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The added benefits of hemp to runners of all levels can be key to keeping a sustainable fitness regime. Successful recovery, healthful rest, and sharp focus are all benefits of smart self-care supplemented with hemp.
Runners are always looking for a competitive edge. From joggers to marathoners, an increasing number of runners use hemp to address muscle soreness, recovery, rest, and focus.
So, what exactly is hemp, and how can it help a runner?
Hemp is a crop that has been grown for human consumption for thousands of years. Hemp oil is non-psychoactive, meaning it doesn’t create an intoxicating effect. Instead, the chemical compounds in hemp bind to receptors in the body, regulating and balancing many processes, including immune response, communication between cells, sleep, appetite and metabolism, memory, and more.
Given all of these potential benefits, it’s no wonder — particularly after hemp became widely legal after the Farm Bill of 2018 legalized its production — that it has become the go-to wellness supplement for millions of people.
Because of the many benefits of this process, hemp has become one of the most popular wellness products around today.
There are a lot of reasons why runners look to hemp to supplement their fitness regimen.
Hemp oil’s calming and muscle-soothing characteristics are perhaps the biggest appeal to runners. It’s also non-toxic and non-intoxicating, and it can be ingested or applied to the skin.
Hemp is popular with runners across the fitness spectrum, including everyday fitness enthusiasts, trail runners, and ultra-marathoners. It’s available in creams, balms, capsules, tinctures, and more.
Athletes find hemp oil to have calming effects, which contribute to better focus and make it a valuable tool in post-workout recovery.
Let’s take a closer look.
After long runs and intense training sessions, runners look to the soothing power of hemp to calm distressed muscles and joints.
Creams and balms are the popular go-tos for this application. These topicals calm overworked muscles and aching joints, and formulas often feature familiar healthful supplements, like menthol and willow bark for additional soothing, cooling benefits.
The benefits of massage on worn muscles are abundant. That’s why every sports team has a squad of expert sports massage therapists, why trainers are always rubbing down boxers in between rounds, and why runners massage sore legs.
Kinesiology, trigger-point therapy, and orthopedic massage are athletic industry standards.
Using a healthful topical like a cream or balm to rub down aching quads, hamstrings, calves, and the IT band keeps muscles and joints happy and helps them recover.
Post-run recovery is as important to runners as training itself. A good cool-down exercise and restoring your body’s carbohydrates and electrolytes through good nutrition are the best ways to begin the recovery process.
When it comes to soft tissue recovery and healthful massage, hemp is a valuable addition to your recovery toolkit. Sure, it produces relaxing properties, but it does more than soothe sore muscles and joints.
Many athletes believe hemp helps them recover faster from workouts. Runners often look to hemp to not only to reduce muscle discomfort, but to relax tension, address bothersome issues, and improve their sleep.
The range of formulas that runners rely on is even broader when it comes to recovery. Cooling and calming balms are a popular topical choice. Athletes also find capsules, tinctures, and even edibles with protein very helpful.
What’s the most essential ingredient to successful muscle recovery? Sleep.
Rest and sleep are essential to any runner’s performance and overall well-being. They guard it as closely as their favorite running shoes.
Did you know runners can be prone to insomnia? Elite athletes like Olympians can be especially prone to this, both because of overtraining syndrome and their incredibly intense routines. But it doesn’t apply to Olympians alone. We’re all susceptible to sleeplessness.
Hemp oil promotes relaxation, and it’s the ingredient you want to look for when you need rest.
When it’s time to wind down and give your body that vital recharge time, there’s no need to adjust your lifestyle to incorporate hemp into your relaxation routine. Improving sleep is an area with perhaps the most abundant hemp options, including face masks, bath bombs, gummies, capsules, and tinctures.
A lot of these restful formulations also feature popular rest supplements, including melatonin, valerian, chamomile and lavender.
A good night’s sleep doesn’t just make you feel rested. It promotes muscle recovery and gives your body and mind the reset it needs to be invigorated and focused tomorrow.
A rested mind is a focused mind.
Focus is crucial to the runner. Whether you’re monitoring your form to prevent injury, relaxing into a meditative state or just keeping a lookout for cars (and maybe bears, if you’re a trail runner), your brain is as important as your legs.
Whether runners use hemp to address their nerves, to enhance their rest, or to soothe aching muscles, they’re already getting a focus benefit.
For an added bonus, products supplemented with vitamins, L-Arginine and caffeine work in concert with the calming properties of hemp to make focus easier.
Time for a blog cool-down.
Runners demand a lot from their bodies. And their bodies demand a lot in return. Diet, hydration, rest, and self-care are the key components to a long and healthy running practice.
Take care of your muscles and joints, gift yourself with healthy rest, and keep yourself focused and calm, and your body will thank you.
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