Does Weed Help or Hurt Your Workout?
Weed doesn’t necessarily have the greatest reputation when it comes to physical activity, but we’re here to end that stigma.
We’ve all heard the phrase “smoker’s lungs” when discussing weak lung capacity in relation to working out. While smoking isn’t great for your lungs (smoke of any kind is an irritant to our lungs, and cannabis can contain harmful chemicals just like tobacco), cannabis alone isn’t the problem, and it actually has some great properties to help your workout.
The cannabis plant is made up of about 600 molecules, and about 140 of those are cannabinoids that work on our body’s Endocannabinoid system, which is in charge of things like metabolism, appetite, inflammation, temperature, emotional processing, memory, and learning. And sometimes we need a little help in those departments to get us up and moving!
How can it do this, you may ask? Let’s get into it.
It can provide a natural energy boost.
Searching for a natural pre-workout without tons of caffeine or sugar? THCV might be the thing for you. THCV works with our body’s Endocannabinoid System to trigger certain receptors that kick on our energy metabolism.
Live Resin Cartridges can provide a great boost with just a couple puffs, so you won’t be abusing your lungs like you would with joints or pipes. Edibles with a high THCV content (like our Cherry edibles made by Smokiez) can also provide a great boost (without any coughing fits). Just be sure to eat them a half-hour or so before you start your routine!
It can help with recovery.
Cannabis has healing benefits that are great for recovering muscles.
CBD has long been thought to help with inflammation and muscle recovery, and can provide a blissful body experience during and after your workout (and just so you know, our cherry edibles with Smokiez have 100mg of CBD).
Are you working out to partially help control your weight?
THCV has shown promise in helping to lower weight through controlling insulin levels, as well as giving our metabolisms a kick to help burn calories during workouts. According to the Harvard Health website, “There is robust animal data that (THCV) lowers fasting insulin levels, facilitates weight loss, and improves glycemic control” (health.harvard.edu).
All in all, cannabis has many positive qualities for improving workouts, and can offer a fun and possibly healthier way to give your workout a much-needed boost.
Have you tried cannabis in place of pre-work out? It just might be your new favorite thing.
Sources:
Grinspoon, Peter, MD. Harvard Health blog. “Beyond CBD: Here come the other cannabinoids, but where’s the evidence?” September 26, 2022. Webpage. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/beyond-cbd-here-come-the-other-cannabinoids-but-wheres-the-evidence-2021032322190
Sinemyiz Atalay, Iwona Jarocka-Karpowicz, and Elzbieta Skrzydlewska*. Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Cannabidiol. December 25, 2019. Online article. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7023045/#:~:text=Therefore%2C%20it%20has%20been%20suggested,of%20immune%20cells%20%5B66%5D.