The cannabis boom has drawn interest from various sectors. As interest in the compound piles up across the globe, understanding the various application areas of the plant has also rapidly expanded to accommodate the true potential of it through proper commercialization. The latest sector taken over by CBD is the health and fitness industry. With expanding research to understand the nutritional capabilities of the cannabis compound, brands rushed to include this incredible ingredient in several edibles and drinks to benefit fitness enthusiasts. Popping up in health stores and supermarkets are a wide range of CBD infused products that promise endurance, fitness, and pain-free lifestyle to athletes. What is CBD? When we discuss cannabis, it is impossible to get past the discussion without bringing THC and CBD into perspective. These two are chemical constituents of the cannabis plant, known as cannabinoids, that provide several health benefits. These cannabinoids imitate the functions of chemicals in our body to regulate stimuli and bring balance. It influences common functions such as appetite, sleep, pain, inflammation, memory, and fertility to initiate good health and wellness. The many capabilities of CBD can benefit athletes in several ways.
Here are five in which CBD infusion can be a good thing for athletes. 1. The best ingredient for pain management Pain is an irrevocable part of an athlete’s lifestyle. Whether it is the extra hours you pushed into training or the long fitness routines you follow to stay in shape, athletes often end up with severe cramps and pain in several parts of the body. Pain and inflammation can have a significant impact on everyday activities such as sleep, which in turn influences your performance. Lack of sleep could make you feel tired and unprepared for training the following day, lowering your morale. It could also divert your focus and reduce your concentration. Lingering pain can also have an impact on your mental health. The anti-inflammatory and anti-analgesic effects of CBD can help athletes to get rid of pain and inflammation post-training. CBD interacts with the CB, TRPV1, and vanilloid receptors scattered around the body. These receptors form a crucial network that influences the stimuli of pain and inflammation. The compound reduces the sensitivity of the stimuli in the body, and thus the system becomes less sensitive to responding to a trigger. It not only reduces inflammation but also curbs the pain associated with it. Apart from directly reducing pain, the interaction also influences the perception of pain in users to ensure comfort. CBD can thus become a powerful substitute to the existing range of opioid or steroid-based pain relief medications that can have severe side effects with long-term usage. The compound brings these benefits to athletes naturally without initiating side effects to ensure safety. CBD oil for massages can help in delivering these pain relief properties. For products such as CBD oil, Canada is a great region of choice to purchase, as the legalization allows premium quality oils to exist in the market that can bring the best benefits to athletes. CBD pain relief rollers, creams, balms, and topicals are also an efficient way of curbing pain and inflammation in areas such as joints and muscles. Ingesting CBD drinks or edibles can also help reduce muscle cramps and pain from within to restore a healthy balance in the system. 2. A powerful aid for faster recovery Training can be stressful on the body. Apart from pain, athletes may experience heavy discomfort due to fatigue and dehydration post-session.
The time after your training is critical for your overall development. To allow our muscles to recover, we need to offer the perfect balance of nutrition to the system. Your body requires several ingredients to sail through this time. Only through a thorough recovery can you see visible results in terms of strength and endurance. CBD is a powerful ingredient that can guide you through a proper recovery period. Starting from healing muscle aches and pain, the ingredient can help athletes curb oxidative damage to improve their overall performance. Next, our body requires a protein boost that elevates the process of muscle building post-training. Hemp seeds are a rich source of protein, and the presence of extracts from these seeds ensures that the body gets a large profile of nutrients that helps you build better. The healing benefits of the various nutrients present in CBD oil can boost metabolism to ensure your system recovers from injuries faster. It regulates various functions to ensure your body reaches a healthy balance faster than the normal pace. CBD infused protein powders and shakes can enable you to rehydrate immediately post-training. It can rejuvenate your cells with the right balance of nutrients to bring you back to your healthy self. CBD vape oils can help you get full-body relief post an intense training session to feel at ease. CBD oil or tinctures as an add on to your regular post-workout shake or juice can also be beneficial. 3. Beneficial to regulating your immune system, diet, and nutrition Improving your immunity is a critical aspect of staying healthy and fit. The benefits of your training are achievable only when you are in the best health. Your immune system should be capable of fighting foreign bodies that could cause your body to become weak and sick. During the likes of winter, much of your energy goes into keeping you warm. Hence the assistance of ingredients such as CBD, rich in antioxidants, can elevate the functioning of the immune system and protect you from common infections. CBD also plays an important role in dietary and nutrition management in athletes. The nutrition requirements for athletes varies from what is available in our regular diet. They require smaller meals, enriched with a large profile of nutrients good enough to complement their training to achieve the best benefits. These meals influence performance and endurance greatly. Athletes often suffer from being unable to follow a certain diet pattern and being unable to cut down on weight before the event. CBD can be the best ingredient to look out for both. CBD curbs the urge to eat to ensure that you can follow a strict diet plan. It keeps you feeling full for longer, and thus it is possible to lose some extra weight before your event. It also brings proper nutrients to your meal with ease, which ensures you do not have to worry about cutting down on too many foods or including an excess of any ingredient you might not like. CBD oil as a salad dressing or added to your drink can ensure proper nutrition exposure while on diet. You can explore a wide range of CBD edibles relevant to your diet plan to enjoy the benefits of the ingredient. 4. Useful Adaptogen Workouts and training are physical stressors that can have an intense impact on overall health. Adaptogens are plants or herbs that help reduce stress and improve performance. These foods work on improving balance in the functioning of the nervous system to ensure that they do not overwork themselves at any point.
These foods protect the nervous system against the effects of stress, especially during workouts. The interaction of CBD tincture Canada with the endocannabinoid system in the body helps us achieve this effect. CBD is an ingredient that focuses on promoting balance by regulating several functions. As the compound works towards achieving homeostasis, it naturally curbs down the stress caused in the body due to training. Our body is in a state of high cortisol levels and elevated body temperature post-workout. It also lacks sugar in the form of glycogen, which indicates dropping energy levels. The ECS activates anandamide to restore balance in the body. The use of CBD promotes this function to achieve balance faster. CBD is a phytocannabinoid that binds at the site of CB receptors to regulate functions. Also CBD, in combination with other traditional adaptogens such as mushrooms, can elevate the performance to ensure that your body recovers from the stress of training immediately. It can also improve your overall performance and increase energy levels to enhance your training limits. The compound ensures that stress does not affect the nervous system in any manner in a natural way. 5. It can mitigate performance anxiety and improve sleep Feeling anxious or nervous before an event is very common for athletes. Sometimes anxiety can hinder overall performance and lower morale. Using the right aid to reduce anxiety and improve focus ensures they deliver their best performance. CBD is a powerful ingredient with potent anti-anxiety benefits. The compound binds with serotonin and CB receptors to initiate a calming feeling in the body. It also improves mood and increases concentration to ensure that athletes can deliver their best work. Sleep also forms a critical part of training. Proper sleep is necessary for the body to rejuvenate and heal from the injuries and protein break down after a workout. Without proper rest, it is impossible to see the effects on performance. Pain, inflammation, anxiety, and several other factors can affect sleep. CBD, with its relaxing effects, enables the body to feel calm and at ease. It can put the person to sleep and reduce the REM sleep cycle to ensure they get quality hours of rest.
Improving the mental health of individuals, apart from physical health, can influence their performance in many ways. Source: Is CBD Safe? As CBD makes its way into the fitness industry, it is no wonder that more athletes want to understand if the ingredient is legal to use during competitive events. While the grounds are shaky on this matter, as of 2018, the World Anti-Doping Agency(WADA) considers the use of CBD to be legal during competitive events. The ingredient is not regarded as a performance-enhancing drug. But the organization requires that the product of use should not contain more than 0.3% of THC. The regulation complies with the policies existing in several states that legalized CBD production from hemp. As the research in the area of CBD applications expands, we understand more about the compound, which can influence the acceptance of CBD by other sports organizations. CBD, unlike several other compounds, does not initiate an addictive effect on users and can bring ample benefits without leaving any side effects. Also, unlike THC, CBD does not have a psychoactive property. In fact, the compound can influence the improvement of your overall health and wellness in a natural way. Author Bio: Jessica is a passionate writer & guest blogger. Writing helps her to improve her knowledge, skills & understanding about the specific industry. She loves writing & sharing his knowledge mostly in the Cannabis industry. Apart from writing she loves traveling and exploring new places.(contact-Jessica@cbdglobal.com)
