Has this happened to you? Being a single guy in my 40s and avid CrossFit athlete, I’ve run into the same issue time and time again. I’ll meet a single girl in class. We have a lot in common and get along great. Then it happens. We talk about age and, more often than not, it ends with me thinking, “You’re how old!?” and then a moment of awkward silence.
This wonderful, fun and fit woman who I would have guessed to be 35 years old is actually 28. The first few times I thought it was me. Maybe I’m just not very good at judging how old someone is. I felt a little better when I asked a few friends, both male and female, if they’d ever experienced something similar. They had. I noticed it in myself, too. I started to get a weathered look. And it’s not just CrossFit, it’s a common thing with runners, triathletes, and endurance athletes of all types.
Is CrossFit, or any other strenuous exercise, making us look older?
Yes, and there’s a scientific reason for it. Strenuous exercise increases oxidative stress on our body and increases inflammation levels. What is oxidative stress? In a word, aging. If you look at a picture of a person in their 70s and compare it to a picture of them in their 20s, the reason they look different is oxidative stress.
When we push ourselves the way we do in CrossFit, we deplete the oxygen level in our cells. At the same time, our body produces more free radicals. These free radicals attack the weakened, oxygen-depleted cells, causing damage. This damage is what causes our looks to age. The cellular damage is also how cancer and a variety of diseases take hold.
How do we protect ourselves?
We can protect ourselves from the effects of oxidative stress with antioxidants. We all know about the antioxidants vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene. Science has uncovered another powerful and all-natural antioxidant: Cannabidiol (CBD). Research has shown CBD to be a stronger antioxidant than vitamin C or E and able to protect cells from those nasty free radicals.
We get vitamins C, E and beta-carotene through our diet. CBD is available as drops, tablets, lotions, candy and yes, even in soap. An added benefit of CBD is that it’s anti-inflammatory and analgesic. That’s right, it’s great for muscle soreness, too. Do some research and see if trying CBD is right for you, it works for me. I tried the drops and they were a little strong, but your mileage may vary.
I’ve been using the CBD infused body bar daily, maintaining a mostly whole food and plant-based diet and now I have a different problem. When I have the age talk I hear things like, “You’re how old!? I thought you were younger.”
If you want to try our body bar you can use the code “CF20” for 20% off. If you aren’t totally satisfied we offer a 30 day money back guarantee.
This is a guest post by Bryce Peterson. Bryce is a happy CBD Skincare Company customer. He loves CrossFit and his German Shepherd Heidi. You can find Bryce working out at Flagler Village CrossFit in Fort Lauderdale or CrossFit Gambit in St. Louis.