING IT

If you’re new to the cannabinoid world, then you won’t need much, and should probably start with half the doses we’re about to recommend. Even if you can’t really “overdose” on it, it’s always safer to consume the least amount required to achieve the desired effects.

Anywhere between 2 and 3mg should be your dose three times a day (on the days you work out). Start with a dose 30 minutes before exercising if you ingest it in oil form. If you’re going for a gummy bear or any other edible form of CBD, take it an hour before going to the gym. This will help keep you focussed, energised, and happy while pushing your body hard. Once you finish your workout, take another dose. This is to help with recovery. You can put a tincture into your protein shake or take it directly in capsule form. It doesn’t really matter as long as you get those couple of milligrams into your system.

And finally, around an hour before going to bed, take another dose. This, you can make a daily habit of. It’ll always help you sleep deeper, regardless if you worked out that day or not.

We all know, or at least suspect of how serious drug testing is for Olympic athletes. Whether that be for doping purposes or simply so that they stay away from harmful substances, athletes at the highest of levels will take drug tests regularly. And it makes sense. There are substances out there that can really help better an athlete’s performance. Steroids, for example, have been spotted in different athletes and medals have been taken back because of it.

But what about cannabis? It’s clearly not a performance-enhancing drug; why should it be banned? It was only in 1998 that Ross Rebagliati, a Canadian snowboarder, tested positive for THC during the competition and brought the Olympic authorities to add cannabis and all its cannabinoids to the list of prohibited substances.

But since then, a lot of change has happened. In 2013, the board inconspicuously raised the allowed amount of THC tolerated in an athlete during the competition. And in 2016, they changed it again to a value that now means that athletes can essentially consume cannabis, so long as they stop using it a few weeks before the competition. But a recent change, in 2018, now brings even better news. The rules haven’t changed for THC, but the World Anti-Doping Agency has now finally allowed CBD to be used by athletes, before, after, and even during the competition. This means that a racer will be able to spread a CBD topical on their leg right before the race. This is fantastic news.

So, if Olympic athletes are using it, why shouldn’t you? Sure, you’re not competing at that level of intensity, but it can still help you in your daily regimen. Get yourself some CBD products and start experimenting!