As an athlete, you know how crucial it is to take advantage of everything you can to improve your performance. If you can squeeze out just a few more minutes of running or a couple more lifts, you know you’re improving. What many dedicated athletes don’t know is how CBD can boost athletic performance. Here are a few tips to help athletes navigate through the ins and outs of CBD.
Minimize the effects of cortisol
Cortisol is a natural substance your body produces in response to stress. You probably already know that some cortisol is good, while other cortisol is bad. In the short term, the pressure cortisol puts on your body can spur muscle growth and improvements in muscle gains.
Our bodies release cortisol in response to any stress, and pushing yourself at the gym or on the field causes your body to change in order to keep up with what you’re demanding of it. In the right amounts, this change is positive; however, in the long term cortisol is very destructive.
Over time, these changes can be destructive. If your body is constantly releasing cortisol in response to long-term stress, due to your experiences at work, for instance, this will have an affect on your athletic performance. CBD reduces cortisol release in the body, which minimises the effect of daily stress and allows you in turn to push a bit harder in your workouts.
Keep your weight under control
If you work out hard or need to perform on the field, you know the kind of battle you’re in with your waistline. The more you exercise, the hungrier you get. In fact, exercise makes you hungry out of proportion to your actual calorie expenditure, so it takes a monumental effort of willpower to resist the urge to eat more than you normally would after you exercise.
Why does this happen? The human body is a very efficient machine. It holds onto weight as a way of protecting itself from possible future starvation. A short-term increase in calorie expenditure, such as what we experience during a game or at the gym, causes the body to crave more calories than normal in order to make up the difference.
CBD supplements like those from CBDistillery can help by suppressing your appetite. CBD is not a miracle drug, but many people can attest to how effective it is in signalling to the body that everything is fine and it can stop ingesting calories. This is in contrast to straight marijuana, which inspires the infamous “munchies.”
Get better sleep
What athlete doesn’t want better sleep? Sleep is the Holy Grail of athletic performance. With more sleep, you feel better, train stronger, and perform at your peak. After poor sleep, you feel draggy, unfocused, and unable to do your best.
While you sleep, your muscles repair themselves. After you sleep, your performance improves if you feel bright and rested. In contrast, if you aren’t getting the sleep you need, your performance suffers and you can’t make the gains you’re looking for.
In the right dosages, CBD is very effective in treating insomnia. It also has a general sedative effect that allows you to let go of stress and calm down. With CBD, your sleep will be more productive. As a result, your athletic performance will improve.
Shut down inflammation
Inflammation is what’s behind a lot of the pain athletes feel. Sore muscles and swollen joints can interfere with your performance on the field and even hinder your recovery afterwards.
As an athlete, you know that inflammation is almost impossible to avoid. The workouts and performances that make you more skilled and contribute to muscle build-up are the same activities that leave you with painful inflammation.
CBD is a potent anti-inflammatory. Unlike other prescription and over-the-counter painkillers, it isn’t habit forming, doesn’t interfere with muscle building, and isn’t hard on your heart. CBD is the perfect supplement to enhance every aspect of your athletic performance.
