In order to stay on top of your game as an athlete, you need to make sure that you have a healthy body. One thing that is often forgotten is that you need to have a healthy mind, as well.

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There are a lot of things that can get in the way of you meeting your athletic potential, such as injury, pain, stress, or anxiety. Each of these problems is likely to arise in the life of any athlete, no matter how great they truly are. Because of the strenuous hours of required training, many athletes can become exhausted, struggle to recover from injuries or be generally anxious about how they’re going to perform. The good news is that CBD can help you with all of these problems.

The 7 Best CBD Oils for Athletes

Green Roads

Arby Barroso and pharmacist Laura Fuentes founded a CBD company in 2012, with the goal of providing top-of-the-line CBD products to the public. Arby Barroso is the current Chair of the Medical Marijuana Advisory Board in Broward County in Florida.

These two have worked diligently along with all of their employees and partners to build a reputable and respected company. Their company, Green Roads, has been featured in CBS 4 Miami, Cosmopolitan magazine and in Inc. Magazine, among print and web publications. Additionally, Green Roads has won the Best CBD Product award at the annual Cannabis Business Awards in 2018, with co-founder Arby Barroso also winning the Advocate of the Year award at the same ceremony.

Each of Green Roads’ products undergoes rigorous and stringent multi-stage testing which is performed at a third-party laboratory and which ensures the safety, purity, and efficacy of each of the CBD products that Green Roads manufactures. The findings of the test results that are performed by the third-party laboratories are included on every package and are linked with a QR code for convenience.

The accessibility and transparency of these findings are due to Green Roads’ absolute confidence in the quality of their CBD products, each of which are manufactured with CBD that is expertly extracted from the best possible industrial hemp available. Green Roads products are not only available for purchase online, but are also sold in more than 10,000 locations around the United States.

The product from Green Roads that we highly recommend for athletes is their CBD Coffee. This CBD-infused coffee contains 16.5mg of CBD per tablespoon. Each of their eight-ounce bags of gourmet blended coffee grounds contains 250mg of CBD and is made with a proprietary crafting process, using aromatic and flavorful Colombian beans.

A hot cup of bold coffee containing a healthy dose of pharmaceutical-grade cannabidiol is exactly the thing to perk you up in the morning and get you ready to take on your day, regardless of what the day ahead of you has in store. The CBD in each cup of coffee will help to ensure that your Endocannabinoid System is in balance, which has many beneficial effects. When your Endocannabinoid System is out of whack, you’re more likely to feel groggy, nervous, stressed out, moody, or even make you restless.

Because caffeine and CBD both help you feel sharper mentally and physically peaked–and because coffee is something that 64% of Americans drink regularly–Green Roads’ CBD Coffee is something that we feel should not be missing from your kitchen.

Product Types: tinctures, syrups, cream, capsules, edibles, beverages
Our Recommended Product for Athletes: CBD Coffee

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Fab CBD

Josh founded Fab CBD to help educate and promote a lifestyle of preventative healthcare. Josh wanted to start Fab CBD in order to help their mother and grandmother to stop needing to rely on over-the-counter medications. Because Fab CBD’s creation comes from a place of love and caring, those same feelings were put into creating a variety of CBD products that are designed for both mental and physical health. The team behind Fab CBD’s high-quality CBD-rich products has a combined 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, health, fitness and the dietary supplement market place, which ensures that there is a lot of know-how and care put into the development and manufacturing of each of the company’s numerous CBD-based products.

These CBD products–such as oils and gummies–use CBD that is carefully extracted with a CO² extraction process from the best possible organic industrial hemp, which is grown in Colorado. Because of the company’s commitment to extract the CBD for their products in the best possible manner, each of the items that they sell is CBD-rich and Phytocannabinoid-rich. Each of Fab CBD’s products goes through a rigorous series of third-party testing, for the quality and the safety of the product’s cannabinoids and terpenes in addition to a thorough chemical analysis of the product.

The CBD Muscle & Joint Topical that Fab CBD sells is the product that we would most highly recommend to athletes. This topical rub is an Extra-Strength formula and contains 600 milligrams of CBD. The soothing cream has a distinct and pleasing scent of blood orange, while also containing cinnamon extract and chamomile. These ingredients work together with the CBD oils to provide you with superior relief from muscle soreness and pain. Cinnamon offers pain relief, and chamomile has been used since ancient times for its anti-inflammatory properties. Even the blood orange, which provides the product with its nice scent, helps to reduce muscle soreness. This topical cream is additionally made with cocoa butter and coconut oil, for skin health.

Product Types: oils, topical creams, gummies
Our Recommended Product for Athletes: CBD Muscle & Joint Topical

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cbdMD

CBDmd’s commitment to providing their customers with the highest-quality sourced industrial hemp products is clear when you take a look at their manufacturing process. CBDmd uses Broad-Spectrum Extraction, which is one of the most expensive extraction methods available.

They choose to use this extraction method, despite the costs, because it is the best way to ensure that all of the best and most beneficial compounds found in hemp are preserved.

Due to this, desirable compounds such as Cannabigerol (CBG), Cannabinol (CBN), Cannabichromevarin (CBCV), terpenoids, various amino acids, and essential hemp oils are found in higher concentrations in the industrial hemp extracts that CBDmd uses.

CBDmd does not stop there, though. This CBD company takes the view that using the highest-quality CBD products possible in their manufacturing process is pointless unless the manufacturing process is equally of the highest quality possible. The industrial hemp that is used to manufacture their many CBD products is harvest with the best possible agricultural equipment on the market where, after being harvested, it is used in the company’s pharmaceutical-grade laboratory to finish the manufacturing process. CBDmd employs a third-party to rigorously test their products, to help ensure that each batch is up to CBDmd’s and their customer’s high standards.

For those out there that are looking for a CBD product that is not only of the highest quality but also is very cost-effective for what you’re receiving in return, we highly recommend CBDmd’s CBD Freeze Pain Relief. This three-ounce roll-on CBD topical pain reliever contains 1,500 milligrams of USA grade-A premium Cannabidiol per serving, Broad-Spectrum extract Phytocannabinoids (such as CBG, CBN, and CBC-A), terpenes, a variety of beneficial amino acids and the hemp’s natural essential oils. The same product is also available in a squeeze tube for those of you that want to apply the product a little more liberally.

Product Types: tinctures, capsules, gummies, topicals, bath bombs, pet care, vape oils
Our Recommended Product for Athletes: CBDmd Freeze Pain Relief

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Plant People

Plant People was created after founders Gabe Kennedy and Hudson Gaines-Ross discovered while out on a hike that both had undergone surgical treatment for spine injuries in their past. The two connected with each other over how traditional pharmaceuticals left them both feeling unwell and suffering from bouts of irritability. Due to this, they both turned to a more wholesome and spiritual wellness-based alternative; CBD.

The two founders decided to partner up and create a company that would serve as a vessel to spread their philosophy of healing both the body and the mind in a more caring and natural way.

Plant People have since partnered with the not-for-profit green organization American Forests, in order to help ensure the sustainability of their sourced industrial hemp in addition to the preservation of the earth’s natural resources as a whole. Plant People uses ethically sourced industrial hemp extracts that are grown in Colorado and are 100% guaranteed organic.

Each of the company’s many CBD-rich products come with a Certificate of Analysis, which shows exactly how committed the company is in providing a quality and dependable product that their customers can depend on and that founders Gabe Kennedy and Hudson Gaines-Ross can take absolute pride in.

Stay Sharp CBD Capsules would be the product from Plant People that we would most recommend to anyone that is in need of a mental or physical boost while trying to achieve a certain level of physical health. These capsules utilize a blend of high-performance hemp-rich CBD that is extracted with care from the organic industrial hemp that the company sources. The CBD extract is mixed with clinical-strength adaptogenic herbs and nootropics, in order to further boost the mind boosting qualities of the CBD.

This blend of adaptogenic herbs, nootropics, and CBD provide the user with support for a healthy cognitive function, a boost to memory and focus, and with an increase to the user’s overall mental and physical wellbeing.

Product Types: drops, capsules, balms
Our Recommended Product for Athletes: Stay Sharp CBD Capsules

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Athlete’s Best

Athlete’s Best was founded by Kris Vigue who suffered from a career-ending baseball injury in 2002. This injury helped to motivate him to start a company with the intent of helping both athletes and non-athletes alike in achieving a healthier life through the use of high-quality CBD products that utilize premier organically grown industrial hemp-extracted cannabinoids.

Kris Vigue is helped out by Dr. Jim Vigue, who holds a Master’s Degree in Leadership, a Master’s of Business Administration degree in Marketing and Non-Profit Management and a Ph.D. in Holistic Health. Dr. Jim Vigue is additionally an award-winning author, is Board Certified in the area of Alternative Medicine, is a Holistic Health Coach and was nominated the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) Coach of the Year award, which he won.

Due to Kris Vigue’s commendable goal of providing everyone with healthy and high-quality CBD-rich products and Dr. Jim Vigue’s impressive expertise in relevant fields, Athlete’s Best consistently provides their customers’ with a wide range of different CBD products that are designed and formulated to provide a multitude of beneficial effects on the mind, the body and for emotional health. With CBD products available in a variety of forms such as tinctures, soft gel capsules, and topical balms, Athlete’s Best is more than capable of supplementing and boosting an athlete’s health regimen.

For the product that we most highly recommend through Athlete’s Best, it has to be their CBD Softgels with Curcumin. These softgels contain a prized proprietary and water-soluble phytocannabinoid-rich industrial hemp oil in a microemulsion form which provides the user with a guaranteed 25mg of CBD per dose. The hemp oil particles that are found in this soft gel capsule are approximately 25 nanometers in size, which is nearly 200x smaller than the particles that are found in some other CBD manufacturers’ products.

The smaller size of the hemp oil particles ensures that they provide the user with faster and more efficient absorption. Additionally, these soft gel capsules contain a dose of curcumin; a strong antioxidant with impressive anti-inflammatory properties, which works together with the CBD and other Phytocannabinoids in the soft gel to provide relief and faster healing times post-workout or for Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).

Product Types: tinctures, softgels, balms, pet care
Our Recommended Product for Athletes: CBD Softgels with Curcumin

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Vertly

Vertly was founded by the husband-and-wife duo, Claudia and Zander. Co-founder Zander’s family has been heavily involved in the cannabis industry for more than a decade and is familiar with all aspects of it, from farming it to manufacturing it. Because of being exposed to the topic of cannabis and its many beneficial properties for so long, Zander is very knowledgeable about many areas dealing with cannabis and industrial hemp.

His wife and co-founder, Claudia, had a strong interest in herbalism and started to hand-blend various skincare products using industrial hemp-extracted CBD and fresh plants with healing properties that were grown in the duo’s personal home garden. Claudia’s interest in creating healing balms and Zander’s background in cannabis and hemp production and manufacturing came together to give birth to Vertly.

Vertly uses organically-grown industrial hemp which goes through a Broad-Spectrum Extraction process and which is rigorously tested for both quality and for safety. This CBD company offers to their many customers a wide-variety of skincare-based CBD products, which are both luxurious and healthy. Among their offered product lines are CBD-rich bath salts, lip balms, lotions, and scented body sprays. Each of these products contains many beneficial Phytocannabinoids which are naturally present in industrial hemp, along with natural hemp oils and amino acids. These compounds can give skin a healthy, younger-looking glow due to the anti-inflammatory properties and the revitalizing properties that they hold.

Vertly’s Hemp CBD-Infused Bath Salts come with a very high recommendation from us for anyone seeking to add a natural and healthy product to their daily health regimen. This bath salt mixture contains 50 MG of Full-Spectrum industrial hemp-extracted cannabinoids, calming and soothing botanical extracts (such as marjoram, yarrow, and rosemary), Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) and Magnesium.

MSM is a natural form of sulfur, which acts as an excellent detoxifier. Additionally, Magnesium helps to relax muscles, and it inhibits the overproduction of sebum, which helps the skin to look and feel smoother and healthier. Due to the 50 milligrams of CBD per recommended dose, the inclusion of the various natural botanical extracts and the presence of Magnesium, Vertly’s Hemp CBD-Infused Bath Salts work just as hard to relax and help heal your muscles as you do in trying to build and tone your muscles. The healing and relaxing properties provided by this bath salt are, in our opinion, a very key–and oft-overlooked–necessity to any athlete’s day-to-day life.

Product Types: bath salts, lip balm, lotion
Our Recommended Product for Athletes: Hemp CBD Infused Bath Salts

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Oleo

Oleo’s founder was an advocate of the multitude of beneficial properties that industrial hemp-extracted CBD can provide and of the wholesome aspect of using a natural remedy instead of relying solely on more traditional pharmaceuticals, but could never get past the fact that some of the CBD products on the market that they tried had an aftertaste that they did not enjoy, or was inconvenient on-the-go. Because of this, Oleo was founded in 2015 in Seattle, Washington, with the goal of providing people with a tasteless alternative to some of the products that were on the market at the time.

Oleo manufactures a proprietary flavorless powder that is extracted from industrial hemp, and that mixes quickly in cold water while still being highly bioaccessible. This powder is called OleoCBD and is the foundation on which Oleo as a company was built. OleoCBD™ is made out of ethically-sourced and organically-grown industrial hemp extracts that come from Colorado and, because of the proprietary manufacturing process, OleoCBD™ is touted as being 2x more bioaccessible than typical CBD products that are on the market.

This bioaccessibility ensures the efficacy of the CBD-extracts that are used. This proprietary CBD powder is manufactured into tasty drink mixes that make taking daily doses of CBD more palatable for those that feel that other CBD products might not be quite so tasty.

The ability to take your daily CBD mixed in just 12 ounces of cold water, turning it into a hydrating and flavorful drink–which provides a lot of convenience–is why we have chosen Oleo’s Coconut CBD Mix for this ranking. Their Coconut CBD Mix contains 25mg of OleoCBD™ per serving and contains natural coconut, turning your plain and boring water into coconut water.

Coconut has great hydrating properties due to being chock-full of important electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals that your body needs for normal function and that are lost at a faster rate when sweating. This CBD drink mix contains ten servings, for up to 120 fluid ounces of water, which makes this product very cost-effective when compared to similar hydration products, which don’t even provide you with the benefits of containing CBD extracts.

Product Types: drink mixes
Our Recommended Product for Athletes: Coconut CBD Mix

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CBD for Athletes: Everything You Need to Know

Any time that you consider introducing a new supplement into your regiment, you need to do a lot of research. You know that you need to keep a close eye on what you’re putting into your body to make sure that you’re not breaking any rules or regulations, and to make sure that it is contributing to your overall health and performance instead of being a sort of quick fix or a bandaid. That’s what is great about CBD. CBD is completely legal and contributes to your overall well being. It’s not a performance-enhancing drug, and it is not something that is going to damage your body in the long run.

CBD is extracted from industrial hemp. Industrial hemp is still the cannabis plant; however, it is specifically grown to contain no THC, which is the psychoactive chemical found in marijuana. THC is what gets you high, and CBD products don’t contain any of it. Instead, this cannabinoid interacts with the part of your nervous system called the Endocannabinoid System and can help regulate important health functions and keep your body balanced, contributing to better physical and mental health.

CBD is permitted according to the World Anti-Doping Agency. You should be sure to look at the lab results of any product you buy to make sure that it contains no THC; all of the products listed here provide lab results and none of them contain THC. When you’re buying a CBD product, as long as it is hemp-derived, you’re free to use it as an athlete without the risk of repercussions. Some articles may state that it is difficult or “nearly impossible” to extract only CBD and other performance-safe cannabinoids, but that’s not accurate.

CBD extraction has come a long way in recent years as the product has gained traction, and it is very possible to obtain CBD without THC or any other prohibited compounds found in the cannabis plant.

The Benefits of CBD for Athletes

CBD fights inflammation and relieves pain. When you push your body to its limits, you’re going to have some soreness and the occasional injury. Over the counter pain medications are a common treatment for this kind of thing, but their long term use is associated with a lot of negative health effects.

CBD can naturally fight inflammation and stave off soreness without any side effects and without causing problems with your health later on. Instead of just stopping the feelings of pain or the ache that comes with inflamed muscles, CBD helps your body to heal these issues faster.

CBD can help you recover faster. Chocolate milk, ice baths, foam rollers, you’ve probably heard it all and tried it all. When you’re an athlete, the worst thing is sitting on the sidelines while you’re waiting for your body to bounce back. Muscles do get damaged when you overexert yourself and helping them to recover more quickly is another reason you might want to try CBD. You already know that CBD is anti-inflammatory, but it is also rich in the antioxidants your body needs to reduce oxidative damage and get you back in action.

CBD boost your mood. Negative emotions can be the downfall of an athlete. You work really hard to do your best, and that can put a lot of stress on you. Maybe you get anxious before a big day that you’ve been training for. Whatever it is, CBD works with the receptors in your brain that help to regulate emotions. This can lead to less anxiety and better moods. Remember, attitude is everything.

CBD helps you get the rest you’ve earned. You know how important sleep is. It helps your body recover and keeps your mind sharp for whatever the day ahead is going to throw your way. CBD works with your body to regulate your sleep cycles. This can lead to deeper and more restorative sleep. It can also help you fall asleep when you have a big game, a marathon, or anything of the sort coming up and the adrenaline is keeping you awake.

Lastly, CBD can help you shed a few pounds if you need to. Maybe you’d like to lose some weight, and if that’s the case, CBD can also help you achieve your goals. It helps your body convert white fat cells into brown white cells. Instead of storing fat that leads to weight gain, CBD will help your body keep beneficial fat, which research has shown may lead to weight loss.

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