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Fitness personality and spokesperson Rosalie Brown discusses the importance of keeping your body in motion BY DAN SANCHEZ M ost of us who are looking to trim-off a few pounds would be happy to find a fitness trainer who was kind, sweet, and took the time to become personally involved with our health needs. Those types of trainers exist for the right price, but this is what makes television fitness expert Rosalie Brown very unique. Although Brown is often spotted on QVC as a fitness presenter and is a spokesperson for a variety of fitness equipment, this mom, wife, and grandmother is genuine in her personal commitment to helping everyone she meets. She often goes out of her way to get personally involved with people, following up with emails, providing encouragement, and even suggesting one or two of her exercise routines that are free on YouTube. You get all this simply by asking. Her attitude towards fitness and hear accessibility to just about anyone seeking her guidance, make her one very influential and motivational person. Among her many accomplishments, including a 25-year run of successful fitness programs available on DVD, iTunes, and YouTube, Brown was voted as one of Canada's Most Influential Personal Trainers in 2008 and received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Waterloo University. "I simply have a passion for health and a love of seeing people feel good about themselves," says Brown. "When people feel good about themselves it has a direct correlation with movement of body and performance in everything from relationships, energy, and life participation." THE IMPORTANCE OF MOVEMENT What makes Brown one of the top professionals people follow, is that she's not intimidating or has the physique of a bodybuilder or gym-rat. Her sweet and caring character allows her to achieve her main goal, which is to simply get people moving and not necessarily focus on hard set personal strength goals. For the vast majority of people who simply want to feel better, Brown believes this activity can heal your body, and encourages everyone to stay committed to workouts so that you feel great all the time. "I don't want people to underestimate how good your body can feel," says Brown. "Moving your body for 30 minutes a day is the most impactful thing you can do to increase the quality of your life." The importance of movement wasn't an idea that Brown had consistently preached throughout her career. It actually came about when she had double hip surgery, and the idea proved it was useful to her recovery, as well as realizing how impactful it was. "When I had hip surgery, it taught me that movement is even more important when you're not at your best," said Brown. "I did all my rehabilitation in bed, performing simple ankle rolls, as well as squeezing my legs and thighs. Small movements made me feel better. Every day I would turn on some music and start my rehab routine. I did this for less than 30 minutes and realized how movement is real medicine." KEEPING FOOD SIMPLE Combining movement with diet is also a critical part of Brown's methods towards maintaining a healthy lifestyle, especially for people with digestive conditions. She suggests that by adding more movement to 15 DiGEST THIS

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