Outdated images of a cannabis consumer usually involve countless bags of food surrounding a couch-locked and hazy eyed smoker, content to never move again.
But in 2018, new science is coming to light that refutes long held beliefs about cannabis and fitness. In fact, adding cannabis to your workout routine can actually improve your experience in a number of ways.
How cannabis motivates workouts
People are body conscious at the gym.
They are continuously comparing themselves to people who can lift more, go longer, and be more graceful. Those of us who use cannabis for medical reasons are fighting pain, inflammation, and most likely a sedentary lifestyle because of illnesses.
One of the top three reasons people avoid going to the gym and exercising is self-consciousness. This is where cannabis shines through and can make your workout better.
Cannabis relaxes the triggers for anxiety.
It helps stabilize serotonin in the brain and decreases heart rate and blood pressure. This little boost removes anxiety and liberates people to go to the gym without worrying about what others think.
Cannabis’ benefits for training
Physically, you can get more out of your workout when you use cannabis.
Lowers heart rate
Exercises bring your heart rate up and, oftentimes, keep it elevated. Because cannabis helps lower your heart rate, it can help you relax between sets and prevent your heart rate from racing into uncomfortable levels (beyond the wanted discomfort of your workout)
Get into “The Zone”
Cannabis, by reducing anxiety, helps calm the mental chatter that keeps us distracted.
This helps us access what is colloquially known as “The Zone,” a place of focus and concentration that is actually quite similar to meditation. The act of not really thinking specifically about what you’re doing and just… doing.
Pain reduction & recovery
One of the top reasons people use cannabis is to reduce pain and inflammation.
Cannabis (especially topicals) helps reduce the inflammation and the pain and allows for a faster, more comfortable recovery so you can get back to moving your body the way you love to move it.
As you can see, there are a number of ways to utilize cannabis to enhance your workout routine. Give cannabis stereotypes a one-two punch by incorporating it into your next workout today.
