how cbd impacts recovery
CBD is a relatively new compound in the health & wellness space. As with any new supplement on the market, the claims can get out of hand and some bad actors in the space can do near-irreparable damage to the reputation of a promising intervention.
That’s why my co-founder and I started VRB – to bring clean, effective, and simple CBD-based solutions for stress, sleep, and pain to the market. After years in elite military warfare specialties following Division 1 sports careers at the service academies, we suffered from pain, stress, and issues with sleep. When we went about trying CBD for ourselves we found the space packed with questionable actors, poor ingredients, opaque manufacturing practices and more.
Bottom line: we didn’t know who to trust, what products to choose, and how to go about making the right purchase for the issues that were diminishing our quality of life.
One of the key drivers to that trend was a reduced ability to recover from the activities that used to be second nature. As we grew older we found ourselves often crushed by activities that, only a few years ago, we’d formerly had no issue with. Bouncing back was painful and kept us from living optimally. This is, obviously, unacceptable!
After discovering, researching, experimenting, and working with CBD, we became converts. Our goal with VRB was to save other driven doers from needing to learn the ins and outs of this compound to benefit from it. With simplicity in mind, we’re going to cover the basics of what you need to know regarding CBD and Recovery here.
Why - Why do we need CBD for recovery?
Putting your body through stress - whether deliberately in the case of a hard workout or reactively running from a grizzly bear in the wild -tends to leave us sore. That’s natural. When you exceed your body’s capacity you often experience create microscopic tears and other damage to muscle fibers. These damaged fibers become inflamed thus signaling your system that the affected area needs repair. We experience this inflammation most often as muscle soreness and stiffness.
Some soreness and stiffness is to be expected and comes with the territory. However, it’s when inflammation goes beyond slightly uncomfortable to relatively extreme that it can slow recovery, limit gains, and cause downstream injury. In these cases, CBD is your friend.
How – How does CBD work relative to recovery?
The human body initiates the inflammatory response by leveraging various signaling molecules. One such class of molecules are known as cytokines. The effects of cytokines, a pro-inflammatory signaler, appear to be blunted by CBD which thereby reduces the body’s inflammatory response.
Additionally, CBD appears to further diminish the effects of inflammation by addressing eicosanoid molecules such as COX-2. These molecules are similarly targeted by less natural solutions such as Aspirin.
It is important to note that, though several studies point to CBD being an effective anti-inflammatory, more research is required to determine the precise mechanisms of action.
What & When – What CBD products should I take and when should I take them for recovery?
When we got out of the military and were just getting started at graduate school – this was the million-dollar question. What were the right products to address our specific concerns and how do we take them?!
When we couldn’t get a straight answer we linked up with a team of scientists and practitioners to R&D our way to targeted, tactical solutions that answered the mail - simply, naturally, and effectively. We are very proud to recommend our flagship product targeting inflammation – the aptly named Recover.
Recover, a topical blend, provides effective, rapid & targeted pain relief for those like us who can’t afford to be out of the fight. Our carefully developed formula of CBD, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Arnica and Boswellia penetrates the skin deep into the soft tissues to reduce pain and inflammation at the source. Built for use on both big and small muscle areas.
Convenient to carry in your gym bag and easy to apply with a no-mess, roll-on applicator, VRB Relief will keep you moving.
In addition to the pain-specific Recover product, you might also consider the VRB Work and Rest blends if you’re struggling with inflammation. Work is our daytime blend targeting focus and stress while Rest is our nighttime blend for restful and restorative sleep.
Prolonged stress and poor sleep are prime factors contributing to chronic inflammation – address these issues at the source and you’ll be well on your way to getting your inflammation under control.