The concept of cannabis smokers as activists defies stereotypes. Many people associate marijuana use with laziness and lack of motivation. However, past research suggests that many people who use cannabis frequently also happen to be frequent exercisers.
Angela D. BryanThe professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder said her team initially began researching this issue because they wanted to understand how legalizing cannabis would impact public health. Ta. At the time, they theorized that legalization could worsen the obesity epidemic in the United States.
but initial research It has been suggested that cannabis users may be more active than expected. The research team collected information using a survey of marijuana users, and found that many respondents believed that marijuana not only motivates them to be more physically active and increases their enjoyment during exercise, but also increases their recovery. It turned out that
“The idea that we can add something to help people enjoy physical activity more is actually really important from a public health perspective,” Brian said. The more people enjoy physical activity, the more likely they are to want to do it again.
Test weed on a treadmill
To conduct the study, researchers recruited 52 people between the ages of 21 and 39 living in and around Boulder, Colorado. Runners were eligible to participate in the study if they had already used cannabis during multiple runs in the past. Negative impact. “The final report included her 42 runners who attended all appointments.
Each participant ran around the lab to establish a baseline pace. Then they were sober and he ran for 30 minutes, and after using cannabis they came back another day and he ran for 30 minutes.Some runners used cannabis containing high levels of THC, Some people use the psychoactive compounds found in marijuana, while others use types high in CBD, the non-psychoactive component of marijuana. plant.
“Use of flower cannabis, either smoked or vaporized, is associated with finding exercise more enjoyable, reporting more positive mood states during exercise, and experiencing more symptoms of runner's high. '' he said. laurel gibson, lead author of the study and a researcher in the CUChange lab at the University of Colorado Boulder. “So it's like euphoria and relaxation during exercise.”
On “high” run days, the researchers drove a van to the participants, who smoked or vaped cannabis at home and consumed their regular cannabis intake before the run. . The researchers then took blood samples, weighed the remaining weed, and drove the participants to the lab.
Josiah Hesse, a Denver-based journalist and author of Runner's High, a book about the use of cannabis in distance running and other sports, was one of the first to pilot the study in Boulder. It's a person. Hesse said participating in the study was a “very different” experience from his usual runs along the scenic trails around Denver. In the study, he ran on a treadmill in front of a wall of mirrors while researchers periodically asked questions such as: “How do you feel now?” How difficult do you find practicing? How much fun do you feel? And how much pain are you feeling?
“Despite the slightly surreal circumstances, I had fun,” he said.
Runners in the study reported experiencing a runner's high more after using either type of cannabis.
Not a performance-enhancing drug
Researchers did not find that cannabis improved runners' performance on treadmills. In fact, runners who used THC-dominant cannabis reported higher levels of exertion when running at a controlled pace. and, previous research, Runners who used marijuana before a run ended up running an average of 31 seconds per mile slower than when sober. The time differences in study results were not statistically significant.
“Using cannabis does nothing to improve performance,” Brian says. “When you're under the influence, you find it difficult to do the same activities.”
Bryan said the higher level of perceived exertion is likely due to THC's ability to increase a person's heart rate. And, “The faster your heart beats, the more effort you feel you put into the activity.”
Most of the runners in this study were white, and two-thirds of the participants were male.
All of the study participants “had at least some past experience of using cannabis in conjunction with exercise,” Gibson said. Therefore, the researchers cannot say whether the results apply to “people who are less active” or “people who have never used cannabis in conjunction with exercise.”
“You don't want to take someone who's never done it before and then throw them on a treadmill after getting high,” Brian said. “It's not safe.”
For the curious: “Start low and go slow.”
“People primarily use cannabis to enjoy the exercise experience, increase motivation, and improve the interaction of mind, body, and spirit.” whitney ogleis an associate professor of kinesiology at the University of California, Humboldt, but was not involved in the study. “From archery to water skiing, someone is getting high and doing these activities.”
Hesse says it's easier to start small, so he often encourages first-timers to take edibles rather than smoke them. Hesse's advice for cannabis beginners is to “start low and go slow.” Hesse doesn't recommend running for first-time cannabis users.
“When you're at home, take a small amount of cannabis and get used to the experience,” Hesse said. “Never go on unfamiliar mountain trails.”
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