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How CBD Can Help Runners Set Their Next PR
CBD Topical
Sports Performance
Sports Recovery

 

How CBD Can Help Runners Set Their Next PR

 

For a runner, pushing through the pain and getting to the finish line is all about the ultimate reward: the runner’s high. However, chasing that burst of endorphins can be challenging with inflammation, pain, and spiking anxiety levels.

These running roadblocks are where cannabidiol (CBD) comes in. Whether you're an athlete looking for supplements for marathon runners or someone looking to make their casual runs more fun, CBD products can be your best friend.

CBD brings several benefits, such as reduced inflammation, pain relief, faster recovery, more energy, and reduced anxiety. Read on to learn more about the relationship between CBD and running and how it can improve your runs.

6 Ways CBD Benefits Runners

CBD products can improve a runner's life holistically. CBD products can not only help runners manage their pain and reduce inflammation but they are also known to relieve stress and ensure quality sleep. Below are the six ways CBD can benefit runners.

1. Helps With Pain Relief and Management

Injuries can catch up with you whether you're an experienced runner or a beginner getting used to this form of exercise. During a run, you can develop pain in various spots, including your knees, Achilles, feet, and muscles. And running when hurt can further aggravate your injury.

CBD's natural pain relief is two-fold. Its anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective pharmacological properties can reduce pain. A CBD-infused lotion or muscle balm can alleviate soreness and aches and limit your prescription drug usage. Our extra strength, ultra-cooling topicals can come in handy for short and long-term pain management.

CBD also helps synthesize endocannabinoids in your body, which activate your body's cannabinoid receptors. These receptors control your perception of pain and offer relief.

2. Reduces Inflammation

Inflammation has long been seen as the primary cause of pain from running injuries. Inflammation is the body's self-healing mechanism that's triggered by an ailment. If a muscle or tendon suffers minor damage, the body's inflammatory cells attack the area, which can cause stiffness and soreness. Instead of healing, the inflammation can cause additional damage to the injured area.

Clinical studies have confirmed CBD's anti-inflammatory properties. CBD activates the endocannabinoid system and helps your body achieve a stable condition called homeostasis. By reducing inflammation and swelling, CBD can also enhance your mobility.

3. Provides More Focused Energy

Runners can experience bouts of low energy thanks to high stress, poor nutrition, and inadequate sleep. Combined with the stress of running, low energy can cause muscle tension and excessive sweating and impact your coordination.

Using CBD before a run can help you stay calm. The synthesis of endocannabinoids counters stress. And by activating the chemical receptors, CBD enhances the levels of "happy hormones" like serotonin and dopamine. It also increases the levels of anandamide — the body's internal cannabis molecules that cause elevated mood and increased energy.

Muscle MX's CBD Relax Drops can provide more focused energy during your run.

4. Ensures Faster Recovery

A rest day is just as productive for runners as a good run. Resting boosts your motivation, sharpens your mind, and lets your body recover. A rest day allows your body to deal with the micro-damage to your tissues and prevents overuse injuries.

CBD's anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective pharmacological properties ensure a faster recovery. According to Frontiers in Physiology research, CBD can promote the restoration of physical performance and help limit accumulated fatigue after strenuous exercise.

5. Reduces Anxiety and Stress Levels

Running can reduce anxiety and depression by increasing blood circulation to your brain. The part of the brain dealing with stress is affected and causes an improved mood.

But there can be instances when the activity meant to reduce anxiety and stress starts contributing to them. While a little anxiety can boost your performance, too much of it can impact your races or regular runs. Anxiety can begin as tension and nervousness, resulting in increased heart rate and sweating, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, and confusion.

CBD runners can push through that mental wall.

Clinical studies indicate that CBD has antidepressant and anxiolytic properties, which can alter body chemistry. A research paper in The Permanente Journal illustrated that CBD can reduce anxiety by increasing the serotonin levels in your body. Combining CBD products with meditation can help your brain achieve a healthier serotonin balance.

CBD can trigger the parasympathetic system that releases the 'bliss molecule,' anandamide. The synthesis lowers your body's stress and blood pressure levels and helps return you to a relaxed state.

6. Improves Sleep Quality

Sleep is a critical part of the puzzle for runners. Sleep deprivation can hamper your recovery and increase your injury chances. Pain from an injury, inflammation, and/or anxiety before a run can keep you tossing and turning all night.

A good night's sleep before a run results in not just mental and physical rejuvenation but also helps to reduce anxiety.

Over-the-counter sleeping pills can cause adverse side effects. Instead, include CBD products in your nighttime routine. Proven products like Muscle MX's CBD oils can have positive therapeutic effects on sleep-related conditions.

All the benefits of CBD discussed so far can help promote more restful sleep. Reduced anxiety and chronic pain and inflammation relief will enhance your sleep quality.

Best CBD Products for Runners

There are various CBD products for runners to choose from. Orally administered options include CBD capsules, drops, oils, and recovery shots. Topical creams and balms can be applied directly to the affected area(s).

It's essential to determine the correct dosage of your ideal running supplements by starting low and going slow, as your levels might differ from those of other runners.

The best CBD products for runners are derived from full-spectrum hemp extract, which contains CBD and other hemp plant compounds, such as trace amounts of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). While THC from a cannabis plant can alter a person's perception, CBD is non-toxic and non-addictive.

Purchasing your hemp-derived CBD products from a trusted manufacturer, however, is vital. So next time you're gearing up for a run, choose Muscle MX. At Muscle MX, we test our safe and effective products for quality and efficiency.

Check out our range of high-quality CBD products today.

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