Why do people mix cannabis and workouts? What’s up with elite athletes using cannabis for recovery from exercise.
Are seniors with joint pain using cannabis to help with mobility, exercise and recovery.
Evidence has shown that a third of cyclists, triathletes, and runners are or have been cannabinoids users.
A study, published last month in Sports Medicine, evaluated runners and compared their experiences exercising both before and after smoking cannabis. Those in the study were able to choose cannabis high in cannabidiol (CBD) or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is the component of cannabis that can produce feelings of intoxication in higher dosages.
The common belief is that cannabis users are overweight unmotivated couch potatoes.
Recent studies of athletes seem to challenge these long-held stoner stereotypes that associate cannabis with being unmotivated and instead raise questions about its health benefits.
The research on illness prevention and management of chronic diseases reveal that not only were cannabis users not less healthy; they were healthier.
Cannabis users had less incidents of type 2 diabetes. They were less likely to be in a high BMI category. They had better waist-to-hip ratio, better insulin function —none of the things you would suspect.
According to studies people don’t need to get high to reap the benefits of cannabis in during exercise. Participants who consumed CBD-dominant cannabis more often reported feelings of euphoria and the so-called runner’s high than those who consumed THC-dominant strains.
The vast majority (90.5 percent) of participants in the Colorado University study reported in the Sports Medicine Journal reported feeling more enjoyment from the exercise after consuming cannabis. Most (69 percent), also said it decreased their pain and increased their focus.
For years NFL, NBA and MLB athletes have been using cannabis for recovery from soreness and injuries as options to non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) such as ibuprofen and Naprosyn or prescription opioids and steroids.
In 2023 the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced players are free to consume cannabis legally off the court, but they remain barred from using marijuana at games or other team-related events like press conferences.
As you might image, older adults experience pain at a higher rate than younger people, and it’s obviously harder to exercise when someone is hurting from joint or muscle pain.
Seniors are finding that cannabis is the safer choice for exercise recovery compared to long-term use of NSAIDS. Studies have shown that continued use of NSAIDS increase the risk of peptic ulcer disease, acute renal failure, and stroke/myocardial infarction.
References
Cannabis Exercise Enhancement and Motivation
Cannabis and Exercise Recovery
NFL Is Putting More Money Into Research On CBD As An Opioid Alternative For Players With Concussions
Potential Role of Cannabidiol on Sports Recovery
Long term use of NSAIDS
Comments