The more cannabidiol research comes out, the more it seems that this non-psychoactive cannabinoid could be an effective treatment for just about everything. As veterans of the CBD industry, we’ve heard thousands of customer stories that indicate that using CBD to improve athletic performance and recovery may be highly worthwhile. Learn more about the basics of CBD and how you can use this natural, plant-based compound as part of your plan to improve every aspect of your athletic endeavors.
1. What Is CBD Oil Good For?
Scientists have discovered that CBD may be an effective tool for treating dozens of different conditions. Not all these conditions are directly related to your athletic performance and recovery, but CBD does appear to be an effective way to improve several core aspects of your exercise routine. Here are some key findings:
Stress
Overall, working out reduces stress in your body. When you get the right amount of exercise, system-wide levels of the stress hormone cortisol decrease. However, too much exercise or workouts that are too intense can increase the levels of stress hormones in your body, which can make you feel physically or mentally unwell.
Your body has a natural endocannabinoid system that regulates dozens of important biological processes. CBD appears to help the endocannabinoid system run smoothly, and this system plays a key role in regulating stress throughout your body. Therefore, CBD could be a great tool for reducing the stress your body undergoes during and after strenuous exercise.
Weight Loss
While losing weight isn’t always the goal of the exercise, many people choose to be athletic because it helps keep their bodies in shape. There are a variety of ways that you can end up carrying around extra weight, and CBD might be able to help.
For instance, preliminary research indicates that CBD might be a useful treatment for metabolic disorders, which results in excess belly fat. Additionally, studies suggest that CBD might reduce appetite, which could help you control your calorie intake when you’re trying to lose weight.
2. Can You Use CBD for Inflammation?
Post-recovery inflammation is one of the biggest challenges that athletes face. Studies indicate that CBD may reduce inflammation throughout your body when you consume it orally. Since CBD readily absorbs through the skin, you can apply this suspected anti-inflammatory substance right onto the affected area to experience relief.
If you’re having trouble establishing the right CBD dosage for inflammation, start small. Try ingesting a few milligrams of CBD per day, and increase or decrease the dosage as you observe the results.
3. How to Use CBD
There are a variety of ways that you can use CBD as an athlete. For instance, many people choose to consume CBD orally in the form of a tincture or a capsule.
You can also vaporize and inhale CBD. Vaping CBD is one of the most convenient ways to use this hemp extract, and this type of ingestion has an immediate effect.
If you want to target sore muscles directly, however, you should use a CBD balm. With the power of transdermal absorption, CBD moves directly through your skin and into the underlying muscle tissue. CBDfx CBD lotion feels good on your skin, and many people notice the effects of CBD topicals in less than five minutes.
4. What Are the Top CBD Benefits for Athletes?
Athletes around the world have successfully used CBD to improve their health and attain their fitness goals. Here are some of the CBD benefits for athletes that you might experience when you try this natural hemp extract.
- May reduce pain: Bone, muscle, and other tissue pain can ruin your ability to exercise effectively. Preliminary research into a synthetic form of cannabidiol indicates that this substance may be useful as a treatment for pain.
- Can improve sleep quality: As an athlete, you need plenty of sleep to stay healthy and ready to take on the challenges of the day. Research on both animal and human subjects indicates that CBD may be an effective treatment for sleep disorders.
- May reduce your recovery time: The time you spend recovering is time that you can’t apply to your exercise goals. Using CBD to reduce your inflammation may speed up the healing processes in your body and get you back in the saddle faster.
5. CBD Oil and Exercise
There’s no reason CBD and exercise can’t mix. Many people who are new to CBD don’t understand that this substance isn’t psychoactive, which means that it doesn’t drastically alter your state of mind. When you use CBD, you won’t become paranoid or confused. Instead, most people who use CBD report that this substance causes a feeling of relaxation.
When you use CBD oil before, during, or after you exercise, you might find that you feel less discomfort after exercising or working out for extended periods. You might also notice that you’re better able to endure strenuous exercise multiple days in a row, and you might find it easier to attain your fitness goals with the feeling of freedom you gain with CBD.
6. Can You Use CBD Before a Workout?
Since CBD is non-psychoactive, there’s no reason this substance would impede your ability to exercise if you take it before a workout. As soon as you ingest CBD, this substance’s scientifically-backed effects start to take hold, which means that you might have a more enjoyable or more productive workout when you take CBD ahead of time.
7. Is CBD Oil Good for Recovery?
While the feeling you experience when you’re at the peak of your routine is one of the main draws of strenuous exercise, post-workout recovery is enough to make even the biggest fitness buffs give up.
Everyone is different, but research indicates that CBD oil might be able to help you with the recovery process. When you take CBD orally, you help your entire body heal itself from the rigors of exercise, and when you apply this cannabinoid topically to the area of a sore muscle or tendon, you deliver CBD directly to where your body needs it most.
