Nothing brings our personal health into focus better than being diagnosed with a chronic condition. Suddenly, you begin to understand that there is a cumulative effect for each decision we make daily, including what we eat and drink and how much sleep and exercise we get.
Every choice we make either fuels health and wellness or sets us up for long-term health consequences. It all adds up. But if you are committed to living a healthier lifestyle and reducing your risks for chronic diseases, one of the most important things you can do is prioritize exercise.
For some, however, that is easier said than done. Balancing symptom management and the need to exercise regularly can be a struggle, particularly if you have symptoms that make exercising more difficult, such as chronic pain. This is one of the reasons why sports health regulators are changing their minds about medical cannabis use by professional athletes compared to other performance-related drugs.
When it comes to maximal exercise performance when you have disruptive symptoms, cannabis can help. There are many potential benefits that you can experience when you combine medical cannabis with your fitness routine.
What Are the Health Benefits of Regular Exercise?
When you don’t feel well or feel stressed or fatigued, heading to the gym is probably the last thing on your mind. Few people consider physical activity as a benefit to help them feel better. However, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that staying sedentary is the worst thing for you.
Sometimes, we have to remind ourselves of all the benefits that physical activity provides. If you are not exercising because of pain muscle issues and marijuana may be a good thing to talk to a healthcare provider about.
Here are some ways that regular exercise can make you feel better:
- Helps to maintain a healthy body weight or lose weight if that is a wellness goal.
- Helps improve cardiovascular (heart) health.
- Can improve balance and flexibility.
- May temporarily reduce muscle spasms.
- Improves circulation.
- Can help boost the metabolism for improved calorie and fat burning.
- May help reduce stress and cortisol levels (stress hormone).
Exercise doesn’t have to be high endurance to provide wellness benefits. You can combine marijuana and yoga, for example, as a low-intensity alternative.
If you cope with symptoms of depression and anxiety, there is more good news. Exercise is one of the most effective ways you can help your body recover from stress and fatigue. Because of all the natural endorphins released during exercise, you may also experience the “runner’s high” or feeling of energy and happiness post-workout.
How Active Are Cannabis Users?
Let’s start by addressing one of the most pervasive stigmas about cannabis: are people who use medical cannabis regularly physically active? If you were to believe what you see in movies and television shows, you might think that the average cannabis user is the least likely to lace up and walk a few miles after work.
That assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. A new study published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology tracked physical activity with 274 adult participants who regularly used cannabis.
After three months, the study debunked the notion that cannabis contributes to apathy and overall laziness. In fact, it was implied that people who use cannabis on a regular basis may be more active than people who do not consume it at all.
For people who have mobility challenges, obstacles, or chronic fatigue, cannabis may actually help make exercise performance better, according to some cannabis research studies. You can become one of the many physically active cannabis users who prioritize wellness by getting regular exercise.
The Potential Benefits of Cannabis and Exercise
Symptoms can sometimes make it difficult or feel impossible to engage in daily exercise. However, if your doctor has discussed increasing the amount of exercise you get, combining cannabis and fitness activities may help.
There are some benefits that cannabis can provide, which can make exercise more comfortable during and following your fitness session. Let’s check out how medical marijuana can change how your body responds to physical exercise.
1. Cannabis Can Help Reduce Inflammation
Cannabinoids, in general, can help reduce inflammation, but strains that have high cannabidiol (CBD) content are most effective. Clinical studies have shown that CBD is a powerful anti-inflammatory, and when taken on a regular basis, CBD can help balance inflammation in the body.
Why is it important to address inflammation when planning your fitness activities? Chronic inflammation is responsible for increasing your risks of developing chronic disease, joint inflammation, pain, problems with sleeping or digestion, and much more.
Some cannabinoids may provide bronchodilator effects, helping to open the airways and improving respiratory function. This may help individuals who have a respiratory condition such as asthma or COPD. Deep breathing while exercising helps keep muscle tissues well-supplied with oxygen, which is essential for muscle repair in central and peripheral tissues.
Aerobic exercise is also a great way to lower inflammation in your body. Using cannabis and exercise together can help you successfully ward off chronic inflammation and make fitness activities more comfortable for you.
2. Improving Muscle Recovery
Everything feels great at the gym until the ride home, when you start to feel those familiar muscle aches. Sure, you worked out, and that is something to be proud of. But now you have to contend with joint and muscle stiffness for the rest of the day (and the day after).
Cannabinoids can provide help with the inflammation that causes those aches and pains. When you have used your muscles, some tearing or breakdown of muscle tissues occurs. A period of rest after exercise allows your body time to rebuild those tissues, and your body does it more effectively if there is less inflammation around the affected areas.
Medicinal cannabis may help you bounce back after your workout routine faster. The relaxation that cannabis can provide also helps reduce inflammation and can make post-exercise muscle recovery better.
3. Cannabis Can Help Moderate Chronic Pain
Many patients use medical cannabis to help make pain symptoms more manageable. So, it is no surprise that cannabis consumption prior to physical activity can help reduce pain symptoms while you are working out and manage pain during your post-workout recovery.
Clinical evidence suggests that the endocannabinoid system plays a big role in regulating pain perception. When you consume cannabis (through any intake method), the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) binds with CB1 and CB2 receptors. The CB1 receptors are responsible for nerve messaging and how you register pain in different areas of your body.
When you have chronic pain, cannabis does not resolve it. But what cannabis can do is lower the volume of that pain so that it doesn’t feel as bad. If chronic pain has been an obstacle to exercise, taking a dose of cannabis about thirty minutes to one hour before you work out may help.
4. Getting the Energy and Motivation to Work Out
Half of the battle of getting to the gym or tying your shoes to go for a long walk is motivation. When you are comfortable at home, you may not want to leave, even though you know you will feel happier when you’ve added some good exercise to your day.
Sometimes, finding the energy to exercise has less to do with motivation and more about addressing problems with chronic fatigue. If you have a medical condition or you are taking medications that make you feel tired, the struggle is real.
Identify some cannabis products made from strains that can provide an energy and mood boost. Taken before you are ready to workout, you may just find the “lift” from cannabinoids is enough to get you on the sidewalk with your dog for a nice stroll.
Caution for Patients With Cardiovascular Problems
If you have been diagnosed with a heart condition like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or you have a history of heart attack and stroke incidents, or within your family, you may wish to talk to your doctor before you combine cannabis and fitness activities together.
Cannabis research has suggested that sudden exertion during fitness activities may present a risk of heart attack within one hour of consuming cannabis. In fact, the study suggested that a person’s risk of heart attack can be five times greater due to the temporary increase in blood pressure caused by exercise and cannabis.
Chronic cannabis consumption, particularly at higher doses and THC potency levels, may present a risk to cardiac health. Cannabis smoking presents the highest risk of adverse effects regarding heart health. Consider other forms than smoking cannabis if you have a heart condition, and always consult with your provider and a cannabis healthcare professional regarding cannabis and cardiovascular exercise.
With over 25 years of specialty training in Internal Medicine, as well as fellowship training in Functional and Sexual medicine, Dr. Maginso added Plant Medicine (Medical Marijuana) to her niche practice as of 2017. She is licensed in the State of Florida and attended the University of the East (UERM) in Quezon City, Philippines as well as the University of Medicine and Dentistry in Newark, NJ.
She joined DocMJ in 2019 to align with a known group of compassionate physicians that empower their patients to be better versions of themselves. Her favorite hashtag is #powerpassionperformance, using the combination of optimized bioidentical hormones, medical marijuana, plasma therapies, and sexual wellness.
She is an author, speaker and community advocate for Medical Marijuana, Sexual Health, and the empowerment of mature women.