Should You Get High Before Working Out?
There Might Be More Benefits Than You Think!
The “Lazy Stoner” myth is nothing more than that: just a myth.
In fact, a great deal of weed smokers are productive and physically active, even when under the influence. Research even shows that cannabis can be an excellent motivator for some stoners to work out and become more physically active. While weed is by no means a performance enhancer, there are many different reasons why people enjoy a toke or two before hitting the gym.
Better Enjoyment
For many people, the act of working out just simply isn’t that fun.
It’s tiring and often leaves you with an amount of pain
But science – and anecdotal reports – shows that cannabis, whether it’s high in CBD or THC, can actually help make the workout more pleasurable. Using pot, especially before a tough workout, can give you a natural high and help reduce anxiety as well as pain. This happens because the body releases anandamide (also known as the bliss molecule) and beta-endorphins, which help provide pain relief. They can also be addictive, which means that you can actually get hooked on the very feel-good chemicals that your body releases.
The body releases these chemicals only through exercise, so it’s the good kind of addiction. It also helps your body cope with the temporary pain and minor injuries that can sometimes occur because of a hard, physically taxing workout. Anandamide helps make you feel fantastic during and after a workout.
In a 2024 study, whose findings were published in the Sports Medicine journal, researchers analyzed 42 runners and the impact of legal marijuana on how cannabis makes them feel. This study, which is the first of its kind, was led by Angela Bryan, a psychology and neuroscience professor as well as co-director at CU Change and first author, Laurel Gibson; it builds on a previous survey also led by Bryan which found that approximately 80% of cannabis users partook in weed right before or right after working out.
The researchers took note of various fitness metrics for the 42 participants, after which they were asked to visit a cannabis dispensary and choose a cannabis flower strain that was either high THC or high CBD. They were then asked to run on a treadmill during the follow-up session, using a moderate pace half an hour long while answering questions that would help the researchers gauge how they felt in terms of motivation or enjoyment of exercise.
They found that almost all participants reported feeling a sense of enjoyment and euphoria while exercising after consuming marijuana. The researchers also reported that those who consumed CBD reported a better mood compared to THC. Interestingly, participants said that running felt more difficult on weed, when compared to running the same intensity sober, likely due to the increase in heart rate.
Cannabis Can Help With Motivation
Let’s face it: not all of us are exactly thrilled about the idea of having to slog off at the gym or go for a run.. or whatever else it is that you do to stay fit and healthy. There are just some days where it feels better to lay in bed or be a couch potato.
However, cannabis can help with motivation. That said, we must keep in mind that the relationship between motivation and weed is significantly complex, and the results vary greatly among individuals. Research has consistently revealed that there is no consistent evidence that cannabis reduces motivation, contrary to what many prohibitionists would have you believe.
In the results of a study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, investigators from the University of Toronto who assessed 260 frequent marijuana consumers found that pot didn’t affect the subjects’ motivation. The participants consumed weed 5 times a day over a weeklong period, and the researchers said: “In contrast to the stereotype of the stoned slacker who is apathetic and unmotivated, we found little evidence for an association between being high and a lack of motivation among cannabis consumers,” they said.
“When frequent cannabis users get high, in other words, they are no more apathetic, nor less extrinsically or intrinsically motivated to pursue their goals,” they wrote.
The Lazy Stoner Stereotype Is Dead
There is also a growing number of studies backing up the claims that the stenotype of lazy stoners, no longer exists. In fact, the opposite is true: cannabis users workout just as much as non-users.
A recent study that was published in the Preventive Medicine Reports journal found no significant differences when researchers compared exercise patterns among a cohort of non-cannabis users, and cannabis consumers. “Our results indicate that marijuana… use [is] not associated with low exercise rates among adults in the US,” the authors wrote.
“These findings challenge the stereotype that marijuana.. users are less active than their non-using counterparts.” With more legal access to marijuana than ever, consumers find it much simpler to integrate marijuana into their fitness or wellness routines, facing less stigma than ever.
Conclusion
Cannabis, together with exercise, can be a powerful duo when paired responsibly. Of course, this must also take into account a healthy diet, good sleep hygiene, and perhaps a spiritual practice. Using your tools, particularly awareness, intention, and intentionality can go a long way when bringing cannabis into your overall wellness and exercise routine – and once you do, you might never look back.
CANNABIS FOR EXERCISE, READ ON...
