With the rapid legalization of marijuana across the globe, an increasing number of athletes and health professionals are coming out on the benefits of recreational use. While there is no denying that marijuana has proven health benefits for age and gender groups, there is also the need to emphasize how athletes and fitness enthusiasts can take their fitness game to the next level with the use of marijuana products.
The difference between THC and CBD
Firstly, let’s get one common misconception out of the way: there is a big difference between THC and CBD. THC is a powerful psychoactive substance found in marijuana, and as such, not advisable for athletes to use regularly.
Instead, if you want to boost health and maximize recovery while preserving mental clarity, you want to stick to CBD. Not only is CBD legal almost everywhere, but it also lacks the psychoactive compounds needed to make you hallucinate and sleep through your training session. Opting for a CBD-dominant strain can therefore be a good choice for all of you who want to maximize gym time.
Fitness and sleep deprivation
Vigorous training sessions are well-known to interfere with the sleep quality. As a consequence, athletes tend to suffer from insomnia and other sleep disorders. If you’re hitting the gym after work, by the time you get home you are so amped up on the adrenaline, the coffee, and the pre-workout that it takes hours to be able to finally shut your eyes and fall asleep.
CBD is a known analgesic agent and a strong relaxant, which is why so many health professionals recommend it for people suffering from insomnia.
Allowing your CNS to recover
One of the most important elements in any post-workout recovery routine is the ability to repair and rejuvenate your CNS (central nervous system) before the next training session in order to push your limits, and more importantly, avoid getting injured. However, you also want to use certain cannabis products such as marijuana concentrates in order to avoid putting pressure on your lungs and breathing capacity.
There is nothing worse than an athlete who can’t get adequate oxygen into their body during exercise, so certain products work better for athletic performance and workout recovery than others. Given the fact that concentrates are perfectly safe for your cardiovascular health and that they do an excellent job at eliminating inflammation and fatigue from your system, you can rest assured that your next training session will be better than the last.
Reducing performance anxiety
Anxiety is every athlete’s worst nightmare, and it’s not unheard of professional athletes getting such stage fright that they lose focus, and their technique goes flying out the window. Now, marijuana’s antiemetic effects help your stomach to calm down, and your body to relax just the right amount.
Additionally, if cannabis is used the night prior to a competition, you can set your mind at ease, and banish anxiety. Now, you could also consume CBD just before training or competing, just be careful as it might relax you too much to perform at your best – that’s why cannabis works best as a recovery tool.
The link between nutrition and marijuana
Finally, it’s important to stress just how big of a role proper nutrition plays in whole-body recovery and growth. Given the fact that diet is one of the pillars of good fitness, it’s not surprising that every athlete should strive to eat healthier foods.
If you happen to be a hard-gainer (meaning you couldn’t put on size no matter what), marijuana can prove vital in tidying up your nutrition through increased appetite. Now, this is a double-edged sword, as it can be very easy to reach for unhealthy foods, but you should have no problem with nutrition if you make a healthy habit of only eating wholesome foods when enjoying marijuana.
Cannabis has been a real game-changer for professional athletes in recent years. If you’re ready to take your fitness game to the next level, cannabis is a great recovery tool to help you reach new heights in the gym and beyond.
