October 3, 2005 12:00 - How effective is Rhodiola Rosea with proper nutrition & exercise? I just want to maintain my weight.

Rhodiola Rosea is a traditional herb native to Europe and Asia. It is also known as Golden Root.

The herb is said to increase mental capacity as well as endurance for physical work. It has also been used traditionally for gastrointestinal upsets and depression.

Rhodiola Rosea may be effective in increasing an individuals capacity to perform physical and mental work. It can increase the amount of exercise to exhaustion that a person can do and improves recovery times, strength and endurances. It may also improve cardiovascular measures and coordination.

As far as incorporating it into an individual's diet on a long term basis, this should be done in consultation with a qualified health practitioner as the herb itself stimulates the central nervous system and may interact with other herbal and pharmacological preparations being taken at the time. Having said this the herb has been shown to have less side effects than other stimulants. Based on the research that I am aware of, this herb would not help to maintain weight, once it has been lost, however, could be useful if weight needed to be lost.

References:

Rhodelia Rosea

October 3, 2005 14:45 - Weight Maintenance and Supplements

With so many weight loss supplements on the market, it is really difficult for the consumer to be able to avoid them, if they wish to lose even a few pounds.

When someone does find a supplement that works for them, and they lose the weight, that is great, but then they are faced with the problem of maintaining the weight.

If the major reason that they lost the weight was due to the use of a supplement, weight loss drinks or even a pre-designed, pre-prepared weight loss meal plan, there is going to be a high probability of weight gain. The probability of gaining the weight back will be heightened if the lifestyle that was followed during the weight loss period is radically different from the lifestyle during the weight maintenance period.

So when choosing a weight loss supplement, ask yourself whether or not this supplement would be beneficial and healthy to take in the long term to maintain an ideal weight.

If you don't think that the supplement would bring long term benefit and health, then you might want to reconsider taking the supplement.

In the case of Rhodiola Rosea discussed in the previous post, if you have lost weight without the aid of a supplement, then you do not need one to maintain your ideal weight.

However, if you've lost weight using a supplement, and you would not have lost the weight without it, then as mentioned in the previous post, it may be worth a trip to a Naturopathic Doctor to find out what supplement would be best to take in your circumstances in the long term, as well as concentrating on long term healthy eating and healthy exercise regimes.

Ideally, you want to be maintaining your ideal weight without a dependency on a particular supplement. For healthy individuals with no other health problems, maintaining a healthy diet and exercise regime, and energy balance will maintain your weight.