5 Reasons to Include Cannabis in Your Workout Routine

Watch out pre-workout and #protein powder, there is a new player in town – a pretty and very pungent #flower!

New #study, out of University of Colorado Boulder reports that 82% of all cannabis consumers, spark one up either before and/or after exercise.

Don’t get me wrong here. Getting high won’t help you run faster or bench more. In fact, there is no scientific evidence that THC enhances athletic abilities. Majority of people in UC Boulder study felt smoking had no effect on their athletic abilities, however it made their sweat sessions more enjoyable and helped with faster recovery.

After further research, we found some reasons to use cannabis before, during, and after intense work out.

1. Smoking weed increases your motivation to exercise

You are probably surprised to see “weed” and “increases motivation” in one sentence. But that new study from UC Boulder reports that almost half of pre-workout smokers felt that getting high helped increase their motivation to work out. Just remember, you probably want to limit yourself to sativa dominant strains for your prework out session. Sativas provide energetic and euphoric head high, very similar to the runner’s high, perfect to give you motivation and energy booster for your next sweat session.

2. THC and CBD helps you recover faster

“Both #THC and #CBD, the main compounds found in the #cannabis plant, have #anti-inflammatory, #muscle-relaxing, and #pain-relieving effects, which alleviate muscle soreness, muscle spasms, and arthritic joint pain. Athletes may be able to return to intense workouts faster because they feel better faster,” Patricia Frye, M.D., chief medical officer at HelloMD

Endurance and professional athletes are beginning to tout the benefits of cannabis to improve concentration and performance or to aid with recovery. Indica dominant strains are particularly good for the aches and pains that occur after training.

3. Helps with endurance training

Cannabis helps enchance muscle relaxation and increases focus. That’s partially thanks to the artificial runner’s high—you’re amplifying the feeling by combining both exercise and THC—but also the cannabinoid’s pain-relieving abilities . After all, it’s a lot easier to keep running if your bad knee isn’t aching, your muscles aren’t burning, and time seems to go by much faster. Research suggests cannabis helps with exercise-induced asthma.

4. CBD for Recovery

Studies show that CBD reduces inflammation, thus helping your body recover, which can allow you to get up and moving faster again. And taking CBD couldn’t have been easier! It is readily available at many wellness retailers as well as online. Just add few drops of CBD tincture to your meal, or simply take few drops orally. Funky Farms CBD tinctures come in variety of flavors, making it a perfect addition to any smoothie.

5. Athlete cream

We can all agree, muscle ache must be one of the most unpleasant side effects of working out. Luckily, you no longer need to actually get high to relieve muscle and joint pain. You can simply apply it directly to effected areas for instant pain relieve. While there are many options available on the market, DEEP DOWN Athletic Balm is on top of my list, delivering equal amounts of THC and CBD for immediate effect.