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Whether you’re exercising at a gym alongside a trusted trainer, following classes on an app, or developing your own fitness plan, you want a challenging workout. And when you’re done pushing your body, it’s critical to give yourself time to heal and repair – especially your muscles.

CBD is one of more than a hundred naturally occurring compounds (also called cannabinoids) found in the cannabis plant. It doesn’t have any psychotropic impact on your body. In other words, it doesn’t alter the way your brain works and doesn’t change your mood. In fact, it has a variety of other positive medicinal effects, and using CBD can aid in post-workout recovery. Here’s how:

Help Relieve Sore Muscles

CBD can help reduce the aches that come with post-exercise muscle soreness and also assist in reducing painful inflammation. A 2018 study published in Frontiers in Neurology showed that CBD can minimize inflammation throughout the body, helping with mobility issues and pain level. Adding a few drops of CBD oil in a smoothie or juice can help your muscles feel better and keep you on track to reach your workout goals.

Helps with Injury Recovery

Athletic injuries are not only painful and restrictive but can force you to stop working out while you recuperate, ultimately putting you behind on reaching your weight loss or workout goals. Because CBD can aid in inflammation reduction, it may help reduce pain and promote faster recovery.

Helps With Better Sleep

After a hard workout, sleep is key to helping your muscles recover and repair. Sleep gives your body time to build up muscles that you’ve used during exercise and helps your body produce important growth hormones that lead to leaner muscles. CBD can help support good sleep cycles—helping you fall asleep and stay asleep longer.

It is important to remember that CBD is not the answer to all your post-exercise recovery woes. Stay hydrated before, during, and after workouts; maintain a healthy, balanced diet so your body has the fuel it needs to work hard; and prepare your body with stretches before and after exercise, which can help promote greater mobility and aid in quicker muscle recovery.

Which CBD Product Should I Try?

While ingestible CBD products such as gummies and oils can be helpful, there are also a variety of other products on the market, including infused topical balms or lotions that can be simply rubbed on for quick relief.

Some medications can negatively interact with CBD, so it is necessary to talk with your healthcare provider about anything you take regularly, to ensure there are no adverse reactions. Also, be sure that all products are verified, and lab-tested, so there are no unwanted side effects.