Feel like you’ve tried everything to shed extra pounds and increase your fitness? It might be time to try CBD.
Keep reading to discover how CBD can assist in your weight loss journey! Reading Time – 8 min
Maybe it’s because it’s January that everyone is focused on weight loss. Perhaps many of us were just less active during 2020 and now we’re taking active steps to remedy that. Whatever the cause, weight loss and fitness seem to be on everyone’s mind.
However, it’s important to avoid letting these goals become toxic. Diets and fitness routines that are too restrictive can actually be damaging to your physical and mental wellness. If these goals take all the fun out of food and exercise, then they won’t be sustainable. If you’ve tried and failed to lose weight and increase your fitness, you probably already know what we’re talking about.
That’s why we’re advocates for small, simple steps you can integrate into your everyday routine that promote a healthier lifestyle. Sometimes that just means drinking more water, eating an extra helping of vegetables, or taking an evening walk. However, when it comes to shedding extra pounds and increasing your fitness, our favorite (and the easiest) step is adding CBD Oil to your routine. Keep reading to discover how CBD can assist in your weight loss journey!
Disclaimer: We want to take a moment and remind everyone that while CBD is considered a safe and mild supplement, you should always talk with your doctor before adding CBD to your regimen.
What is CBD?
CBD (cannabidiol) is a plant-based compound that interacts with your body to help promote homeostasis (balance). It’s non-psychoactive, so it won’t get you high, and its effects are usually mild and take effect slowly over time. That’s the simplest version.
Here’s the more complex version. CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, and because it’s so chemically similar to certain compounds that already exist in our bodies, our ECS (endocannabinoid system) can use them to accomplish its many tasks. What might those tasks be? It depends on your body and what might be out of balance.
Is your sleep cycle messed up from one too many all-nighters? Your ECS can help bring your circadian rhythm back into balance. Is anxiety making it hard to run simple errands? The ECS can bring balance to your fight-or-flight response which will help reduce anxiety. This particular system is surprisingly complex and we’re still finding out all the different ways that it helps promote health and wellness. What we do know, however, is that the chemical similarities between CBD and our naturally occurring endocannabinoids are what make it possible for CBD to interact with the ECS.
How Can CBD Oil Assist in Your Weight Loss Journey?
In several ways!
Before we jump in, however, we want to be clear about something. CBD is not a miracle weight loss supplement. Using CBD while continuing behaviors that lead to poor health means your weight and fitness probably won’t change that much. What CBD does do, however, is make it easier for you to change the habits that are holding you back. That’s how CBD can promote weight loss.
While there are certain metabolic conditions that predispose certain individuals to obesity, our weight and fitness levels are usually a result of our lifestyles. That’s why short-term diets and fitness routines don’t work. Once you return to your old eating and exercise habits, you’ll revert back to the weight and fitness level that you had beforehand.
So, when reading about the different ways that CBD Oil can assist in your weight loss journey, remember that CBD will assist you–it won’t do all the work. However, if you’re looking for a tool to help you make necessary changes to improve your health and wellness, you should definitely consider trying CBD!
CBD May Promote the Browning of Fat Cells for Improved Fat Burning, Heart Health, and Reduced Appetite
People tend to have a negative view of fat. However, your body actually needs fat for energy and protection. It’s when there’s too much fat that problems pop up.
Good fat (also known as brown fat) generates heat and burns calories when it’s cold or when we’re exercising. This process is called thermogenesis. Bad fat (also known as white fat) stores energy and protects us, but too much can lead to a wide variety of health problems–heart disease, diabetes, metabolic disorders, etc.
Colder temperatures and exercise can help change white fat into brown fat, but for many people, this can be difficult. Luckily, several studies indicate that CBD may promote the change of white fat into brown fat.
The International Journal of Molecular Sciences even said, “Cannabinoid receptors (CB) regulate thermogenesis, food intake and inflammation. CB1 ablation or inhibition helps reducing body weight and food intake. Stimulation of CB2 limits inflammation and promotes anti-obesity effects by reducing food intake and weight gain. Its genetic ablation results in adiposity development. CB receptors are also responsible for transforming white adipose tissue towards beige or brown adipocytes, therefore their modulation can be considered potential anti-obesity target.”
If you don’t have a science degree, it basically means that when certain receptors in your ECS are stimulated, it…
- Reduces appetite
- Promotes the browning of white fat
- Balances thermogenesis (calorie burning)
Other studies also indicate that CBD has the potential to boost metabolism while reducing appetite. That means that CBD may help you burn more calories AND eat less. What’s really important, however, is that all these items contribute to lower LDL cholesterol (the bad kind of cholesterol) and better heart health. Yes, please!
CBD May Help Increase Your Physical Activity By Reducing Pain and Inflammation
Just because CBD is helping to reduce appetite and boost heart health, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still exercise. It’s quite possible that the previous items will naturally make you want to be more active. For those who deal with chronic pain and/or inflammation, however, physical activity can still be difficult.
It should come as no surprise that since pain can make physical activity more difficult, there’s a connection between chronic pain and obesity. The Journal of Pain Research even says that, “The literature suggests that the two conditions are significant comorbidities, adversely impacting each other. The nature of the relationship however is not likely to be direct, but many interacting factors appear to contribute.” So, whether your weight is leading to pain or if your pain led to weight gain, the conditions tend to make each other worse.
Luckily, many have already found relief for their chronic pain and/or chronic inflammation with CBD. Not only are there studies indicating CBD may balance the neurotransmitters responsible for communicating pain signals, but CBD also helps reduce painful inflammation.
Inflammation is a natural immune response to injury or illness. For several reasons, however, someone may have an overactive inflammatory response that leads to painful joints, muscles, etc. The reason CBD is so helpful at reducing inflammation is because the ECS has a big impact on the immune system. That means using CBD may directly reduce pain signals while also reducing painful inflammation.
For anyone who struggles to be active because of pain and/or inflammation, this is great news! It’s one of the many reasons why some athletes are ditching ibuprofen for CBD.
CBD Helps Promote Fitness Recovery by Improving Quality of Sleep
Speaking of physical activity, one of the most important, and underrated, parts of fitness is recovery. You could have the healthiest diet and the most rigorous fitness routine, but if your body isn’t getting the rest it needs, you won’t see results.
While sleep may feel like wasted time, our bodies are actually hard at work. Our brains use that time to tackle housekeeping items, any muscles you’ve worked out use that time to heal and strengthen, and several hormones are dependent on your sleep cycle to remain balanced. Don’t believe us?
Individuals who don’t get enough sleep tend to weigh more, eat more calories, have slower athletic reaction times, are more prone to Type 2 Diabetes, and more. So yeah, not getting quality sleep can have a big impact on your health and wellness goals. CBD, however, can do several things to help promote quality sleep.
Our circadian rhythm is the natural cycle where our bodies move through periods of sleep and wakefulness. For a variety of reasons, that cycle can become unbalanced which makes maintaining a regular sleep schedule very difficult. When you use CBD a few hours before bed, however, it prompts your ECS to regulate that cycle through a series of complex cell signaling. This helps your brain and body remember when it’s time to be awake and to be asleep.
If stress and anxiety are causing sleep disturbances, CBD can help there too. CBD is popular among individuals looking for help with both chronic and acute anxiety. CBD is an anxiolytic which means it helps reduce anxiety through several different mechanisms. One of the ways it does that is through boosting GABA levels.
GABA is a neurotransmitter that helps us slow down, feel calm, and inhibit neural activity. If you’ve ever experienced racing thoughts, you know exactly what we mean. When GABA levels get too low, the ECS jumps into action and helps boost those levels. By supplementing with CBD, you’re giving your ECS more tools with which to accomplish that task.
Start Your Weight Loss Journey with Confidence
Whether you’re trying to make big changes or just trying to adjust a few behaviors, CBD can be a helpful tool. The other great thing about CBD is that you can use a variety of products that perfectly fit your lifestyle. Is joint pain keeping you from attempting high-impact sports? Try a combination of CBD Oil and Gel for maximum relief. Are you on the go and need something convenient? CBD Gummies might be exactly what you’re looking for. Adding CBD to your routine can greatly enhance your weight loss journey.
If you have any questions about our products, how to use them, or about CBD in general, don’t hesitate to contact us. We want you to start your weight loss journey with confidence, and that means using the right CBD products and understanding how to use them properly.