How Cannabis Can Enhance Your Workout

I don’t know about you, but I do get tired of the “lazy stoner” stereotype. There are plenty of cannabis users who imbibe to enhance creativity, focus at work, and get those few extra reps at the gym. Sure, cannabis and Netflix are a great combination for a lazy Saturday, but cannabis can dramatically improve your gym game, too.

If you’ve never used cannabis actively around your workouts, there’s never been a better time to try. Let’s look at some of the ways cannabis can improve your exercise habits.

Sativa vs Indica

Indica is a great way to relax but it’s also likely to couch-lock you, which is kind counterintuitive for what we want. Sativa, however, boosts creativity and helps you focus, which can dramatically improve the quality and length of your workouts.

For some people, cannabis helps them stay focused and interested in long stretches of cardio, like doing a couch-to-5k or a 1-hour Crossfit class. Especially if you have to run on a treadmill, long-form cardio can be excruciatingly boring, but if you’re using cannabis, it can make it more bearable.

Tapping into the “runner’s high”

Beyond the sort of humdrum of lots of cardio, running itself is physically exhausting – that’s kind of the point. With that said, however, runners often experience what they call the “runner’s high”, which is a point where pain and fatigue melt into the background. This helps them add miles to their run and actually enjoy the process.

The “runner’s high” is largely due to the molecule anandamide, which works within the endocannabinoid system and is usually a product of exercise. It attaches to CB-2 receptors while THC attaches to CB-1 receptors. Combined, the effect of bliss can be profound and aid in recovery and extend functional exercise time by suppressing pain.

Cannabis helps filter out external distraction

Even when we’re working out at home, humans are easily distracted. This can disrupt our breathing pattern or mentally imbalance us, leading to failed final lifts (among other things). Cannabis has the potential to help us focus on our breathing and lifting by filtering out external distractions, leading to an overall better workout.

Cannabis-friendly exercise classes

If you live in a place where cannabis consumption is legal, there might be some cannabis-friendly exercise classes near you. The Bend and Blaze yoga class

in Denver, for instance, blends yoga with cannabis to create low anxiety, highly focused group yoga class. Lower anxiety means a better workout because you’re not worrying about other people judging you, and when everyone is using cannabis, it helps further reduce self-consciousness.

If you enjoy the benefit of directed group exercise classes but have a bit of social anxiety, using cannabis in a controlled dose beforehand can help alleviate some of your concerns. Just make sure you observe your local laws around the public consumption of cannabis products.

Cannabis and your workout

While cannabis can enhance your workout, it’s still critical that you are aware of what your local laws say about using it in public. Additionally, some people report anxiety from the increased heart rate that cannabis sometimes causes. Though this could be beneficial in getting you up and moving, if you are sensitive to anxiety already, it’s best to start in small doses.

Standing Akimbo has everything you need for medical marijuana in the Denver area. We pride ourselves on being a medical dispensary created and run by medical cannabis experts, and we’re here to provide you with quality products and exact, science-driven advice on products that will serve you best.

Give us a call and see the difference Standing Akimbo can make in your medical marijuana experience!