

WHY ATHLETES USE CBD?
Who exactly are those athletes who use CBD and why do they do it? I could now list the benefits of CBD, but this time I want to go a little deeper. After three years of CBD SPORTS, I have a good idea of why people first take CBD as a supplement and continue to take it. History shows us that it is often the top athletes who start using a supplement or a substance for the first time and when that proves successful, the other athletes follow. I am thinking here of examples such as protein, creatine and magnesium, but also of testosterone, anabolic steroids, EPO (Erythropoietin) and HGH (Human Growth Hormone). The first examples are still examples of supplementation that are allowed in professional sports, but the enumeration that follows are of course prohibited substances for professional athletes as these performance-enhancing and, not unimportantly, can also be harmful to the user. Athletes may also use medications such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, diclofenac, salbutamol, opiates, and morphine. You may be feeling a little dizzy right now. The drugs mentioned are mainly painkillers and salbutamol comes in an inhaler that is often used by people who suffer from a form of asthmatic bronchitis. These substances are prohibited substances for a professional athlete, but it is also possible that a certain dosage is allowed when an athlete needs the substance due to a medical condition, as is the case with salbutamol (the inhaler), for example.
The dividing line between a supplement, a drug or even drugs is often thin. A top athlete will always try to get the most out of his or her body. These athletes therefore often cannot escape the use of aids such as supplements and medication to allow their bodies to function optimally. Someone who sports at a "lower" level is actually not very different. You exercise to allow your body and mind to function optimally. To be healthy, to be resilient and to have enough energy every day to do your work and other daily things. The answer to the question of which athletes use CBD is therefore every athlete should use CBD. Before I ask "and why?" will answer do I still want to place CBD in the right place in the list of supplement, medicine or drugs.
I already indicated that the dividing line is often thin and that is no different with CBD. In any case, CBD in itself is not a drug. You could possibly place Cannabis in there if you use the THC component. This psychoactive substance is therefore on the doping list as a prohibited substance for athletes. There is also such a thing as medicinal cannabis that is used to treat epilepsy, among other things. The medicinal cannabis always comes from 1 plant from 1 seed that is cloned each time so that the composition of the resources such as oil or pills from extraction is always the same. CBD SPORTS sells the supplement variant of CBD and this is therefore not a medicine and no drugs. No drugs, because the THC is not present in the products. Not a medicine, because the extraction is obtained from various plants that grow from different seeds and can have a different structure per product and batch. As a rule, the doses in supplements are lower than those in the medicinal variant, which often also contains THC.
Athletes use the CBD supplements for various reasons. Treating muscle or joint pain, improving sleep, recovering from strenuous exercise, fighting inflammation, and reducing stress and anxiety are the most common reasons for using CBD in various forms on a daily basis. Like all other supplements, it is therefore not a short cut to lose weight quickly, get big muscles or improve your performance.

WHY DO ATHLETES USE CBD?
Athletes do not use CBD as a performance enhancer. By using CBD you will not run faster, lose more weight or get tired less quickly. The supplement also does not add anything extra that you cannot get from your daily diet, as is the case with protein and vitamin supplements, for example. So why do athletes use CBD?
Your body has an endocannabinoid system (ECS). A system that regulates your homeostasis by sending certain signals to receptors in your brain and body and producing substances that regulate your body temperature, stress, pain, rest, anti-inflammatories, anxiety and general feeling of well-being, for example. So you already have the cannabinoids 2-AG and Anandamide in your body that are active in that process. We call these endo because they are part of the body. The cannabinoids that you will find as a supplement at CBD SPORTS are phytocannabinoids. Not from your own body, but from the hemp plant. The reason for athletes to use CBD is therefore to give the ECS a helping hand.
This can then help with pain, stress, sleep, inflammation, anxiety, restore concentration and focus. All things that you want to keep under control as an athlete, but that can also be brought out of balance precisely because your sport. That is why many professional athletes and more and more "regular" athletes use CBD daily. At CBD SPORTS you will also find many products that make the supplements that athletes already use, such as protein, vitamins and minerals with CBD, so that you do not have to take a whole table full of supplements every day. The external products such as the muscle gels and balm work locally against muscle and joint pains.

Roald Tromp aka Opa CBD is the founder of CBD SPORTS, Public Speaker with a background in Skate- and Snowboarding, Tennis & Ski and he is a CrossFit and MMA addict.
Copyright Opa CBD Januari 2022.
Most frequently used CBD products by athletes
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