Happy YOU Year! How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions by Using Cannabis

Now that Christmas has come and gone, it’s time to make your New Year’s resolutions! And no pressure, but it’s not just a new year this time– it’s a new decade, so your goals better be ambitious enough to take you through 2020… and beyond! 

But please, no torturing yourself to achieve them this year! The best kind of self-improvement comes from self-care. And you know your resolution won’t even make it past Martin Luther King Day if you choose to focus on something you hate doing.

I’ve got one simple, easy goal for you this year: Use more cannabis! 

I’m serious! It’s not just for stoners anymore. People of all ages and backgrounds are giving cannabis a second look with unbiased eyes and loving the positive changes it has sparked in their lives, from lessened anxiety and pain, to better health and beauty, to just making life more fun.

Whether you’re just welcoming cannabis into your life or shifting its presence in your life from a recreational to therapeutic focus, using more cannabis is going to enable you to tackle those other common New Year’s Resolutions in a natural, enjoyable way. 

Turning New Year’s resolutions into sustainable, achievable new self-care habits in the new year can be difficult. Despite your best intentions, life usually gets in the way. It’s hard to drag yourself out of the house to get to the gym before or after work in the dark!  And it’s tough to always cook healthy family dinners when half of your life is running the kids around to evening activities. I get it. You’re not alone! About one-third of New Year’s resolutions are already distant memories by February.

But not this year. No matter what your goals are for the new year, the simple habit of using cannabis daily can help you stick to them! Seriously! Read on to find out how.

Lose Weight / Get in Shape

The most common New Year’s resolution in the United States is to lose weight or get more fit. Whether your body goals for 2020 include weight loss for health reasons, wanting to be more active, or simply fitting into your clothes better, cannabis can actually be an excellent supplement to your new exercise and diet routine.

A recent survey by the University of Colorado suggests that cannabis use actually motivates individuals to exercise regularly– by taking away the boredom and monotony of workouts as well as helping with post-workout recovery due to its anti-inflammatory qualities.

Even if life gets in the way and you can’t fit in your workout, using cannabis daily offers some health benefits that mimic those earned by regular exercise. Multiple studies have shown a link between regular marijuana use and a faster metabolism, lower blood sugar, lower BMI (body mass index), and higher insulin resistance. 

Plus, smoking pot raises your heart rate and blood pressure for several hours afterward– sounds like a workout to me!

Stress Less

Another New Year’s resolution Americans love to break is to be less stressed in the year to come. But promises to focus on the important stuff, have more patience with your loved ones, and remain positive about the daily irritations in your life are much easier said than done, am I right? 

Daily meditation and a gratitude journal are a great place to start, but if you need a little boost in order to stay positive and patient in 2020, cannabis might be just what you’re looking for!

One of the best natural stress relievers out there is cannabis. Willie Nelson has said, “The biggest killer on the planet is stress and I still think the best medicine is and always has been cannabis,” and I completely agree!

Using cannabis daily in your form of choice– whether flower, edibles, or oils–  can help you greatly in your quest to not sweat the small stuff and will assist you in fostering a grateful and meditative state.

If you’re not interested in experimenting with marijuana and/or want to avoid getting high whatsoever, CBD is the cannabis form for you. It has the stress-busting power of cannabis without any of the mind-altering effects that THC provides.

However, if you do enjoy the effects of THC, now you can enjoy it stress-free knowing that it is helping you and your loved ones stay grounded.

Learn a New Hobby

A few years ago I resolved to learn to knit in the new year. I took a class, bought the needles and yarn, and got started on my first scarf! Knitting is a calming yet productive activity whose repetitiveness can be meditative and offers rewarding creativity. I love it! And I’ve gone on to become quite a decent knitter and my whole family now has custom (albeit slightly wonky) hats.

But you know what’s even better than knitting? Knitting… on weed, man! As Jon Stewart’s “Enhancement Smoker” character in Half Baked so hilariously reminds us, cannabis makes all other hobbies more enjoyable. 

Whether your new hobby is knitting, playing the guitar, embroidery, sewing, drawing, coloring, painting, (or just staring at the back of a twenty-dollar bill), pairing it with marijuana use will help boost your creativity, deepen your focus, and lessen your frustration at your inevitable muck-ups as a beginner.

Growing your own pot can also be an excellent hobby! Growing cannabis at home is legal now (if you live in a legal state) and it can be an immensely rewarding activity to watch your baby plants grow into big, strong, fat-budded trees. Find a hydroponic shop near you and they’ll help set you up with all the supplies, nutrients, and advice you need. And you’ll end up with a product people want much more than a wonky hat!

Quit Smoking

If you’re still smoking cigarettes, it’s long past time to quit. I know, I know, you’ve probably done it loads of times before– maybe even for months at a time– but something keeps luring you back to those death sticks.

I know you know the health risks. Cigarettes cause emphysema, high blood pressure, lung cancer, heart problems and more. As someone who has lost two family members in the past year to health problems caused by smoking, I implore you to make 2020 your year to really, really quit.

If you’re a smoker who is able to get past the initial “nic fits” and withdrawals, but you end up starting to smoke again because you love the ritual, the deep inhales, and simply having something to keep your hands busy, may I recommend replacing your tobacco with cannabis?

Ok, ok, you probably can’t smoke joints all day and still be a functioning member of society. But the nationwide legalization of hemp products have allowed for the production of hemp cigarettes, which can be a great alternative for you.

Hemp cigarettes do not contain THC but do contain CBD. So not only will you get to enjoy the smoking ritual you love, but you’ll be reaping the health benefits of CBD, while rejecting the nicotine and other toxic chemicals that traditional cigarettes contain.

Take a Daily Health Supplement

Many people like to start the new year with a new daily routine that benefits their body. It feels good knowing that one magical capsule could be a cure-all that will help your body tackle any challenge that might be thrown at it.

But what sort of supplement gives you the most bang for your buck? Wouldn’t it be ideal if we could find one substance whose daily use could help us feel stronger, calmer, pain-free, less anxious, and give us better nightly sleep?

Many people are saying they have found that “cure-all” supplement– and it is cannabidiol. CBD is a natural booster to your endocannabinoid system, which has hundreds of receptors that are located in every corner of your body.

Your endocannabinoid system acts as a “taskmaster” for all of your other systems, telling them when to turn on, and when to turn off. Our body makes its own cannabinoids which give the endocannabinoid system its power to work.

However, if your body is deficient in cannabinoids, your endocannabinoid system loses its ability to control your body’s many other systems. This can cause many health issues. 

According to Ethan Russo of the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute, many digestive issues, chronic pain, autoimmune diseases, and seizure disorders are most likely caused by Endocannabinoid Deficiency or ECD.

Incredibly, though, the cannabinoids in cannabis are also able to lock into our body’s cannabinoid receptors, boosting our endocannabinoid system and allowing our body to heal itself.

Skeptical? Try it! Many companies offer low-commitment, enjoyable ways to try out CBD, including tasty chocolates or gummies. Hemp company Feals offers a unique $20 CBD “flight” of three different dosages that you can try out first in order to identify your ideal dose. Once you determine the best CBD dosage for you, many companies offer affordable subscription plans on the CBD formulation that is best for you, whether tinctures, edibles, or capsules.

I’ve got a good feeling about this– 2020 is going to be your happy YOU year! Pick a New Year’s Resolution, pick your favorite form of cannabis, and make it happen!

✌💗🌿, E