More and more cannabis companies are beginning to see the value of sponsoring athletes. By promoting cannabis as part of a healthy and active lifestyle, it does more than give your brand association with health and fitness. It also helps to disprove the age-old stereotype that people who consume cannabis are lazy, which helps to change the perception of cannabis, and will lead to further legalization. Below I’ve collected five cannabis brands sponsoring athletes that aren’t in any particular order. Each one is a company I feel is supporting athletes and assisting in the overall positive cultural... Read More

Although there is much evidence suggesting you can lose weight with cannabis, it can also be used to gain weight. One of the most common fitness goals heard by personal trainers, besides losing weight, is gaining lean muscle mass. In order to build muscle, you need fuel, and some people find it more difficult than others to eat the needed amount of calories to gain and maintain muscle. Cannabis can help you gain weight by interacting with several areas of your body. THC affects both the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the brain. The CB1 receptor is responsible for the systematic function of several parts... Read More

When it comes to cannabis products there is a lot to discuss. Options and availability are growing across the world and the number of canna-curious and new users are increasing rapidly. With so many different products it can be overwhelming to understand which product may be best for you. For millions of years, people and animals have been equipped with their own endocannabinoid system that regulates countless functions for overall health and wellness within the body. We have been designed to receive essential cannabinoids for centuries. This is why supplying our bodies with the essential compounds... Read More

Despite being known for causing an increase in appetite, or “the munchies,” there is evidence suggesting you can lose weight with weed. A study in 2013 showed that obesity rates are much lower in cannabis consumers when compared to those who don’t consume cannabis. The study also concluded the results being present after they adjusted for age and sex. This isn’t a definitive conclusion, and more research needs to be conducted, but the results look promising. When we get into why weed can help you lose weight we need to look at a specific cannabinoid. The main cannabinoid being reported... Read More

Chances are you have a furry member of your family. All mammals have an ednocannabinoid system to help maintain balance within the body and optimize proper functions.  Your furry friend can provide perks to your overall health and wellness too. This is probably one of the reasons 68 percent of all households in 2017 within the United States own pets.  Playing with animals, especially puppies, has been shown to increase levels of serotonin and dopamine, which are the hormones that make you feel good. When the hormones are released, it helps reduce stress levels and can help improve memory and... Read More

I am a sponsored trail runner and personal trainer and I incorporate cannabis in my daily training routine.  Specifically, I consume either flower, concentrates or edibles before hitting the gym, trails or yoga sessions.  I also apply topicals to achy joints, such as my knees and shoulders and consume hemp foods throughout the day. Cannabis is a powerful anti inflammatory, and when consumed before a training session, allows me to focus mentally. This helps me maintain longer training sessions. My husband, Antonio DeRose, also uses cannabis as a part of his daily health and fitness routine. We’ve... Read More

The knee is one of the largest and most complex joints in the body and it endures stress on a daily basis. Our knees absorb force equal to 3.5 times our body weight just walking down stairs. For a person weighing 120lbs, that equates to 420 pounds of force! If you exercise, you probably put more stress on your knees, and this can have consequences such joint wear and tear, injury, or osteoarthritis. Overuse will slowly but surely lead to knee injuries. Opt for a range of activities and alternate workouts. If you run, for example, alternate with cycling or swimming to use different muscle groups. ... Read More

A recent article in the journal The Conversation, asked the question “Is walking enough exercise?”  Four out of five experts said yes. The one expert who said no, qualified his response by saying that walking is better than no exercise at all. He goes on to point out that, ideally, strength training and higher intensity exercise is ideal for good health. While strength training and higher intensity exercise along with moderate exercise is the ideal situation for many, the National Runners’ Health Study found that moderate-intensity walking and vigorous-intensity running resulted in similar... Read More

As a young adult, I taught multiple fitness classes and played recreational soccer.  At that time in my life that much physical activity was not only desired, it was a great way to expend my abundant energy.  As I’ve aged, I’ve noticed shifts in my physical activity levels and preferences. You may have noticed that, as you age, your interests have shifted as well. Changes in your activity level and interests are normal. As we age, there are some activities that become more difficult or risky.  For example, if you were a wrestler in your youth, you are not likely able to tolerate the physical... Read More

There is no perfect diet for everyone, in spite of what you might have heard.  It seems the human body can adapt to almost any diet and survive, even thrive!  Consider the diet of the Inuit, the people indigenous to polar locations such as Siberia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. Theirs is a mostly meat diet, and yet they are a hardy population who consume few to no vegetables in their diet. In the US, experts recommend a diet largely focused on healthy grains, fruits and vegetables.  Most Americans don’t get the recommended 5 servings per day, and even fewer eat the 5-9 servings that is considered... Read More

Dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins are neurotransmitters that regulate our happiness.  A neurotransmitter is a messenger of neurologic information from one cell to another.  Being in a positive mental state has significant impact on our motivation, productivity, and wellbeing. Did you know you can intentionally cause neurotransmitters to flow? Let’s take a look at each one and how you can activate them to make yourself happy. Dopamine motivates us to take action toward goals, desires, and needs, and gives a surge of reinforcing pleasure when achieving them. Procrastination, self-doubt,... Read More

The Rocky Mountains are one of the things I love most about Colorado! Hiking the breath taking landscapes with endless trails filled with wildlife and breathing the fresh mountain air is an amazing way to connect with nature and refresh yourself! There’s something about being in nature and consuming Cannabis that really elevates the experience. One of my favorite things to do is consume Cannabis and hit the trail! Hiking is also an amazing way to be active. It’s an excellent activity to improve health and fitness by increasing muscle strength, endurance, raising your heart rate, and relieving... Read More

Did you know that November is Epilepsy Awareness Month?  November was declared National Epilepsy Awareness Month in 2003 to help end the stigma surrounding the condition and to generate education and understanding for those living with epilepsy. People all around the country get involved and show support for epilepsy awareness to help promote change for those who are affected. I am one of approximately 3.4 million people in the U.S. living with epilepsy and 65 million people worldwide. Those affected by the condition are more than those affected by autism spectrum disorders, Parkinson’s... Read More

The Precision Medicine Initiative, a long-term research endeavor involving the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and multiple other research centers, aims to understand how a person’s genetics, environment, and lifestyle can help determine the best way to prevent or treat disease.  Last year, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) changed the initiative’s name to the warmer and fuzzier, All of Us, and began testing for a 2018 launch in hopes of achieving its goal of gaining anonymous health information from one million Americans. Fitbit is the first wearable device company to get the... Read More

It’s been an exciting year in the cannabis and athletics industry. If you pay attention to the headlines in cannabis industry news publications like Sensi Magazine, Merry Jane, The Cannabist, Dope Magazine, and several others you may have noticed a rise in cannabis athletic related topics. Even many mainstream publications like Vogue are covering the rising industry that is CannaFitness. On top of an increase in news publications surrounding my favorite subject, consuming cannabis as an athlete or for overall health and wellness, there has been a rise in apparel companies promoting cannabis... Read More

Every morning, the first thing I do after getting out of bed is make coffee. The ritual of making it begins my entire morning routine. I really enjoy dark roasts. I absolutely love the aroma of a freshly brewed dark roast coffee. I even enjoy the smell of walking through the coffee aisle at the grocery store! I like my coffee black, with no cream or sugar. I’ve come to savor the bitterness and usually will have two or even three cups in the morning. I typically consume cannabis early in the morning too, which is why I was excited when I first found out about CBD infused coffee. I was first... Read More

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the world premier of the documentary exploring marijuana’s use and evolution as a plant and industry, “The Legend of 420”. The film was produced and directed by Emmy and Academy Award-nominated, Peter Spirer, with Rugged Entertainment and XLRator Media. The premier in Denver, now the hub for hemp and marijuana movie premiers known as Hollyweed, was made possible by Amy Bourlon-Hilterbran, the founder and CEO of Millennium Grown Broadcast Network. Millennium Grown brought this premier to Denver, and contains online content about marijuana and hemp... Read More

Having recently made a personal commitment to achieve a better work life balance, I find myself feeling encouraged to talk about stress, mental health, and even share a bit about my own life’s stressors. Mental health is very important, and the stress of life’s bountiful challenges can take a toll on it very quickly. Gary Vaynerchuk is quoted as saying, “Everybody has shit”, and he’s right. We all have our own shit in our lives we have to deal with. It can often be easy to get caught up in it, to the point you may not consider other people are going through their own shit, so keep that... Read More

It’s long been known that improving your physical fitness is associated with living a longer life. Studies show that past age 65, your walking speed at your natural pace is a surprisingly reliable predictor of survival. The study looked at the natural gait speed of more than 34,000 participants age 65 and older from nine previous studies. These studies followed outcomes for 12 years or more, in which time almost half of the participants died. They found a consistent effect of how long people lived and whether they had a faster or slower gait speed. Those who walked naturally at 2.2 miles... Read More

Women and Wellness go hand in hand. Women are traditionally more attune with their overall health and wellness needs for themselves, as well as their loved ones. I recently had the pleasure of attending my first Ellementa monthly meeting in Denver, this past August. Ellementa is a women-owned national startup building network, and resource for women interested in learning about cannabis wellness. They meet monthly in their locations to discuss health, wellness, and cannabis, with the goal of reaching and educating women. The group aims to release the stigma surrounding the plant, and hopes to empower... Read More