Runner's High: Marijuana's Surprising Effects On Athletic Performance (& Whether Weed Really Can Make You Better At Sports).

https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/weedpodcast

The recent controversial article featured on Greatist entitled "Why More Athletes Are Turning to Weed" starts like this...

"It’s a typical Wednesday evening. After a long run, Andrew, who works in digital media in New York City, is following his standard post-run routine. Like most runners, he’ll quickly cool down, stretch, drink water, and maybe grab a post-workout snack. Unlike many runners, he’ll also smoke pot.

The avid runner and cyclist, whose racing résumé includes the Umstead 100 Ultra, typically lights up immediately before his athletic activities and usually within an hour or two post-sweat session.

Andrew isn’t alone in his habit—in fact, combining cannabis and sport has become an underground trend in distance-running culture. Ultra runners such as Avery Collins and Jen Shelton have admitted to running under the influence of marijuana. And former professional runner Chris Barnicle, a cannabis advocate living in Los Angeles, calls himself the “world’s fastest stoner” on Twitter. Pro-cannabis running groups, like Run on Grass in Denver, are dedicated to staying fit and educating others about cannabis, while online communities like Cannafit and NORML Athletics also promote cannabis' association with healthy living.

And it's not just runners who are experimenting with weed. Bodybuilders may hit a bong to prevent soreness and sleep better, while action sports athletes such as mountain bikers, skiers, and snowboarders may light up on the lift to get in the zone, loosen up, or release their inhibitions. Even some athletes participating in niche sports such as skeleton, bobsledding, and ice hockey toke up."

Last year, in my own article The Effect Of Weed On Exercise: Is Marijuana A Performance-Enhancing Drug?, I delved into whether THC, CBD, or other ingredients in marijuana actually enhance athletic performance on a molecular level. Then, just a few months ago, USA Today reported on the world's first "marijuana gym", describing a San Francisco gym called "Power Plant Fitness", where clients have the option to bring their own cannabis or order edibles, the gym’s preferred form of cannabis, while they are at the gym. A delivery service brings desired edibles to the gym within 15 minutes after clients place orders, and the gym has a designated space for those inhaling marijuana. The gym, which advertises itself as the world's first cannabis gym, touts using the drug for pain, focus and meditation.

With the growing popularity of the combination of cannabis and sport, I decided it was high time to get an industry leader on the podcast to take a deep dive into whether weed really helps with exercise performance, and the current state of marijuana in the sporting industry. So my guest on this podcast is Tim Moxey, owner of botanicaSEATTLE, Tim Moxey and botanicaSEATTLE maks some of the best tasting and, in my opinion, healthiest marijuana and hemp based edibles that exist. Take, for example, the label of one of my favorite products that they produce, a tiny Altoid sized product called "Moxeys Mints", which are infused with ginkgo leaf, siberian ginseng, indian gooseberry, echinacea root, chamomile, california poppy, cinnamon, peppermint, ginger and more. Born in the Pacific Northwest, Moxey's Mints are crafted in small batches to promote wellbeing in mind and body. Each pastille is formulated with herbal synergists tailored to elevate the cannabis experience. Moxey’s herbal allies can brighten your day with Siberian Ginseng and Gingko, lower stress and allow you to kick back with California Poppy and Camomile and restore and maintain balance in mind and body with Indian Gooseberry and Echinacea. So how did Tim come up with all these ideas that spawned an enormously successful edibles company? After studying Physics at Warwick Uni, Tim joined British investment bank Barclays de Zoete Wedd, with roles on the derivatives, risk and strategy teams before getting an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School in 2001. After a stint in the Australian division of strategic management consulting firm, Bain and Company, Tim left to build specialist triathlon wetsuit company ‘blueseventy’ into the leading brand in the sport. He then went on to found ‘nuun’, a pioneering hydration company which spawned a new category in sports nutrition. In 2012 Tim was living in the U.K. when he read an article in ‘The Economist’ about Washington State voting to legalize cannabis. It had a profound effect and he was convinced that the socioeconomic benefits from a legal framework far outweighed the prohibition model. He promptly relocated to the US to build a company that would set the standard in a regulated environment. Tim currently runs botanicaSEATTLE with co-founder Chris Abbott. botanicaSEATTLE (www.botanicaseattle.com) is now the leading edibles company in the most developed legal market in the world and is committed to creating innovative micro-dose products that focus on quality and responsibility. It has created and built a portfolio of brands such as “SPOT”, “Mr Moxey’s Mints”, “BOND”, “Journeyman” and “Proper Chocolates” in addition to smokable cannabis brand, “Vashon Velvet”.

During our discussion, you'll discover:

-Tim's experience at the Tough Guy obstacle course in the UK, one of the world's most difficult obstacle course races...[8:44]

-How Tim went from the triathlon industry running blueseventy and nuun into, of all things, cannabis...[14:15 & 20:00]

-The current perception of cannabis that athletes and exercise enthusiasts have...[28:10]

-Why pro athletes around the world still use weed pretty extensively, whether Tim thinks it gives any direct sports performance benefits, why Tim thinks cannabis is "banned" by organizations like USADA and WADA...[32:40]

-The ratio of CBD to THC that seems to give the best effects for athletes...[41:20]

-Which specific marijuana strains seem to be most beneficial for athletic performance...[47:15]

-The many frustrating hoops a cannabis company has to jump through to even stay in business...[49:40]

-The next big products in the industry when it comes to cannabis for athletes...[62:20]

-And much more...

Resources from this episode: -Botanica Seattle -The Effect Of Weed On Exercise: Is Marijuana A Performance-Enhancing Drug? -Psychopharmacology researcher Ethan Russo -Ben Greenfield's CBD blend at GetNatureBlend.com -My "Sleep Cake" recipe

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Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Tim or me? Leave your comments at BenGreenfieldFitness.com and one of us will reply!

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