You go to the gym, push yourself even harder than ever before, and you’re feeling great. Yet, a couple of hours later your brain sends you that all too familiar chemical signal…it’s pain time.
Our brains are inconceivably intelligent. After a strenuous workout where your muscles have been stretched and torn, your brain will release chemical messages to make us feel like hell. The messages tell us to stop, rest, and recover. Your body has had enough punishment for one day.
It’s one of evolutions finest inventions. Let’s face it if there was no such thing as pain we would most likely be dead. The subjective sensation of pain stops us from creating further damage and allows healing to begin.
Some people might take a painkiller like aspirin or ibuprofen, both of which double up as an anti-inflammatory. But these tablets are heavy on our stomachs, they can be addictive, and have unwanted side effects. This is why people are turning to cannabidiol, or CBD as you’re more likely to know it.
CBD from the hemp plant is nature's natural anti-inflammatory and pain reliever. It’s completely safe and non-addictive. It’s even gentle on the stomach.
Casual gym goers, as well as professional athletes, are using CBD as a safer alternative and last year the World Anti-doping Agency finally removed CBD from its list of banned substances.
CBD’s exact mechanism of work is quite complex and scientists are still discovering more each day. What we do know is that the human body has a signalling system known as the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and CBD interacts with this system to produce its effects.
Think about when you felt hungry all of a sudden. Your body released a cannabinoid and in turn, through a series of chemical reactions, you felt hungry.
When our body needs a little extra help, for example, to speed up recovery, we can use CBD because it has the ability to mimic the body's natural cannabinoids, resulting in improved immune functioning, body heat regulation, healing, and much more.
CBD is perfect for fitness and recovery as not only can it can reduce inflammation and the associated pain, but it can also reduce any anxiety you may have about going to the gym.
CBD can even prolong the runner's high that is felt after exercise or Tabata training as well as lower cortisol levels (which are associated with stress) which can hinder muscle growth and recovery.
