The Joy Of Losing
"But what if we didn't do that..." There I was again, sitting in a light blue gown on the exam table, negotiating with my doctor. It was the third time we were considering blood pressure medication. Every time the conversation came up, my skin crawled. I had arrived at this point in life. Manifested in a subcutaneous physical objection to spending a lifetime on pills trying to fix it. My head dropped itself into my hands. Defeated. Fuck.
Like many of my generation, I approached my twenties with unbridled fervor. Driven by a yuppie parent-induced achievement complex and caught in the momentum of a roaring economy (until the Great Recession, that is), I pursued an identity solely defined by academic and professional wins. By my thirties, I had achieved more than I had hoped, made some fancy lists, and appeared "successful." But the cost was more profound than I could have ever imagined my health and happiness.
Just before leaving for a business trip, I remember buying size 40 shorts. A loathsome experience. Those Brooks Brothers powder blue shorts were undoubtedly a statement piece on my frame. I had gained over 60, maybe even 80, pounds. It's hard to remember precisely how much because it was even harder to remember how it happened in the first place. If I had to guess, it was sometime between that dressing room, losing my best friend to PTSD, that doctor's office, and my ever-expanding workaholism. "Competency is a curse," they said.
I had arrived in my early thirties with only one means of dealing with the downside, compartmentalization and excess. But blowing off steam only gets you back to where you started. My burnout was on the verge of bringing down everything around me.
I was becoming the "This is fine" meme
"Yeah, it's like you're asleep at the wheel of a car on fire; what can I do?" I was lucky to have friends who were willing to point out I was becoming the "This is fine" meme. A colleague introduced me to a therapist that was a great fit. My forever "Co," my former Co-CCO and now Co-Founder, got me thinking about the future we had dreamed of as assistants at 22 - starting our own thing. He and I got up from our desks and started moving again, not toward the next meeting but towards life—one friday afternoon workout at a time. Then, I fell in love with someone that taught me how to love myself. She got me to the yoga mat and put a racquet back in my hand. That's when it all shifted.
Shoshin: The Beginner's Mind
In Zen Buddhism lives the idea of Shoshin. "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities… But in the expert's there are few".
Over the next six months, the freedom to fail opened my world to new opportunities—yoga a new study) and tennis (a passion reignited) cleaned the slate of my mind and body. No longer was I tied to winning, but in fact, I was falling in love with "losing" or, more accurately, not keeping score.
Let go of the need to win.
Yoga permitted me to bend again, to wobble, to fall. The hot room and a mat could be an entire world: just breath and the infinite possibilities of a single position continuously discovered. Covered in sweat, surrounded by acceptance, and present in the moment, achievement left the building. In one respect, I was vulnerable again in front of others. In another, I remembered to get over myself and realize the other 20 people in the room could give a shit about my tree pose. It turns out you can't win Yoga class. Once I stopped trying to win every class but instead explored each pose through curiosity and enjoyment, I found significant satisfaction. Yoga taught me to find presence in my practice. To become conscious of my own physicality. By removing the need to win, it was a lesson I could take into my tennis game, and in many ways my life.
Live in a growth mindset.
"I think it's time to try a two-handed backhand." I had been a bit too persistent in trying to make my one-handed backhand work. During the process of rebuilding my backhand from scratch, it reopened my mind to the beauty of tennis.
Every drill, every match was a reminder that progress was not recapturing the past but forgetting everything I knew about the game. Truly learning to step outside what I thought I knew about the sport and re-learn a game whose techniques had changed since the 1990s, much like the body. Suddenly, it wasn't the reconstruction of a stroke, but each time I stepped onto the court was a chance to study and progress my entire game.
Cognitive Neuroscientist Christian Jarrettis, Deputy Editor of Pysche, suggests that to develop a growth mindset, we should remind ourselves that expertise accrues through study and effort. This will help you to be more open-minded. In this mindset, we become able to see our gaps, not as limits but possibilities.
In this mindset, we are able to see our gaps, not as limits but possibilities.
Put yourself in a position to lose.
Achievement, high performance, and expertise are comfort zones. Defined through our surroundings, perceptions, and influences. But no matter your level of perceived expertise there's more to learn. As we set out to create OFFFIELD, I felt great about my progress on the tennis court. So, my girlfriend and I entered a new recreational tournament, The Low Desert Open at The Courts in Borrego Springs. At "four tennis courts, a clubhouse and a pool in the middle of the desert," we met a gathering of players and fans all with the same goal in mind: enjoyment.
There, recent college players, current retirees, and working creatives faced off under the sun and stars. I faced an art director from Sweden whose work brought him to LA, his longing for community brought him to The Courts. He was lean, he was fit, he looked the part. He even played the part. I was not lean, I was not fit, I enjoyed a clean polo shirt as much as the next guy, but I did not look the part. He began bouncing the ball, preparing for his first serve. Through the humid desert air, he looked like Federer ready to strike.
The match was a thrill, not because we had some incredible exchanges (we really didn’t) or because it was a nail-biter (it was not). But because you can't fake fun.
After the match, we became fast friends. We had a great time playing. We were thrilled to be there. It was the best day either of us had had in months. And quickly, into the second set, a crowd of spectators bore witness to my defeat and my joy on the court “number one.” It was at once humbling and educational in a setting that inspired awe. It was also the moment I knew I'd never put down my racquet again.
As for my health? Sunday morning, we left Anza Borrego. Sunday night California began lockdown. Thankfully, Yoga and Tennis were safe and sane pursuits during these "unprecedented times." An open mind and an active life in 2020 helped me get healthy while giving me a community in distant times.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, it was a beginner's mindset that made it possible. It gave me the tools to recognize how to bend, reflect, and learn again, and most importantly, how to have fun doing it. It's not enough to be told by someone "this is exactly how you need to live your life, stay healthy, be happy." You need to try things that interest YOU, fail at some, fall in love with others, and do it all over again. Reflecting back on my experience, I now realize the only thing I really lost was 60 lbs and blood pressure medication.
I gotta say, it's fun as fuck to begin again.
Author’s Note: At OFFFIELD, we are focused on cannabinoid research and developing products formulated for exercise and recovery. Cannabis is a broad term encompassing thousands of products and substances that can be healthy, unhealthy, or anything in between. We share these new findings regarding cannabis because it is important to highlight the propaganda and false information shared with the general public, which creates a stigma around a plant that has the potential to help people when used responsibly by both companies and individuals.
Introduction
For generations, the “lazy stoner” trope has dominated pop culture. We’ve all seen the caricature: a cannabis consumer glued to the couch, never quite making it outside for a run or even a brisk walk. Yet a growing body of research is challenging this outdated image, both through anatomical understanding and statistical significance. Most recently, a federally funded study published in the journal Addictive Behaviors found that on days people used cannabis, they actually got more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). That’s a revelation for anyone who assumed cannabis consumption went hand-in-hand with total inactivity.
Conducted by a team of ten researchers from universities across the U.S.—including the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, the University of Texas School of Public Health, the University of Michigan, Texas A&M-Commerce, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Colorado Boulder—the study analyzed the daily behaviors of 98 adults over a four-week period. Here’s how it worked: Each participant, who had used cannabis at least once during that month, completed smartphone-based surveys about their day-to-day physical activity. The data revealed a same-day association between cannabis use and increased time spent engaging in exercise—findings that fly in the face of lingering stereotypes about cannabis users being inherently lazy.
How the Study Worked
Participants & Data Collection
For inclusion in the study, participants had to be at least 18 years old and must have used cannabis on at least one day out of the 28-day tracking period. By focusing on people who already incorporate cannabis into their lifestyles, the researchers were able to observe how usage correlated with other behaviors within the same individuals. This approach reduces the possibility that preexisting lifestyle differences between cannabis users and non-users would skew the results.
The team employed a method called Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), which uses smartphone-based surveys to collect data in near real-time. Instead of asking participants to remember their habits for the entire past month, the study pinged them on a daily basis, capturing more accurate, detailed snapshots of their behavior. Participants were asked:
Whether they had used cannabis in the previous 24 hours.
How many minutes of vigorous physical activity they had engaged in during that same period.
By comparing data from days when participants reported using cannabis to days they did not, the study was able to isolate a same-day correlation between cannabis consumption and changes in exercise levels.
Busting the “Lazy Stoner” Myth
Positive Association with Exercise
The headline takeaway is straightforward: cannabis use was linked with higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. When participants consumed marijuana, they also recorded more minutes spent on activities like running, aerobics, or other forms of intense exercise. This complements research showing that certain cannabis consumers—far from being sedentary—often exhibit equal or higher activity levels than their non-using counterparts.
The authors wrote that their findings “aligned with our hypothesis and prior cross-sectional observations that people who use cannabis (vs. non-users) tend to report more minutes of weekly [physical activity, or PA] and have higher accelerometer-measured light PA and MVPA.” Put simply, these results reinforce the emerging scientific consensus that cannabis consumers can be just as active—and in some cases more active—than the general population.
Potential Reasons Behind the Trend
While the study didn’t strive to prove precisely why cannabis users might exercise more, it highlights a few theoretical mechanisms. For one, cannabis interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid and dopaminergic systems, potentially increasing the sense of psychological reward from activities like running or weightlifting. Users often report that cannabis can:
Increase Enjoyment – A tough workout might feel more pleasurable, helping people push through routines they might otherwise avoid.
Enhance Motivation – The elevated mood and focus some strains provide could help users stay consistent with their exercise goals.
Facilitate Recovery – Many athletes cite cannabis as a tool for easing soreness, reducing inflammation, or simply promoting relaxation after a strenuous session.
These mechanisms remain theoretical, and more targeted studies are needed to confirm them. Still, they offer plausible explanations for why an individual might lace up their sneakers more readily on cannabis-use days.
Supporting Evidence from Other Research
This new study isn’t the only piece of evidence upending the lazy stoner myth. Multiple papers over the past few years have shown similar links between cannabis use and physical activity:
Medical Cannabis and Chronic Conditions
Research on medical marijuana patients with conditions like arthritis or chronic pain suggests that cannabis can reduce discomfort, enabling them to move or exercise more frequently.
Population Surveys
Large-scale surveys in regions with legal medical or recreational cannabis often reveal populations that are at least as active—if not more active—than those in jurisdictions where cannabis remains prohibited.
Accelerometer Data
Wrist-worn accelerometers, used in certain studies, show that cannabis users do not necessarily become more sedentary. In fact, some data indicate a modest increase in light or moderate physical activity after consumption.
These findings collectively challenge long-standing views on cannabis, demonstrating that its impact can vary widely, often shaped by individual physiology and context.
A Note on Alcohol and Cigarettes
While this study’s standout message is that cannabis was linked to more exercise, it also found that participants who used cannabis on a given day tended to use alcohol or cigarettes more often. From an OFFFIELD perspective—where the focus is on movement, wellness, and community—this aspect is less central to our mission. However, if you or someone you know suffers from alcohol or tobacco addiction, it may be worthwhile to consult the full study or seek professional guidance to understand how these factors might intersect.
What’s Next: The Future of Cannabis and Exercise Research
As legalization expands, researchers have more opportunities to examine cannabis’s broader impacts. With stigma receding, participants are more open to discussing their use, leading to deeper insights on how cannabis might complement daily movement and fitness.
Detailed Comparisons
Future work could compare active cannabis users to people who never consume cannabis, determining whether adopting cannabis can spur a more active lifestyle or if those who are already active simply gravitate toward it.
Refining Dose and Strain
Researchers could look at which strains or THC/CBD ratios are most conducive to movement or recovery. Pinpointing these details might help people make more informed decisions about integrating cannabis into their exercise routines.
Technological Integration
With wearable tech becoming the norm, studies can leverage real-time biometrics to examine how cannabis influences performance, recovery time, and sleep quality.
Long-Term Outcomes
Does day-to-day motivation translate into tangible health benefits over months or years? Investigating the cumulative effects of cannabis on fitness and wellness is a crucial next step.
Conclusion
The takeaway is clear: cannabis use and an active lifestyle can absolutely go hand in hand. This new research delivers a powerful message that cannabis consumers are not necessarily chained to their couches. Instead, many are hitting the gym, tackling trails, and upending the myth that a puff of smoke equals a day of inactivity.
For those curious about exploring cannabis as part of their fitness journey, the best approach is to stay informed, start low and slow, and pay attention to personal responses. As research accelerates, the old stereotypes are fading, replaced by a more nuanced understanding of how cannabis can intersect with (and sometimes enhance) a healthy, active life.
A study titled “Enjoyment as a Predictor of Exercise Habit, Intention to Continue Exercising, and Exercise Frequency” emphasizes the critical role of exercise enjoyment in promoting long-term adherence to fitness routines. It found that when individuals engage in exercise that aligns with their preferred intensity, they experience higher levels of enjoyment, leading to stronger exercise habits, more frequent workouts, and a greater intention to continue exercising.
Enjoyment acts as a motivating factor, reinforcing positive feelings and commitment to regular exercise. Tailoring workouts to match individual preferences for intensity can enhance the pleasure of exercise, ultimately fostering better engagement and sustainability in health club settings.
Another study found that cannabis may be a primary motivator for people to exercise more often because it elevates their enjoyment. This is a key factor for OFFFIELD, as we are endurance athletes in every sense of the word. We’re not just focused on getting to the finish line quicker in our next marathon, but also getting to the finish line way slower when it comes to life.
All of our products are formulated to activate your Endocannabinoid System, responsible for regulating mood during exercise. Our High Performance line of products, including Energy Gummies and Sports Drinks specifically focus on enjoyment as a key contributor to overall performance enhancement.
Have you ever heard of a molecule, Anandamide? It's a special chemical in your body known as the “bliss molecule,” that helps you feel happy and relaxed.
When you run or do lots of exercise, sometimes you get a great feeling afterward or during longer duration training. This is called the Runner's High (you may have noticed we’re obsessed with it). Scientists used to think this was only because of endorphins, which are like natural painkillers. But now they know anandamide, a cannabinoid we produce in our body, is also the primary reason for the effects in both mind and body.
Anandamide works by fitting into receptors throughout your body, kind of like a key fitting into a lock. When this happens, it makes you feel good… real good. Funny enough, these receptors are the same ones that react to the chemicals in cannabis, or phyto-cannabinoids. Although similar, Anandamide is created by your own body.
So next time you're out running and start to feel amazing, you can thank anandamide. And if you want to hit it a little earlier, you can try our products designed to mimic our best buddy Anandamide. You don’t have to thank us, but we do accept compliments.
