Cannabis and Fitness: Using Marijuana as Part of Your Workout Routine
Can marijuana ever actually be good for you? For the most part, non-users tend to think of cannabis solely as a way for people to get high. But users and scholars alike agree that there is much more to marijuana than a psychoactive buzz.
Yes, you read that right: Cannabis can truly contribute to a better fitness regimen than just working out alone. Now some of you might be thinking that the only exercise you're likely to get when you're stoned is from walking to the refrigerator to snag some of that leftover pasta you had for dinner last night. But using marijuana as part of your workout routine isn't the same as using it recreationally. Let's take a closer look.
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Cannabis and Your Workout Routine
When people use marijuana recreationally, whether by smoking, vaping, or consuming edibles, they're using it with the end goal of getting high, feeling a buzz, or in some way altering their state of mind.
When people use marijuana as part of their workout routines, they are doing so to experience a completely different set of effects from their recreational and medical counterparts. When marijuana enters the bloodstream, it is recognized and processed by the endocannabinoid system (ECS). THC, in particular, interacts with the ECS to produce a feeling almost identical to a natural runner's high. That's the effect that cannabis-consuming gym rats are going for.
Using cannabis before a workout can possibly help improve your endurance and heighten your focus, and smoking immediately before exercising can even open your lungs for better airflow. You're likely to notice a difference the very first time you try incorporating cannabis into your workout routine.
That's why Jim McAlpine decided to start Power Plant Fitness, the world's first cannabis gym that focuses on incorporating cannabis to better support an effective workout regimen. Full-body integrative health, wellness, and fitness will be the main focus of the gym once it opens to the public.
Microdosing
So how do you transition from using marijuana recreationally to using it as part of your fitness and workout routine? The first step is to check your quantity. Say, for example, that you're consuming 15mg of THC to get you high. While that may be an ideal quantity for attaining a psychoactive buzz, it could very well be too strong of a quantity to safely approach workout machines. This is where microdosing comes in.
Microdosing is the practice of using a very small amount of cannabis at a time. In terms of THC, a microdose is just enough to bring on some of the medical benefits of marijuana without feeling the psychoactive effects. A microdose is usually around 5mg and acts more like an herbal supplement than a recreational or medical drug. With microdosing, less is definitely more.
Lightshade Dispensary’s Products Can Help Boost Your Workout!
Ready to take on your new workout routine with cannabis as a key contributor? Lightshade can help! This high-end dispensary has a killer reputation for providing premium cannabis across the Denver metro area at competitive prices. Looking to pick up a few things on the way to your workout? Order online and they'll have it waiting for you.
Products to Use Pre-Workout
Julie’s Sativa Seed Mix
This protein-packed edible is great for those looking for that extra boost before their workout. Julie’s Sativa Seed Mix is a healthy pre-workout option that is strain-specific and easy to microdose! Looking for a sativa strain to microdose during the day before your workout? Julie’s Sativa Seed Mix is just the right fit.
Evolab Chroma 3:1 (CBD:THC) 500 mg. Cartridge
Evolab is a brand of cannabis concentrates that creates cartridges for consumers looking for a discrete, portable option for consuming cannabis. Their cartridges come in all different types, like indica and sativa, but we’re suggesting you try out their 3:1 (CBD:THC) cartridge while you are microdosing. This product could be a perfect addition to your pre-workout to help you focus and/or post-workout to help your body recover. The best part? The cartridges are refillable, so you will no longer have to waste money on buying a new cartridge every time you run out. Instead, you can just purchase a refill!
Products to Help Recover
Mary’s Medicinals’ CBC Compound
Mary’s Medicinals is a cannabis brand that focuses on the medical benefits of cannabinoids. They have a wide range of products, including tinctures, patches, topicals, and more. Cannabis consumers are usually familiar with CBD and THC; however, most do not know about the CBC compound. Mary's Medicinals has done extensive research into this compound and they created a transdermal product that can help an athlete recover from an intense physical workout. The next time you feel you went a little too hard at the gym, try their CBC transdermal patch, and it could help you feel like yourself again!
Stillwater Mellow Mint Tea 1:1 (CBD:THC)
Stillwater Mellow Mint Tea 1:1 CBD:THC is a great addition to anyone's post-workout routine. Since this edible is in liquid form, it is absorbed faster and the effects are felt quicker than a standard edible. This product has all of the same benefits of the Evolab Cartridge but contains more THC. A great thing about this product is that the tea is caffeine free so it can be enjoyed at night before you go to bed!
So go ahead: Pick up and try one of these great products from Lightshade dispensaries, then hit the gym! Your body will thank you.
Lightshade is a proud partner of Leafbuyer.
