[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Cannabis & Performance: Approaching Cannabis as an Exercise Supplement
Millions of Americans take supplements to enhance performance and recovery when it comes to exercise or athletic performance. Many of these supplements come in neon bottles with crazy colors making dubious claims. Often they are pricey, heavily manufactured, and may come with added ingredients that may or may not be good for your body.
What if I was to tell you that there is a natural, relatively inexpensive supplement that might be the key to unlocking your performance potential? Would you guess it’s cannabis? Well, of course, it is! This is a cannabis blog. So here is how cannabis could help you as a supplement:
- It can help you get in the zone: we discussed this in our “Exercise & Cannabis” post last year. Professional Triathlete Clifford Drunisky stated that he consumes 20 mgs of THC in an energy bar before he trains to help him focus on form in training sessions. In a similar vein, 420 Yoga has been championed to practice mindfulness and relaxation for those looking to enhance their yoga sessions. Working out while consuming cannabis has become so popular that its practitioners have been given a nickname: cannathletes.
- THC increases stamina and pain tolerance: exercise activates your endocannabinoid system the same way marijuana does. When you exercise, your body produces THC just as it is producing endorphins. Together they create that “runner’s high” that alleviates pain and boosts your moon. For cannabis users, as they burn fat through exercise the THC stored in their fat is released into the blood stream giving the same effect that naturally produced THC has. Sign me up!
- THC and CBD help with inflammation and recovery: in an article for Outside Magazine, Gordy Mergoz noted that his soreness after a heavy squat session was substantially decreased while using marijuana. Ben Greenfield noted similar effects related to recovery by using THC and CBD. In a recent article for Men’s Health, CBD was described as a wonder drug by Dr. Titus, who stated that it is a greater antioxidant than vitamin C or D and that it’s highly sought after by athletes looking to decrease inflammation.
- Cannabis can energize: we’ve discussed this topic in a couple blog posts. If you find the right strain (think sativa or sativa-dominant hybrids with a high CBD count) you just might be able to unlock a little athletic potential, you didn’t know you had. For novices to exercise and cannabis, you might give microdosing a try to get many of the benefits without the “stoned” feeling.
Happy exercising and toke on Dreamers!
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