JC
Oct 5, 20213 min
Updated: Jan 12, 2022
After a hard and strenuous workout, your body will likely be sore and tired. But for athletes and those for whom working out is an integral part of life, there is no time to rest. They’ll be back at the gym the next day.
There are also seemingly thousands of products out there geared toward helping athletes and workout fans recover after their workouts. That way, they can get back to it and push through any pain they may be experiencing.
One up-and-coming solution to help recover after a hard workout is CBD.
When you work out, you cause microscopic damage to the muscle fibers in your body. These muscles will then become inflamed. This inflammation triggers your body to respond and repair these tiny tears. This is what causes you to feel stiff and sore after strenuous activities and exercise.
While your body will start to repair itself on its own, many athletes look to products to help speed up the recovery process, enabling them to continue training at optimal levels.
Although research is still in its infancy, CBD has many properties that may aid your body’s recovery process, including:
It’s a natural anti-inflammatory. The inflammation that triggers your body’s recovery response also slows it down. CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties may help alleviate this inflammation while also relieving muscle soreness. It could help improve sleep. Athletes know getting enough sleep is essential to achieving optimal performance. CBD has been shown to help people get better sleep while also reducing cortisol levels. As you sleep, your body will work hard to repair your muscles, so getting quality sleep is essential to recovery.
CBD is a natural antioxidant. Antioxidants play an important role in maintaining your body’s health and proper function. That’s why many athletes like foods high in antioxidants. Being a natural antioxidant, some suggest that CBD helps ensure the body has what it needs to properly function and heal.
To consume CBD, you can:
Eat CBD chocolate edibles.
Apply CBD lotions and creams directly to your skin.
Buy edible CBD oil to ingest orally or apply to your skin.
Choose other CBD edibles, such as gummies and brownies.
Order CBD tinctures to add to your food or take sublingually.
Before you visit a CBD edibles shop to stock up before you start training again, take some time to think about the best way to use it. If you are training for a marathon, you probably won’t want to run and then come home and eat something super sweet. A cream or oil that can be applied directly to your skin to alleviate pain is likely the better option. However, you can still buy CBD edibles that are sweet to enjoy before bed or a little after your training sessions.
It’s best to start with a low dose, then slowly increase it over time until you feel relief or the results you want.
Some athletes will increase their CBD usage during enhanced training periods, such as when they are preparing for a marathon. Having a baseline of what you usually take will help you know how much to increase your dosage in preparation for the big event.