So what’s all the fuss about CBD and Fitness?

It has not taken long for the fitness world to recognize that CBD is an answer to pain and recovery. The market is booming and you have probably heard of the many benefits that CBD has to offer.

So, what’s the deal with CBD, and should you be considering it as part of your nutritional, training, or recovery regime?

CBD is a cannabinoid, but not the one that creates the high you associate with inhaling or ingesting marijuana—that’s THC. While full spectrum CBD products will typically contain small amounts of THC, to be legally sold across the U.S., CBD oils must contain less than 0.03%THC, which is well below the necessary amount to produce any psychoactive response. Broad-spectrum CBD products and CBD isolates have no detectable THC at all.

The CBD you keep hearing about is derived from hemp plants, not marijuana, and the two cannabinoids are only cousins in the big cannabis family tree. Another member of the family? Beer’s resinous bitter-maker hops—when you tip back a pint that smells vaguely of weed, that’s because hops, marijuana, and hemp all share aromatic oils called terpenes. So, yes, holidays at the Cannabis house are probably a good time.

But none of that explains CBD’s therapeutic qualities. To get at how it can help with such a long list of issues, you need to understand the concept of homeostasis, or balance between all the body’s systems.

Science discovered a few decades ago that the human body naturally produces cannabinoids, and, in fact, has an entire network within the nervous system called the endocannabinoid system (nice work, Science!). CBD binds to receptors in that system and scientists believe they act as a neurotransmitter. Studies show that CBD supports reduced inflammation, calms nervous reactions to stimuli, reduces anxiety, and prompts healthy brain function. There’s even a CBD-based drug approved by the FDA to treat epileptic seizures.

So, CBD is a powerful, full stop. But what makes it particularly effective for athletes are the aforementioned anti-inflammatory properties.

If you’re a gym rat, CrossFit enthusiast, or just a lover of bodyweight exercises, you’re familiar with the soreness that comes the day after a particularly butt-kicking workout, or perhaps you overdid it on a run Calves barking after a tough hike? A daily CBD supplement can help, but get right to the source with a topical like Topical CBD creams are purposely designed to calm and support aggravated muscles.

Gaining the full benefits of CBD requires an understanding of which products work best for your system. But product lines offered by the Village CBD Company offer a variety of combinations and delivery mechanisms to help you identify what works best to improve your performance at the gym, in the outdoors, or just throughout your day-to-day life.