Are you finding it difficult to motivate yourself to exercise regularly for your health? You’re not alone. Many people struggle with obstacles like poor sleep, chronic pain, inflammation, or stress that hinder their exercise routine. The good news is that the power of cannabis can provide relief for all of these challenges, helping you maintain a consistent and effective exercise regimen.
POOR SLEEP
If you’re not sleeping well you’re probably in no mood to exercise. You might have trouble falling asleep, or maybe you fall asleep but then wake up and can’t return to sleep, tossing and turning until your alarm rings. Without 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night, studies show you’re less motivated to exercise and exercise feels more challenging, further demotivating you. You’re tired and feel devoid of energy. Additionally, you’re more susceptible to injury.
Ironically, regular exercise actually promotes quality sleep. However, if your lack of sleep is causing you to skip workouts, it’s important to address the sleep issue first. By prioritizing and improving your sleep, you can ensure that you have the energy and motivation to engage in regular exercise.
So what can we do?
I recommend looking into CBD, CBN, and THC to help with sleep. CBN has sedative properties similar to THC but without the intoxication, will relieve your insomnia and help you sleep through the night.
Of the CBD and THC which promote sleep, often they are Indica strains. You’ll find an abundance of CBD, THC and CBN products designed to help with sleep from flower to edibles and beyond. The terpene myrcene is known for its sedative properties.
Depending on your experience with THC, I suggest starting with a CBD & CBD combo to gently increase your relaxation and promote a restful sleep. If you’re comfortable with THC, start with a low dose of THC in addition to a CBD and CBN combo to enjoy the most therapeutic results without any of the side effects of THC. Sometimes too much THC intoxicates and distracts from the relief of the CBD and CBN.
PAIN & INFLAMMATION
Chronic pain and/or inflammation are incredibly demotivating due to the obvious discomfort. Add stress on top of this and it will worsen your pain and inflammation.
If this is preventing you from a regular exercise routine, you are not alone. Unfortunately, chronic pain is perhaps the most prevalent medical issue in the United States causing individuals to reduce or eliminate physical activity.
Chronic pain is generally defined as any pain that lasts longer than expected healing time, but typically the label “chronic” is applied when pain continues longer than three to six months. Approximately 20% of adults in the US experience chronic pain, and it’s the most common reason adults seek medical treatment. Sadly, it’s keeping these people from the health benefits of exercise, which ironically might improve symptoms.
For example, lack of physical activity can be detrimental and result in muscle atrophy, poor posture, joint instability, and other structural problems (altered gait alone creates a list of structural problems). Regular, consistent exercise can moderate symptoms by maintaining muscle mass, correcting posture and other imbalances as well as strengthening bones and joints.
Where to start?
First, pursue the type of cannabis to manage the pain or inflammation. CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system to reduce inflammation by suppressing the formation of pro-inflammatory compounds and triggers inflammation resolving compounds in our cells. A daily CBD regime will reduce inflammation in the body and daily THC use will mitigate any pain – whether it’s chronic or a result of inflammation.
Additionally, I recommend taking up types of movement that feel good for your body. Becoming a gym rat or professional athlete isn’t necessary to reap the benefits of exercise. Intentional movement should promote blood flow throughout the body, provide resistance to strength muscles and challenge the heart.
Should you focus on cardiovascular or strength exercise? Ideally we all need some of each. Cardiovascular exercise increases the heart rate for an extended period of time (5-30 minutes). Strength training increases the heart rate for shorter periods of time, but provides greater resistance to help the muscles break down and repair themselves stronger.
If you’re used to feeling pain or injury, your brain will initially resist exercise, so start small with just a few minutes of activity a day. Using your own bodyweight as resistance is enough to get started. You can always add more later as you feel more comfortable.
STRESS
Daily and chronic stress keeps us from exercising in ways we don’t always realize. Similarly to the obstacle of pain, exercise can actually help us reduce stress, but we must first address the obstacle in order to reap the benefits.
Here are some common ways stress manifests as an obstacle to exercise:
- Mental overload: This level of burnout leaves you with no energy because you’re exhausted from managing life, work and family commitments, leaving no mental energy to devote to planning, arranging or completing exercise.
- Emotional and mood dysregulation: This often presents itself as irritation, frustration, moodiness, anger, distress, shame or guilt. This emotional exhaustion and mood fluctuation leave no space to incorporate time for your exercise.
- All or nothing thinking: If you’re prone to this type of perfectionism, stress exacerbates the sense that if we can’t do it perfectly, we shouldn’t do it at all.
Cannabis to the rescue:
Stress that feels like burnout, exhaustion and that there’s too much going on to take the time for yourself is called Mental Overload. CBD reduces the underlying stress that causes these feelings and improves focus and concentration which helps us to implement more effective time management strategies in order to feel less overwhelmed and create space for our own needs. I personally find that consuming cannabis before anything allows my mind to focus more on the task at hand by quieting down the “background noise” in my mind. This allows for more productivity, creativity and fun, while relieving the overload, exhaustion and burnout.
CBD regulates mood, reducing our emotional highs and lows which can distract us from normal functioning. It also allows us to approach situations with less emotion and more rationale- for example being able to rationalize the benefits of exercise outweigh the emotions you’re feeling.
Using CBD to lower stress reduces the “all or nothing” thinking pattern that leads to obsession with success versus failure regarding healthy choices and weight loss. We foster an unhealthy mindset around fitness and nutrition, disregarding signs of progress and hyperfocusing on one aspect such as the scale or how something fits. Due to this, we overlook the importance of sustainable habits and often resort to extreme measures or crash diets attempting to achieve quick results.
Managing stress, therefore, helps us adopt a more flexible, sustainable and holistic approach to health and fitness, as well as a positive relationship with food and our body.
What Next?
Depending on your personal stress level I recommend starting with daily CBD to reduce overall stress and anxiety in the body. A dose in the morning and then again in the afternoon if necessary.
I recommend pairing daily CBD with behavioral techniques such as time management, meal planning and preparation, journaling, and working with a coach or therapist. Time management and meal planning help to organize your time efficiently and find time in your week for self care. Journaling and processing emotions with a coach or therapist helps to clear out unwanted feelings that lead to strong emotions. By writing or talking through emotions, it can become clearer that our perfectionistic nature is unrealistic, and it will help to find a more balanced mindset.
Overall, by addressing these obstacles and utilizing cannabis as a tool, you can adopt a more holistic and flexible approach to your well-being, fostering a positive relationship with your body and promoting long-term health benefits.
If you’re interested in more personalized information or want to explore this topic further, feel free to reach out to me directly at Beth@Cannafitnessnutrition.com.
You can discover more about my comprehensive 12 week program, CannaFit, which helps you integrate cannabis as a tool into your fitness and nutrition to overcome obstacles such as stress or emotional eating at www.cannafitnessnutrition.com.