By Danielle Simone Brand
It’s nearing the end of a long day in the life of a working mom, and, like most days, I’ve been on the go since early morning—getting the kids fed and off to school and then working at a frenetic pace to try and accomplish all the things. By early evening, I’m tired and creaky, the glow of this morning’s short yoga session having worn off. Dinner, family time, housework, and my never-ending inbox await.
But my favorite reward also awaits. A few puffs from a limonene-rich strain of cannabis usually leaves me feeling uplifted and euphoric. Ten minutes later, I’m far from vegetating in a couch-locked-and-inhaling-Doritos state. Instead, I’m moving, sweating, and pumping up those feel-good endorphins with Bianca Snyder and the other cannamoms of BurnFit Tribe.
Fitness is also a priority for participant Alyssa Marie Flores, who studied exercise sports science at Texas State University and formerly worked as a volleyball coach.
“I love that I can do it online, from home,” says Alyssa, who’s been taking classes with BurnFit for about a year. “I have three kids, so going to the gym—or any type of planning—is exhausting. Doing it from my phone or laptop is the easiest and best way to get a workout in.”
And the fact that it’s 420-friendly is a huge plus, says Alyssa. Online she’s an outspoken advocate, but living in an illegal state curbs Alyssa’s natural enthusiasm for her favorite plant.
Burn Fit Tribe’s Origin
“I wanted to incorporate cannabis and fitness, but not in an ‘in your face,’ obtuse, or obvious way,” says BurnFit Tribe founder and cannamom, Bianca Snyder. The verb “burn” speaks to Bianca from a fitness standpoint (remember “feel the burn”?), but the word also applies to cannabis, i.e., burning and smoking a joint.
“It’s important for people to feel like they belong, that they’re part of something and have community,”
says Bianca, whose online presence as @highsocietymama and @highsocietyofmamas centers on community and connection.
It’s the trifecta of accessible fitness, cannabis, and community that prompted Bianca to found BurnFitTribe in 2020. She’d taught fitness classes since her teen years and had been a fitness buff her whole life.
“As a kid, I would get up every day, put on my leg warmers and leotard, and do Mousercize using the mini trampoline with Mickey and Minnie and the whole crew.”
In March 2020, the pandemic interrupted Bianca’s live teaching schedule in Chicago. “I was sitting on my butt until mid-April,” she says when students asked for a virtual option.
By then, she lived on a hemp farm with her family in rural Michigan.
“I had to Zoom from my cell phone to teach the class—we don’t even have the internet at the farm. So it started rocky,” she remembers, laughing.
With everyone suddenly working out from home, Bianca challenged herself to create Cardio Burn as a dancey, muscle-sculpting class using one to two-pound hand weights that can easily be subbed out with food cans. She describes Cardio Burn as a workout that’s “fun, easy to follow, but hard” (agree!) that provides both cardio and the kind of muscle definition that comes with low weights and high repetition. But it’s not a torturous, weight-lifting slog: “There has to be an element of fun and joy in fitness,” says Bianca. And she brings those elements in spades.
Bianca encourages participants to make the practice their own by adding dancey, innovative features to the yoga flow. “When people are in the comfort of their home, she says, they’re a little more willing to let go.”
The Role of Cannabis
Cannabis has been used for athletic enhancement and recovery for a long time, but combining cannabis and fitness is “a personal experience,” says Bianca. The right cannabinoid balance can help improve workout motivation and energy during your session. Still, too much THC can increase anxiety or, conversely, make you feel too sleepy to work out.
“It’s not something I preach to be done a certain way,” says Bianca, who invites each participant to consume cannabinoids (CBD, THC, or one of many others) in whichever way they wish (tincture, edible, flower, etc.)—or not. Cannabis is only one of the three pillars of the BurnFit experience.
Modern parenting can be isolating, and Bianca finds that many cannamoms in her circle seek community and fitness. “So when you combine the community aspect with the ritual of cannabis—however you choose to consume—and then the aspect of doing something that’s good for your body and helps you feel good—you have three methods to fill your cup and bring you more joy,” she says.
Burn Fit Tribe is for the Canna-Curious, too
The moms of BurnFit Tribe often trade cannabis tips and tricks in the 15-minute “sesh” before working out—so it can be a great place for the canna-curious to learn and ask questions.
“We have this safe container of moms who are there to support you—not just in your fitness goals, but also in your cannabis journey and your life trials and tribulations,” says Bianca. “It’s an amazing, supportive community that we invite more moms to join.”
