A recent YouGov poll asked people what their New Year’s resolution was and 32% of them said they’re not making one. Maybe they’re trying to quit while they’re ahead. New Year’s Resolutions are notoriously hard to keep. They’re great for selling gym memberships; not so great at motivating people to keep going to the gym after January.
But what if you had a secret weapon to help you stick to your resolutions this year? The same survey found that two of the most common resolutions are “get more exercise” and “focus on self-care.” If used properly, cannabis can help you achieve both of those goals. Find out how below.
Get More Exercise
These days, Athletes are increasingly reaching for cannabis power bars or other marijuana products as part of their training regimen. While it’s not the best choice for say, soccer, or any sport where you need your reflexes firing on all cylinders, it’s great for endurance sports like running, biking, swimming, or rock climbing. Marijuana can act as a painkiller, helping you to push yourself further during a workout and better manage sore muscles afterward. It’s also a natural bronchodilator, a substance that improves your lung capacity.
Anecdotally, many athletes also claim that cannabis helps them focus on the repetitive tasks in a workout, depending on the strain or product.
As you set your sites on building muscle or increasing endurance, try a non-smoking method of cannabis consumption before your workout (about 15 minutes before if you’re using a vaporizer, one hour before if you’re consuming edibles or oil).
Focus on Self-Care
We could all use more sleep and relaxation, but when our lives get busy self-care tends to be the first thing to slip by the wayside. Worse, even when you make a point to take some time to relax, the constant chirping of phone notifications is there to pull you right out of your reverie. Cannabis can help you de-stress, unwind, and even drift off to sleep, but it’s important to know what strains to use and how much. Too much, and you’ll sail right past relaxation and end up with more stress, anxiety, and paranoia instead of less.
Look for strains with a well-balanced ratio of THC:CBD. THC only products tend to cause paranoia or hyperactivity, and you want the CBD to balance out those effects. Start with micro-doses until you find the perfect sweet spot for you. Or try combining cannabis with more traditional relaxation methods, such as using cannabis infused Epsom salt in a hot bath, or trying out a cannabis massage oil.
