CBD and Exercise

CBD or cannabidiol is a compound that’s found in the cannabis and hemp plant. This compound has been making waves around the world over the last few years and has been considered a miracle to many.  

A lesser known but growing utility of CBD, however, is in relation to exercise as well. It's ability to optimize the endocannabinoid system aids in athletic recovery and performance. When your endocannabinoid system is functioning well, you can sleep deeper and perform harder during training.  

We discuss the relationship between CBD and exercise in this article and highlight the ways in which you can utilize this chemical to supplement your exercise routine.

CBD and Inflammation

A lot of medical specialists have noted that one of the primary performances of the endocannabinoid system comes down to being used effectively as an anti-inflammatory agency. The inflammation of our joints usually leads to a lot of pain. While CBD may not be able to ease the pain related to the muscles specifically, it can be highly useful to to activate your own internal endocannabinoid system to help with joint pain instead.

Joint pain isn’t necessarily an issue that’s related to aging either. Conditions such as osteoarthritis, in fact, occur when the tissues located at the end of a bone start to slowly break down over time. This can happen with major bones such as the ones at the end of our elbows and knees.

Thus any person who visits a gym frequently is a prime candidate to experience such an issue over time. Wear and tear of the body is a common phenomenon that everyone experiences during the course of their lifetime. CBD can hence be useful for most individuals, regardless of whether they exercise regularly or not just through its ability to optimize the ECS. 

According to a Sports Medicine Open study on CBD and workout related inflammation, CBD has been reported to reduce immune cell accumulation, stimulate production of anti inflammatory cytokines, and inhibit production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Cytokines are a large group of proteins, peptides or glycoproteins that are secreted by specific cells of the immune system. Cytokines are a category of signaling molecules that mediate and regulate immunity and inflammation.

CBD Takes Time

Although CBD is seen as a miracle for a lot of people, it’s important to note that the chemical does take time to react in your system. Thus it is important to recognize and understand the manner in which it works in your body to be able to utilize it effectively during exercising. 

Doctors have noted that the chemical works in a wide variety of ways in our brain in terms of the chemical messenger signals it sends to our system. In a way, this chemical is known to be similar to the way antidepressants work, but they come without any of the side effects associated with the use of antidepressants. 

It does, however, come with a small catch. The catch is that you can’t take a dose of CBD an hour before you begin your workout regime or take on a high endurance activity. While some users do report feeling better after they’ve taken CBD an hour or so before they work out, this is not always the case.

In most cases, it is required that you take a dose of CBD at least a week before you need it to fully kick into your system. Yes, that’s right! You need to take CBD a full week in advance and consistently day-in and day-out if you want to see the right results at the right time. 

Doctors, for example, recommend that you take a dose of CBD a full week before a big race. Taking CBD a week before a big event and allowing it to work in your system before exercise sessions across the week can be highly effective.

It helps you feel quite mellow throughout the week and ensures that you can center yourself when the big day finally arrives. The recommended dosage varies between 15 and 50 mg based on the type of CBD you’re going to be consuming.

Until 2018, the US Anti-Doping agency (USADA) and the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) did not allow the use of CBD among Pro Athletes. Both have changed their list of banned substances to make an exception for CBD. According to the Washington post, Floyd Landis, best known for his 2006 win at the Tour De France, is making headlines in the cannabis industry. Landis became interested in cannabis after forming an addiction to opioids following a hip surgery.  Landis says “It was effective in allowing me to wean off the opioids. Now I use CBD daily..."

CBD Types to Consider

CBD is grown in various conditions across the U.S.A. Based on the state you’re in, the type of CBD you’ll encounter can be quite different from one another. Most of the CBD generated around the nation is derived from hemp. Hemp, however, is not a product that’s well-regulated, and thus it becomes important to closely consider the type of CBD that one ingests.

It is important to look at purchasing CBD that’s mostly organic, does not contain any pesticides, and also has no GMOs. It’s also crucial to only pick up CBD that’s been verified by a third-party independent lab for its authenticity. This will ensure that there are no impurities or contaminations in the dose you’re going to take.

Taking such simple precautions will ensure that you maximize the use of CBD in your system and compliment it well with your exercise regimes.

Luckily, DirectHemp.com has taken the hard work out of that and done the research for you. Any product that is listed on this website adheres to all of the guidelines above. 

We recommends a topical for spot targeting areas externally, and an ingestible like a tincture to optimize the endocannabinoid internally. 

Sources: 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31202198/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32632671/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32205233/

https://discovercbd.com/blogs/cbd-news/get-active-be-healthy-part-1-cbd-and-exercise