Data says cannabis users are not lazy

The stereotype that stoners are homebodies, eat chips and watch hours of television was once what everyone thought of people who use marijuana. However, as the medicinal benefits of cannabis become more widespread and more people begin using the drug, the face of the consumer has changed.

Further studies show that cannabis users are actually more likely to exercise more than people who don’t. The latest study, published in the journal Preventive Medicine, was conducted by researchers at the Brookings Institution along with the University of Miami. For the study, they analyzed the relationship between exercise frequency and cannabis consumption within the last 30 days to determine whether they had increased physical activity.

“Marijuana users exercise as much or more than non-users,” the authors write. They add that “the popular assumption that marijuana users are largely sedentary is not supported by these data on young and middle-aged adults.”

“As more states legalize the medical and recreational use of marijuana, its effects on physical activity, a key social determinant of health, may not necessarily be a priority concern.”

Older studies support these claims

In 2019, an article published in Frontiers in Public Health found that in states where cannabis is legal for recreational purposes, people use it either before or after exercise. Many of the participants also added that they believe cannabis helps them motivate themselves to exercise, allowing them to enjoy exercise more while supporting their recovery.

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This makes them feel motivated to exercise more often because cannabis consumption helps them recover from post-workout pain more efficiently. “Our results suggest that previous findings that cannabis users are more likely to follow official exercise recommendations may be related, at least in part, to the perceived effects of concurrent cannabis use on enjoyment, reduction of pain and inflammation during and after exercise, and to a lesser extent “Motivation,” says the study.

“In addition, participants who used cannabis before and/or after exercise reported exercising more and having a positive attitude towards co-use during exercise, suggesting that cannabis may be a useful tool for exercise for 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 they choose low-risk exercise options that do not compromise safety during intoxication.”

This is one of the few remaining significant studies that shows promising results that cannabis may actually have an impact on how we associate exercise.

RELATED: Study Shows How Marijuana Can Motivate You to Exercise

“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 that it provides enjoyment of exercise, recovery from it, and to some extent motivation “As these factors correlate positively with exercise behavior, cannabis consumption along with exercise can play a positive role in the health of cannabis users,” the study says.

“There is a stereotype that cannabis use causes people to be lazy, couch-bound, and not physically active, but this data suggests that is not the case,” writes Angela Bryan, lead author of the study, who is also a professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Institute of Cognitive Science.

The result: fitter, healthier cannabis users

When people are more motivated to exercise regularly because of their cannabis use, people will naturally be healthier and fitter than their non-user counterparts.

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A study from the University of Colorado Boulder analyzed it and the results were interesting. However, they limited their study to older Americans because “adults over 50 are the fastest-growing group of cannabis users in the United States, and those over 65 are seeing the largest increase in cannabis use,” the researchers say.

RELATED: Consuming Cannabis Before a Workout Can Help

“The body mass index (BMI) of cannabis users was significantly lower than that of non-users,” the study says. “These preliminary data suggest that current cannabis use status is not associated with negative effects on fitness and exercise efforts among sedentary older adults.”

In other words, they found that cannabis had no negative effects on training, but also that regular cannabis users consistently outperformed their non-using counterparts.

“Interestingly, numerous studies have found that overweight/obesity rates are significantly lower among cannabis users compared to non-users,” the study states. “For example, Hayatbakhsh et. Al found that young adults who reported using cannabis daily were about a third more likely to be overweight/obese by age 21 than young adults who had never used cannabis.”

“Research on the connection between cannabis and exercise, although limited, suggests a positive association. A survey of adults ages 20 to 59 found that current cannabis users were significantly more likely to adhere to minimal physical activity recommendations than previous users and non-users,” the researchers wrote.

While the study authors were unable to provide an explanation for why cannabis users are fitter than those who do not use, they suggest that “cannabis users report that cannabis use increases their enjoyment of exercise and their recovery from exercise. The users in our study Sample may have found their prescribed training program, as well as training outside of it, more enjoyable and manageable.”

Bottom line

People who smoke may tell you that working out is a lot more fun when high, but there are probably a lot of chemical interactions at work beneath the surface. For example, running is said to induce a “runner’s high,” which is described as the euphoric feeling we enjoy when people reach a certain level during their workout. This is because we release chemicals called endorphins.

A 2003 study found that the physical euphoria we feel may actually come from the endocannabinoid system, as researchers found higher levels of anandamide in the blood of participants who ran during laboratory experiments. For this reason, cannabis could potentially make it easier for us to live out those great feelings.

So why not incorporate more cannabis into your fitness routine? Keep going, it will be good for your body.