New Year’s resolutions are notoriously easier to make than they are to maintain. If you are determined to make 2022 a better year you may want to seek help from your good companion Mary Jane.
Marijuana is an often-overlooked but helpful tool when it comes to achieving and maintaining many common New Year’s resolutions. Not only can marijuana assist you in changing some of your habits in 2022, but it can help you have fun while you do so.
Staying Active
Increasing exercise and body activity is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions. Every January eager individuals flock to gyms only to find themselves staring at their barely-used gym membership charge on their bank statement a few months later. Gyms may help some, but you may also want to consider incorporating marijuana into your workouts.
RELATED: Cannabis Users Exercise Much More Than You Think
“Cannabinoids have the propensity to heighten what is already happening in the body; exercise releases endorphins, and patients may feel even better or more positive after exercising when they ingest cannabis substances,” Dr. Dayna McCarthy, who specializes in sports and regenerative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at New York’s Mount Sinai hospital, told MarketWatch.
In other words, weed can enhance the great feeling you get during and after a workout. You will still have to find the discipline within yourself to exercise, but incorporating marijuana into your workouts can make them more pleasurable. This may make you want to work out more regularly.
Cutting Out Drinking
Using marijuana to help cut out drinking may seem like a slippery slope, but if done with intention and discipline it may be quite successful. Substituting cannabis for alcohol has shown some success, and with marijuana being less physically addictive than alcohol it can have strong long term results.
RELATED: 3 Ways Marijuana Can Help You Stay Sober In The New Year
According to a 2014 study, “Substituting cannabis for alcohol may reduce drinking and related problems among alcohol-dependent individuals. Some even recommend prescribing medical cannabis to individuals attempting to reduce drinking.”
Meditation and Mindfulness
After the last few difficult years, mental health has become a much higher priority for many people. Mindfulness has grown significantly in popularity recently, but marijuana and mindfulness have gone hand and hand for centuries.
RELATED: Why You Should Be Practicing Mindfulness When Toking
“The Vedas—historical texts written in India around 1500 BC—name cannabis as one of the five sacred plants,” according to Vice. “Modern-day Nepal still holds a yearly spiritual festival with marijuana serving as a central feature of the holy celebration.”
Marijuana can often have a calming effect, and many have incorporated it into their guided meditation for an elevated and meaningful practice. After all, it has been used as a tool for just that for hundreds of years.
Weight Loss
Some people associate weed with munchies and lethargy, but there is evidence that suggests marijuana may actually help assist with weight loss.
“High amounts of cannabis appear to increase metabolism and reduce energy storage, resulting in a lower BMI,” according to Healthline.
RELATED: Does Consuming Marijuana Help You Lose Or Gain Weight?
This means that cannabis may actually boost your metabolism. If you are looking to lose weight you should be mindful of the munchies and look into strains that do not tend to increase your appetite.
Quit Smoking
It may seem ironic to substitute cannabis, which is often smoked, for cigarettes. However, there has been research that suggests that cannabis can assist in your goal to quit smoking. CBD and THC can also help assist with potential withdrawal symptoms you may experience when you quit smoking.
RELATED: How CBD Oil Can Help You Quit Smoking
A 2013 study that focused on addictive behaviors demonstrated that whole plant derived CBD helped lessen smokers’ tobacco usage, especially users that were nicotine dependent.
Regardless of what your exact New Year’s resolutions are for 2022, you should try and have fun while you seek to achieve it. If you enjoy marijuana, see if it is possible to incorporate it into your resolution. “The best way to form a new habit is to tie it to an existing habit, experts say,” according to The New York Times. So, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
