11 Ways CBD Can Support Your New Year Resolutions

What can possibly be added to ideas for New Year’s resolutions...?

Well, we suggest you add cannabidiol (CBD) to your list of "Things That Will Help Me STICK to My Goals!"

This just makes sense in so many ways.

Contents

1. Start the New Year Right with CBD
2. How CBD Keeps Your Body Healthy
     a.) Sleep Better
     b.) Lose Weight
     c.) Reduce Inflammation in the Body
     d.) Eat Healthier
     e.) Quit Smoking
     f.) Maintain Skin Health
     g.) Improve Exercise
3. CBD for Your Mind and Soul
     a.) Reduce Stress and Anxiety
     b.) Make New Friends
     c.) Increase confidence
     d.) Save Money
4. Conclusion

1. Start the New Year Right with CBD

Goals are important. But even the best New Year's resolutions are notorious for turning into pies in the sky by February. They’re nice to consider but ultimately futile, ‘cause...well, reasons.

Often, your body is a reason that keeps you from sticking to your lofty goals. Forcing yourself to take action when you are in pain or when your mood is low just doesn't work for long. 

Yet CBD might be your all-natural solution.

This hemp-derived compound continues to create waves and change lives. Read here why this is the must-have product to take or rub into your skin for the new year.

2. How CBD Keeps Your Body Healthy

Always start with your body. The math is simple—if you feel good, you're much more likely to tackle those unpleasant but necessary tasks en route to acing your New Year's resolutions.

a.) Sleep Better

Writing for Medical News Today, Jenna Fletcher correctly remarks that sleep is a vital, oft-neglected component of every person's overall health and well-being. [1]

She also reports that good-quality sleep improves:

• Productivity and concentration
• Lower risk of weight gain
• Better calorie regulation
• Improved athletic performance
• Lower risk of heart disease
• Increased social and emotional intelligence
• Prevention of depression
• Lower inflammation
• Stronger immune system

Spot anything pertaining to your New Year’s resolutions on this list? Well, perhaps you can affect most of them with one fell swoop—using a good CBD product.

Anecdotally, cannabidiol has been the darling of former insomniacs for quite a while. But the proof always lies in the pudding. Don't believe us—experience the magic of CBD for insomnia yourself! You'll never look back.

The mounting research is very encouraging, though.

The evidence suggests that CBD improves snoozing by curbing anxiety. An anxious mind is a restless, sleep-averse mind, so this sounds about right.

Two studies in support of the premise that CBD alleviates anxiety get quoted ad nauseam:

• The control group of social anxiety disorder (SAD) patients performing much better with public speaking after taking CBD; and
• The 10-year-old girl with severe posttraumatic stress disorder who had an even more encouraging story:

The findings indicated that the female experienced a decrease in anxiety, alongside improvements in both quality and quantity of sleep. CBD oil also appears to offer a safer alternative to prescription drugs, which had major side effects on the subject. [2] 

DOSING: Start with a small, single dose at night, and gradually increase till you don't have to count sheep no more! If your problem is nighttime wakefulness, take a small amount of CBD earlier in the day as well.

RELATED: How to Use CBD for Better Quality Sleep

b.) Lose Weight

If you’ve been paying attention, you will have noticed that poor sleep can affect weight quite adversarially. CBD helps to improve sleep, so...you do the math.

Also, when you're less anxious, you'll feel more in control of your eating impulses. The end of compulsive snacking may very well be only a few drops away.

That's not all.

One animal study showed that rats taking CBD ate significantly less than their CBD-free counterparts. Eating less lies at the heart of most successful diets, so this is a real win. [3]

But that's not all! Lab studies suggest that CBD:

• Encourages gene expression that oxidizes and breaks down fat.
• Limits proteins involved in fat cell generation.
• Supports certain structures in your cells (mitochondria) that—at least theoretically—help burn calories.

CBD also seems to promote the formation of brown fat, which is good news. As researchers noted recently: 

Brown fat consumes energy, which is the reason why it could be important for preventing obesity and diabetes. [4]

DOSING: There are no recommendations in place yet, but animal studies seem to suggest that the higher the dose, the better. So, you will have to experiment.

Hopefully, it's clear that nailing a good sleeping pattern and losing weight should be high on your New Year's resolutions list.

c.) Reduce Inflammation in the Body

This really should be a resolution for everyone interested in healing and staying healthy! 

Chronic inflammation appears to underpin the bulk of all chronic diseases. CBD could help.

Research is backing this, as a 2009 review of the literature indicates. [5]

Cannabinoids suppress (the) inflammatory response and subsequently attenuate disease symptoms. 

The authors refer to cannabinoids CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in this quote. These two seem to be a formidable team, fighting inflammation-related diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, and hepatitis.

Real quick—what is THC? It's CBD's close but somewhat notorious cannabinoid buddy. Close, ‘cause each compound improves the other's performance. Notorious, ‘cause THC is the stuff that makes you feel high, which is what marijuana is known for. 

Not to worry about this, though, ‘cause the most full-spectrum CBD products don't contain enough THC to alter anyone's mind or perception.

DOSING: First, make sure you take a full-spectrum CBD product. This is to benefit from the other cannabis compounds—most notably, THC. 

RELATED: What Does "Full Spectrum CBD" Mean?

Again, the higher doses seem to be the most effective. This also depends on how severe your symptoms are. If you're very ill, it’s best to discuss a CBD regimen with your doctor. And never stop taking any meds without the knowledge of your health care provider.

d.) Eat Healthier

There's no evidence that anything can "make" you eat healthier. That's a choice, and it’s not always an easy one. We all know that habits are tenacious, and junk food is tasty.

But that's no reason to despair. You should have concluded by now that CBD can have an effect on mood. And it soothes anxiety. When your thinking is a bit cooler, you can also think straighter and plan your diet better.

Imagine how good you'll feel about your health next year this time if you can stick to consuming mostly healthy foods—with CBD as your lovely assistant...!

RELATED: Healthy Foods: Clever Swaps for Holiday Dishes

e.) Quit Smoking

There's good evidence that hardcore addictions can be overcome with the help of cannabidiol. A recent article in Neuropsychopharmacology notes that CBD helps prevent drug relapses. The authors praise its potential as an anti-relapse treatment option. [6]

Smoke-quitters could find CBD soothing for the nerves. Breaking this habit is famously associated with foul moods and high stress levels, so be good to yourself—and those around you!

DOSING: Start with a small CBD dose first thing in the morning, and again at night. Or take as needed to curb anxiety, stress, and anger.

f.) Maintain Skin Health

Science has very good news in this regard! The latest was delivered by a very recent retrospective study conducted in Italy. [7]

Twenty patients with severe psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and scars applied CBD-enriched ointment twice a day for three months to affected skin.

The results:

Based on skin evaluations (hydration, TEWL [transepidermal water loss], elasticity), clinical questionnaires ..., and supported by photographic data and investigators’ clinical assessment, the results showed that topical treatment with CBD-enriched ointment significantly improved the skin parameters, the symptoms and also the PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) score. No irritant or allergic reactions were documented during the treatment period.

And this was without any THC.

Look for good-quality CBD skin care products or even make your own—just get on this bandwagon already!

RELATED: The Lowdown on CBD Skin Care

g.) Improve Exercise

If you're an exercise junkie, you may already be using CBD. If not—you're about to get very good news if more and harder exercise is on your New Year's resolution list.

CTS (Carmichael Training Systems) has been a leader in endurance coaching since 2000. They are quite vocal about the benefits of CBD for athletes as well as their position regarding mainstream medicine for the treatment of sports recovery. (Just don't!) [8]

According to Chris Carmichael, CEO and head coach of CTS, CBD seems to be the perfect alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) and over-the-counter painkillers for sports recovery. This would be mainly due to cannabidiol's lack of notorious side effects.

He also explains:

As an athlete, you apply greater stress to your body, leading to pain and inflammation greater than what your endocannabinoid system can handle. Adding exogenous (topical) CBD may help this overloaded system get your neurotransmitters back under control and help athletes maintain homeostasis.

RELATED: Endocannabinoid System Explained

Some athletes also report that they love taking CBD for nerves before a competition.

DOSING: Look for CBD ointments with virtually no THC to rub on your sore muscles after exercise. 

3. CBD for Your Mind and Soul

Finally, let's touch on why CBD is a real soul companion.

a.) Reduce Stress and Anxiety

Anecdotally, most CBD users will tell you that reduced anxiety and stress are almost instant effects of taking the compound. 

Scientific study is promising but incomplete. It takes a long time and much more evidence to satisfy medicine's rigorous standards.

Hopefully, though, we've already convinced you of the research regarding CBD's action against anxiety. But there's more good news.

Experts believe that CBD exerts effects on neurotransmitters that can alleviate depression. This was clear to the authors of a 2014 animal study review conducted in Brazil. [9] 

They confirmed the evidence of CBD’s effect on certain receptors in the brain and concluded that it produced both antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects in animals.

If you can hit stress symptoms like anxiety and depression on the head, reaching your goals might seem less daunting.

DOSING: Again, the best scenario would be to experiment using a good product. However, don't go off any antidepressants or psychiatric medicine without consulting with your doctor. In most cases, you can take CBD with these medicines, but definitely only under medical supervision.

b.) Make New Friends

You'll be surprised how many people in the world rely on CBD for all sorts of things! Connect with the growing platforms and forums everywhere.

You may just end up with a whole bunch of new buddies. Also, it's good to exchange info and figure out what works and what doesn’t when you're not on your own.

c.) Increase Confidence

Increased confidence could be the compounded effect of all of the above. 

If you feel better in general, you will feel better about yourself in the world + you'll have more confidence to reach out and connect (great stress-buster too!) + you will deal better with life = increased self-confidence!

A win-win equation, if you ask us.

d.) Save Money

This shouldn't surprise you!

Living healthier will be good for your wallet. You won't have to spend so much money on stuff that doesn't work—simple as that.

Also, a good CBD product's side effects will not be harmful! That’s unlike opioids (like Tylenol) or anti-inflammatories, which are notorious for the harm they can do to your body in the long run. How will this affect your wallet? 

Well, to treat the side effects of some medicines, guess what you will get prescribed...? 

Yes—more medicine. 

It’s expensive and costs you more than just money...can you see where we're heading with this?

Conclusion

No matter how you look at it—CBD will benefit you in some way. Even if you change those New Year’s resolutions halfway through 2020, you will still not be sorry for adding this cannabinoid to your health regimen. 

Again, never stop taking prescribed medicine and don’t supplement it with very strong CBD without your prescribing doctor's knowledge. 

Resources:

1. ttps://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325353.php
2. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sharjeel_Kayani2/publication/331409104_Investigating_views_and_opinions_of_using_Cannabidiol_CBD_to_relieve_stress_and_insomnia/links/5c780b62299bf1268d2da308/Investigating-views-and-opinions-of-using-Cannabidiol-CBD-to-relieve-stress-and-insomnia.pdf 
3. http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/28010/1/CBN%20%26%20CBD%20exert%20opposing%20effects%20on%20rat%20feeding%20patterns%20FOR%20CENTAUR.pdf
4. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180829115544.htm
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2828614/
6. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-018-0050-8
7. http://www.clinicaterapeutica.it/ojs/index.php/ClinicaTerapeutica/article/view/377
8. https://trainright.com/cbd-for-athletes-cannabidiol/
9. https://cbd-b.be/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2014-Antidepressant-Like-and-Anxiolytic-Like-Effects-of-Cannabidiol.pdf