Meet Ishod Wair - Live to be happy

Welcome Ishod Wair to the Just Live Team

For years, he’s been called ‘your favorite skateboarder’s favorite skateboarder,’ Ishod Wair cemented his legend status in 2013 when he earned Thrasher Magazine’s coveted “Skater of the Year” award, which involves a combination of dominating everything from groundbreaking video parts, success in multiple events and simply putting everything you’ve got into what you love to do and that’s simply skateboarding. (Having Nike create a signature shoe for him in 2016 didn’t hurt, either.)

All the notoriety and accolades come with lots of opportunities for endorsements but Ishod is being selective with who he chooses to work with. “I’m trying to f*ck with stuff that actually will make me feel better,” he says.

A true skater’s skater, his positive attitude and genuine love of the skateboard make everyone from casual fans to the top pros continue to root for Ishod’s success, and that’s why we’re extremely proud to welcome Ishod Wair to the Just Live team. With an infectious smile and enthusiastic approach to life, Ishod truly exemplifies the idea to Just Live.

Renowned for his versatility and work ethic, Wair’s ability to skate everything from concrete parks, handrails in the streets and anything with transition is just about as amazing as the other thing he’s known for: his marathon skate sessions.

At 29, all that skateboarding has come with a few bumps, bruises and breaks for Wair. But aside from injuries, just the normal wear and tear of skateboarding for hours on end is enough to jostle anyone’s body out of whack. For that, Ishod turns to CBD.

“Hemp is the most remarkable plant on the planet,” he says. “When I’m taking the CBD, I just feel like when I was younger. Like, you just bounce back quicker; you just don’t get as sore as quick,” he said.

And while he hasn’t had any major injuries in his career, he’s well aware of the dangers of opioid addiction as a result of recovering from a major injury. “I have friends that have gotten addicted after surgery, and it’s a real bummer, especially now that you know there’s other options that you can do that don’t have those effects,” he said adding, “I would pick CBD over going the opiate route, like 10 out of 10 times.”

After turning pro in 2011, Wair’s relationship with skateboarding added a brand new dynamic: travelling. Jet lag, stiffness and suboptimal nutrition were obstacles he had to overcome just to step on a skateboard in every new city.

“Being able to knock out on a flight and being able to sleep at the right time with jet lag is definitely key.” Wair cites performance issues as a result of a lack of sleep, especially on nights before competitions, and a 2019 study agrees with him — reporting evidence pointing toward a calming effect for CBD in the central nervous system.

With such a hectic schedule, no two days are exactly alike, so what does Ishod’s daily CBD routine look like? “I try to take the tinctures every day and I put the topicals on areas that might be bothering me a little bit. And then I’ll eat the gummies,” he says.

Still, the allure of a quick fix to recover from a nagging injury isn’t lost on Ishod. “I think using a natural supplement over opiates is hugely beneficial because opiates are very dangerous. They (opiates) might make you feel better for a little bit, but it’s like a mask and it’s not really helping you and helping your body. To me, it’s like a mask and it’s very toxic because you can get addicted to them.”

Ishod’s pragmatic approach to skateboarding — choosing to learn new tricks over months and sometimes years, allowing himself the time to visualize and internalize every detail of how to successfully execute the trick — translates quite well to his approach to recovery. “If you just take CBD and you just consistently take it, it will definitely make you feel better. And you’ll really see the benefits. Consistency is the thing with CBD. It’s a big part,” he says adding, “It’s like a vitamin that you would take every day so that you can build this property in your body to help you.”

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