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Last Sunday, 30 pro-cannabis fitness enthusiasts, including a couple of HelloMD staffers, joined Moonman's Mistress—maker of healthy, whole-food marijuana edibles—for its second Burn and Baked boot camp-style event. Held at Hit Fit SF in San Francisco's Mission district, the nearly hour-long, high-intensity workout exemplified the company's focus on fitness, nutrition and education.
Moonman's Mistress co-founder Jamel Ramiro, who's also a personal trainer, started the session off by explaining Moonman's goal to destigmatize cannabis consumption and dispel the myth of the couch-potato stoner with these kinds of events, which integrate cannabis into a healthy, active lifestyle. "Cannabis can help you with your workouts, with inflammation, or if you're just looking for a better quality of life," Jamel said. "It can give you freedom so you can live better and move better."
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Following his brief informational-cum-inspirational introduction, Jamel then led the group through a short warmup, followed by a series of exercises that included burpees, jumping jacks, lunges, squats and more. Folks were clearly having a good time—there were smiles all around with plenty of whooping and hollering heard over the high-energy music.
But don't take my word for it. Here's what attendees—which included weekend warriors, firefighters, personal trainers and folks living with Parkinson's disease—had to say about the Moonman's Mistress event, its mission, and consuming cannabis for sports performance and recovery:
Jessica H.: "[Burn and Baked] was a great workout. Super tough and really fun. … I think the Moonman mentality is really cool because there's [this idea of the] lazy stoner, but a lot of people like to smoke or use edibles or CBD to relieve anxiety or a whole host of other things and they can be active. It doesn't necessarily have to be separate. It's cool that there are companies promoting that."
Keith Lucitt: "The social theory is that you're a lazy stoner. Trying cannabis in my 20s, I was like, well, I don't have that same reaction. I like to get up and do stuff. Sativa fires me up. I'm a certified personal trainer [and] an outdoor enthusiast. I use cannabis medicinally, for recovery and for fuel. With the use of the cannabis plant, I've had tremendous anti-inflammatory benefits.
I believe in fueling the body with quality ingredients from Mother Nature. One of the biggest things that I really enjoy is the quality of ingredients that goes into the Moonman's Mistress products. In their Solar Flare cookies, they put in cinnamon to help regulate your blood pressure, pumpkin seeds for your skin and hair—they're a great way to take care of the body, and you feel better after you eat them."
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Carrie Krane: "I was smiling for the entirety of the intense workout. Liz [Rudner] and Jamel of MoonMan's Mistress live their mission to educate on the importance of fitness and nutrition, incorporating cannabis into healthy foods. I loved the CBD edible after my workout. It filled me up with good fats and proteins, and I'm guessing I won't be as sore tomorrow."
Kevin Krejci: "I loved it. I went to the last Burn and Baked event. It was such a great workout; I ate a Moonman's Mistress CBD cookie afterwards and went to work and had one of my most productive days. And I slept great that night.
I've always been one to try different things without jumping off a bridge. Even before my Parkinson's disease diagnosis, I've always looked for ways to track [my vitals] better. I just feel like—just try it and see what happens. So, I'm kind of experimenting still. I just find in general that [after eating a Moonman's Mistress CBD cookie], I relax a lot better in the evening, sleep better."
Kevin Kwok: "A few years ago, there was really nothing for Parkinson's [disease]. I think Kevin [Krejci] and I represent a group of folks who say, we're going to fight back. I feel great 10 years into Parkinson's. You exercise and you come back rejuvenated, so it feeds on itself. It all stems from the ability to get up and move.
For us, exercise is medicine. The ability to move, to do high-intensity workouts. … One of the things with Parkinson's, it's not just a movement disorder; it's also a psychological disorder. It comes with fatigue, apathy, depression. And you just have to bust out of that. For me, the ability to sleep well and removing the apathy so you can show up and then move with freedom, this is all part of our daily medication. And so, something [like Moonman's Mistress] that helps us get back out here and move is sacred."
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Hank Frost: "As an athlete, professional boxer and personal trainer, my body goes through a lot of stress, so I've got to get that recovery. Recovery is key. I was kinda iffy about [cannabis], but I tried the [Moonman's Mistress CBD] product and felt a difference. I use CBD instead of taking ibuprofen or aspirin. It really helps with the pain and inflammation, and also sleep too. I love my sleep. That's how your body repairs and recharges. And then you're good for the next day."
In the spirit of helping attendees repair and recharge post-workout, Moonman's Mistress handed out goody bags containing its CBD star cluster superfood cookies; superfood trail-mix cookies from BellyWell Kitchen—Liz and Jamel's non-cannabis, paleo baking company; Loki CBD pain salve and Dirt Ninja CBD capsules.
Jamel, who hopes to run a few more Burn and Baked events this year with the next one targeted for spring in L.A., says that Moonman's Mistress is all about health and wellness: "We live it. We breathe it. This is our lifestyle. … We continue to advocate for patients and for responsible [cannabis] consumers looking for health benefits."
Main photo credit: Mike Rosati
If you're new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our Cannabis 101 post. HelloMD can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online.
