According to a paper published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, marijuana may encourage people to want to exercise.
The paper’s findings, citing research done at CU Boulder, have revealed that in states where marijuana is legal recreationally, people use it before or shortly after exercise.
Many of the people the paper mentioned have said they think the drug helps motivate them to exercise and improves their recovery.
“Our results suggest that prior findings of cannabis users being more likely to meet official exercise recommendations may be at least partly associated with perceived impacts of cannabis co-use on enjoyment, reductions in pain and inflammation during and after exercise, and to a lesser extent motivation,” the study reads.
“Furthermore, participants who use cannabis before and/or after exercise reported that they exercised more, and had positive attitudes about co-use on exercise, which implies cannabis may be a useful tool for exercise among some users. In other words, sedentary cannabis users, particularly those who attribute low physical activity to concerns about recovery, motivation, or enjoyment, may benefit from co-use, provided that they select low-risk exercise options that do not compromise safety during intoxication.”
“These data suggest that many cannabis users in states with legal cannabis access use in conjunction with exercise, and that most who do so believe it increases enjoyment of, recovery from, and to some extent the motivation to engage in exercise. As these factors positively correlate with exercise behavior, using cannabis with exercise may play a beneficial role in the health of cannabis users.”
“Recommendations around cannabis use with exercise are premature until aforementioned research questions have been addressed, including independent verification of self-reported behaviors and negative consequences of co-use.”