CBD and sport: the benefits on the body
CBD and sport: the new alliance?
CBD before, during or after physical effort is proving to be very useful. Unlike its sulphurous cousin, THC, CBD is not psychotropic. Recognised as an ally to sport in terms of recovery and performance, CBD can allow you to improve your daily life but especially your training. So, CBD and sport, what's it worth?
What is CBD?
Cannabidiol is one of the many molecules (there are more than a hundred) in the hemp plant. With no side effects, CBD is beginning to make its way into the world of medicine.
With its anti-inflammatory, analgesic, pain-relieving and other properties, CBD can be defined as an ally in everyday life. We often talk about its benefits on the body and the brain, but incorporating it into your physical activity, never! So we wanted to do it because it's better late than never.
CBD and sport: the real benefits
Anti-inflammatory
We often talk about rest after physical effort. If you do sport, you should know that you shouldn't overwork your muscles or you won't get any results. If you don't workout (or not yet) we'll explain why.
During physical effort such as weight training, the muscle fibres will stretch and cause micro-lesions. Your body will then enter a recovery phase. During this phase, the fibres will try to repair themselves to be more resistant and gain in volume, hence the gain in muscle mass.
However, if your muscles don't get enough rest then the damage can become severe and create serious inflammation. CBD is known to reduce inflammation. If you add it all up: CBD + inflammation = healing, if it's not a serious injury.
Painkiller
We're guessing you've already heard yet another high-profile athlete get addicted to substances such as opioids. But what are opioids?
They are natural or synthetic substances that act on the areas of the brain responsible for pain control, which is why they are also called "psychoactive". Opioids produce an analgesic effect and cause euphoria.
Morphine, codeine and oxycodone are the best known and most widely used opioids.
High performance athletes are often subject to muscle pain and may resort to these types of products, which is why we recommend CBD.
CBD could help avoid dependency on painkillers and opioids as it has everything that opioids have to offer without addiction or dependency.
CBD before sport
Taking CBD before starting a sport allows for better concentration. It allows a reduction of stress, before a competition for example, for high level athletes. Or a considerable gain of energy to avoid the intake of caffeine which increases the heart rate and nervousness. Above all, it avoids "pre-workout", which can lead to itching and tingling in the whole body.
For more concentration, we recommend our superb Focus sports range. Like its name, it allows you to be hyper-focused on your objectives by combining motivation, concentration and breathing.
CBD after sport
As a muscle relaxant, CBD works against cramps and soreness.
Moreover, you may injure yourself during a training session: sprain, cramp, execution of an exercise badly undertaken, CBD can help you to accelerate the healing process and allows you to recover faster, so that you can continue your training.
Relaxing and soothing, it will act in the same way as it does on your mind: it will relieve the pain and soothe the muscles. And as we have talked about rest, it improves sleep.
Moreover, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has removed CBD from its list of doping products thanks to reports on recovery after sport.
How to take CBD?
There are different ways to take CBD:
You can vaporise it. As it does not degrade the quality of the flower, we recommend that you vaporise it and not smoke it, as this would burn the flower.
You can consume it in drinks, which is good news as we sell them! You can find all the benefits of CBD in our sparkling water to drink after your workout.
- Otherwise, the best solution is to consume CBD oil. It will reach the blood vessels more easily and you will feel the effects very quickly. You can also combine it with a cream base to massage muscle or joint pain.
We will not stop praising CBD because it has everything that man needs. With no or very minimal side effects, such as dry mouth and drowsiness, CBD has proven itself in the therapeutic arena.
Test it with your workouts and give us feedback on your results on our Instagram!
In the meantime, we'll continue to teach you more about CBD on our blog! And don't forget...
Cake it easy,
Lindsay.