If your workout game needs a bit of improvement, or if you’re just getting started on your path to fitness, perhaps our best workout tips will help. There’s a lot of workout advice out there but much of it is missing one crucial element; a superpower you may not even realize is a game changer. That superpower is CBD – before, during, and after your workouts.
Today, we’ll share some work out tips that combine well with CBD benefits for your body and mind. So you can make the most of all your workouts.
Key Points
- Workout tips to help you up your game
- How CBD benefits can be your workout superpower
- Critical elements of getting your best workouts ever – and recovering even quicker
Every Workout Begins with Preparing Your Body and Mind
Ask any athlete and they’ll tell you – what you do before your workout – is critical for your body and mind. It doesn’t matter if you frequent the gym and know your way around a workout routine, or if you just bought your first pair of running shoes. It’s tempting to just want to jump in and get started, but preparation is for everyone, no matter your fitness level.
Show us the ill-prepared and we’ll show you injury waiting to happen. Failing to prepare your body and mind is a critical mistake, but is easily corrected if you know how to get your body and mind ready for your weight training, running, cardio or anything else you do to challenge yourself.
You’ve heard of warming up, but that is one element of preparation. We’ve prepared our top five elements of a healthy pre-workout routine to help you prepare for your body’s best performance.
Sleep
We all know that we’re supposed to get 7-8 hours of good sleep each night in order for our bodies (and minds) to perform at their best. This number is on average, so you may be on the higher or lower end of that. While sleep deprivation, even a small amount, may not feel like a big deal, it really is a big deal. And it is definitely a big deal when it comes to athletic performance.
One study showed that athletic performance (in this case, running on the treadmill) decreased by as much as 3% after only one night of poor sleep. The study even mentioned that while you haven’t had enough sleep, you may even have an altered sense of your own athletic performance:
“One night of sleep deprivation decreased endurance performance with limited effect on pacing, cardio-respiratory or thermoregulatory function. Despite running less distance after sleep deprivation compared with control, participants’ perception of effort was similar indicating that altered perception of effort may account for decreased endurance performance after a night without sleep.” – One night of sleep deprivation decreases treadmill endurance performance
Think, also, of the dangers of poor sleep when you are operating heavy gym equipment, running in high-traffic areas where you need to be alert, or how one poorly executed swing on the tennis court could lead to injury.
Take your nightly CBD tinctures for sleep, get in plenty of zzz’s and be ready for your best efforts, safely, and more alert. We find that this full spectrum kind works best to help you sleep.
Related reading: Can CBD Help You Sleep Better?
Protein
Various sources will give you conflicting advice on what to eat before a workout, but we find that a little protein an hour before you workout helps to fend off the “hungries” while you’re working out. It keeps you full longer.
Some studies suggest that consuming whey protein, specifically, provides a fast-absorbing protein with other health benefits, like improving muscle synthesis. So, be mindful of what you eat before your exercise – and do eat something so you’re not running on empty!
Hydration
Fuel each cell in your body with the most natural life source there is – good, clean water! A well-hydrated body performs its best. So skip the sodas and caffeinated energy drinks for some water.
The Avera.org medical team advises their patients to follow a 3-H rule for incorporating sports drinks in addition to water:
“Staying hydrated is an important part of training. Though there are many ways to stay hydrated, drinking plain water is best throughout the day. For sports drinks, use the 3-H rule:
- Drink when it’s HOT
- Drink when workouts are HARD
- Drink when workouts are longer than an HOUR”
A combination of sports drinks (to resupply electrolytes) and plain water to stay hydrated seems to be best, using the sports drinks when the exertion is high enough to be hot and sweaty for more than an hour.
Flexibility
How much should you stretch and warm-up? You know your body best and this can be a little different for everyone – but don’t get so comfortable with your routine that you start skipping on your flexibility. Warming up is critical to avoid injury.
Warming up can look a little different per exercise, as well – for example, if you plan to run, work on warming up the largest muscle groups and then begin with a walk, warming the body up until you are ready for a jog, then run.
Remember this simple rule: Poor warm up = poor performance.
CBD Tincture Boost
CBD helps to provide all kinds of benefits to your mind and body – but did you know it provides specialized support for athletic performance and recovery? This is why so many athletes are getting onboard today with CBD companies and sharing the benefits they are experiencing.
Think of how these benefits may support your workout:
- Calm and focused thinking
- Relaxation
- Reduced inflammation and soreness
- Improved muscle recovery
- Better sleep
Related reading: Cannabis and Marathon Running
Getting the Most Benefit From Your Workout
Now that you’ve prepped your body and mind, and you’re ready to hit the track, the field, the gym, or take your place in front of those belly dancing tutorial videos you’ve been doing – think of how your body needs support while you workout. Don’t press play until you’ve prepared your space for a safe workout, and gathered all you’ll need to get the job done.
Here are a few quick tips to help you get the most out of your workout sessions.
- Pacing – Set goals that inspire you to press your limits. But set a pace for yourself that is half work- and half fun. It will keep you motivated and prevent workout burnout.
- Hydration – Keep that water bottle nearby! Strive for a hydration goal, like a gallon or ½ gallon a day and stay consistent. Now’s the time to keep drinking water!
- Be careful to avoid injury – Workout with a trainer, this may help you understand proper form. There are plenty of free online support youtube, or social media videos, if budget is a concern.. Avoid injury with proper warm up, execution, and form.
- Use a CBD roll on for problem areas – Toss this CBD roll on into your bag. It’s a great way to take care with any problem areas, like a sore knee or wrist. (It’s very lightly and pleasantly scented.)
Workout factoid:
Did you know that being only slightly dehydrated has negative cognitive effects? We found this info in a handy little book called “Fruit Infused Water” which shows water infusion recipes for hydration and other health effects:
Author Susan Marque reports that:
“Dehydration is dangerous. You begin to feel fatigued when your body’s water supply is depleted by just 1 percent of your body weight. After that, your mental function becomes impaired with only a 2 percent loss of water.”
Know when to halt a workout: The old adage “no pain no gain” has likely led to our desensitizing ourselves to pain in order to get the fitness we want – but it’s not serving you well. Knowing when to quit is just as important as getting started. If you’ve ever been injured during a workout, you likely knew something was wrong. Pressing through an injury can worsen it or extend your recovery time considerably.
Listen to your body – stop a workout if you’ve been injured or felt something “go wrong” and immediately begin self-care and medical treatment. See a doctor or your trainer right away if you think you’ve been injured. R-I-C-E that injury and use CBD to help with your recovery, and follow the treatment guidelines from your doctor or training staff. This is no time to pretend everything’s fine! A well-healed injury is worth the time it takes.
Post Workout Recovery Tips with CBD Benefits
Our favorite post-workout tips are these, and they’re quite simple:
- Do NOT skip the cool down. Walk and gently shake out those muscles.
- Rehydrate in those critical hours after a workout.
- If you plan ahead for your healthy post-workout meals and snacks, it may help you to avoid cravings and overeating which could counteract all your hard work and sabotage your fitness progress.
- Get the rest and sleep you need for muscle recovery
And lastly – but just as importantly – take CBD!
CBD is your post-workout recovery superpower. We admit, it’s helpful for sleep, your cognitive and physical performance during your workouts – but before you are even done showering off all that sweaty exertion, your muscles are working on recovery.
This is a critical time for CBD to get to work.
CBD Benefits for Post-Workout Recovery
- Helps your body with inflammation
- Helps relieve pain
- Helps regulate mood
- Provides calm focus
- Can help provide the entourage effect, a helpful way of synergizing your bodily systems
Get Your Best Workouts with Asé
Asé Pure Naturals is a wellness and nature-based company that brings the power of CBD benefits to the forefront of workout prep, balance, and recovery – thanks to ultrarunner Heather Jacoby, who founded the company. Her experience added a unique perspective on exactly what athletes and fitness fans need out of their CBD products.
Because of her dedication to her sport and to her fitness, Asé now provides the top of the line fitness CBD products you can find. Thanks for reading, today, about some of our favorite workout tips with CBD benefits – and let us know your favorite workout tips and how CBD has been a game changer for you!
