At 1906, we’ve long challenged the stoner couch potato stereotype. Research, our consumers’ feedback, and our personal experiences bolster our belief that cannabis can not only be an important part of a healthy lifestyle, it may even help people to exercise more.
A new study in the journal of Psychoneuroendocrinology, heralded by a wide range of media outlets including the New York Times, has revealed more science behind the equation that cannabis plus exercise equals better results.
Researchers examined the commonly held belief that its the release of the opioid-like human endorphins that creates the runner’s high, which makes pounding the pavement so much more palatable. But after research in mice found that exercise in fact releases endocannabinoids (the body’s naturally grown cannabis-like molecules) as well as opioids, this study examined the influence of those cannabis-like molecules.
What they found was remarkable. This double-blind study of men and women running on treadmills revealed that it’s the cannabinoids that are most likely responsible for the exercise buzz – not the endorphins. The runner’s high is literally a high!
This work builds off of research done in 2019 at the University of Colorado at Boulder that found that many cannabis users exercised more per week than non-users.
That cannabinoid high helps people like exercising! About 70 percent of those who used cannabis around their workout said that they enjoyed their workouts more, and nearly 80 percent said it helped with recovery. A majority said cannabis increased their motivation for physical activity.
“There is a stereotype that cannabis use leads people to be lazy and couch-locked and not physically active, but these data suggest that this is not the case,” said senior author Angela Bryan, a professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Institute for Cognitive Science.
She and her colleagues asked 600 adult marijuana users in California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, if they regularly used cannabis within one hour before or four hours after exercise.
Eighty-two percent said yes and of that group, 67 percent said they used both before and after. Additionally, those users got significantly more exercise per week than those who didn’t.
“As we get older, exercise starts to hurt, and that is one reason older adults don’t exercise as much,” Bryan said. “If cannabis could ease pain and inflammation, helping older adults to be more active that could be another benefit.”
TRY 1906 GO
We’ve received years of positive feedback for using 1906 Gofor exercise (quick sidebar: because Go contains a substantial amount of the world’s most popular psychoactive drug, caffeine, use it carefully. Each bean contains about half a cup of coffee’s worth of caffeine and too much may make you feel very sick).
To get you Go-ing, we’ve collaborated this month with the founder of PDXstrength for an ultra-motivating Go-inspired playlist for all your Go-fueled workouts. Give it a listen and let us know what you think!
Back in 2017, in an article for Mic, a writer gave 1906 Go a try to see if it could improve his run. “At 5 miles, I still felt great, and at 5.5 miles, feeling both euphoric and invincible, I wondered if I was experiencing that fabled ‘runner’s high’ for the very first time. I wound up running more than 6 miles total; no big deal for a seasoned marathoner, but farther than I’d ever run myself. My running app confirmed the small personal record. And despite the well-known ‘munchies’ effect of marijuana, I decided to skip my secret post-run indulgence—a pepperoni slice and a beer at a downtown pizza bar. There was no question about it: ‘Go’ kept me going.”
This echoes reports we’ve received from other many users. 1906 Go offers more than carefully calibrated doses of cannabis and caffeine, which combats drowsiness, amps up athletic performance, fortifies muscular strength, and prolongs endurance.
Crucially, 1906 Go balances caffeine with L-theanine (derived from green tea) to mitigate the jitters and build a clean-burning and stable energy surge.
We then add Alpinia galanga (galangal), used for millennia to provide effective stimulation with no crash, and theobromineto increase blood flow to the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
Scientists are now confirming that galangal, a relative of ginger, provides a jolt of energy that lasts for up to five hours, and stimulates dopamine and blood flow, which enhance alertness, sharpens attention, and even impedes the caffeine crash.
Theobromine is a natural stimulant found in tea leaves, kola nuts, and – perhaps most significantly – the fruit of the cacao tree, which also gives us chocolate, brewed for energy and arousal. Theobromine is a key ingredient in dark chocolate and is believed to be one of the compounds that contributes to chocolate’s health effects.
Taken together in Go, these natural remedies increase blood flow to the brain and body resulting in enhanced mental and physical energy and stamina.
Last year in Esquire, Dave Holmes reported on his running on Go experience: “I took one chocolate-covered Go energy drop before a nice long run around my neighborhood recently, and I’ll be damned if the new Dua Lipa didn’t sound better than ever.”
We question if it’s even possible to improve upon Dua Lipa’s mind-blowing performance at the 2021 Grammy Awards, but we encourage you to get Go-ing and try it!
Find Go in Colorado, Illinois, Massachusette and Oklahoma here.