House of Kush
Cannabis For Athletic Recovery
Herb for the Healing
While cannabis has certainly earned a reputation for itself over the years, you probably already know by now that this herb is healthy, too.
Cannabis can be the perfect complement to your active lifestyle. From reducing stress, to improving sleep habits, cannabis can enhance and rebuild us in more ways than one.
Healthy Sleep
Did you know that getting good sleep is probably the single most important thing you can do for your health?
It’s true — good sleep is more important than good nutrition and more important than good supplements. It’s probably more important than everything except for breathing. “Sleep is probably the greatest legal enhancing performance drug that few athletes are abusing enough,” neuroscientist Matthew Walker says. [1]
Let’s put it simply: if you want your workout routine to work, you need to be getting enough sleep.
Thankfully, cannabis may be able to help. Research shows that cannabis may stabilize one’s mood enough to promote healthy sleeping patterns. [2] Consider using your favorite strain hours before bed to experience the effects for yourself.
Reduced Stress
Working out is inherently stressful, but that’s not a bad thing. The stress of working out is actually what provides many of its health benefits!
In other words, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger — and has a positive impact on the expression of your genes.
A recent study published in the Antioxidants journal discovered that cannabis may improve redox potential and help your body process energy more efficiently. Other studies have found that cannabis may directly slow production of the infamous stress hormone, cortisol. [3]
Improved Mood
Many people who take cannabis report feeling happier, calmer, and more focused. Why?
The research is still in its infancy, but cannabis seems to affect serotonin and dopamine transmitters in some way. Cannabis’s often-overlooked impact on gut health may also play an important role here, considering that most of the body’s serotonin is made in the gut. [4]
The tie between mood and exercise is stronger than you might think. The happier you are, the healthier you’re able to get!
Improved Proprioception
Proprioception is defined as the “perception or awareness of the position and movement of the body.”
And despite the obscure name, improving proprioception is actually the goal of many mainstream activities, including yoga, tai-chi, and more. Sports like golfing and basketball also rely heavily on one’s ability to perceive where they are in space. Think of proprioception as hand-eye coordination.
Could cannabis help improve this unique facet of movement? Maybe.
Studies have hinted that having a healthy endocannabinoid system leads to having a healthy nervous system, too, and it’s through the nervous system that proprioception does its best work. Harvard researchers have called the endocannabinoid system“a literal bridge between body and mind” — strengthen it with cannabis, and you might experience a better mind-body connection yourself. [5]
Reduced Muscle Soreness
Sore muscles are one of those things that can be either good or bad, depending on their severity.
Having sore biceps after a tough bodybuilding session, for example, is probably a sign that you did something right.
But having such severe DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness) after a hike or football practice that walking up the stairs is painful…yeah, that’s probably a sign that your recovery abilities could use some improvement.
By binding to special inflammation-sensing receptors found throughout your muscles, cannabis may help you avoid DOMS agony and get back to feeling your best.
Enhanced Creativity
Wait a minute, you might be thinking, what does creativity have to do with an active lifestyle?
A lot, actually. Creativity can provide you with the inspiration needed to dream up new workouts and fun fitness routines. Creativity can help you stay in better touch with your body. Creativity can make your active lifestyle richer, more dynamic, and more enjoyable.
As far as how and why cannabis boosts creativity…the verdict’s still out on that one. But given that thousands of cannabis users are experiencing it, we doubt the connection is just a placebo. [6]
The fitness icons of decades past were renowned for experimenting until they found exactly what worked for them. Why be swayed by cookie-cutter training ideals when you can use cannabis, do some deep thinking, and join them?