FitLife Expert Q&A

FitLife: Will you explain the role of a life coach for our readers?

Denise Palmisano, Houma Life Coach: The role of a coach is a support and accountability partner. A coach will support the client in identifying areas of life that they would like to enhance, shift, change or transition. By asking questions, giving feedback and listening, a coach can educate and train an client to make the necessary adjustments, changes and transitions that allow the client to experience more peace, joy, happiness and fulfillment in their lives.

FitLife: How does this differ from therapy?

Denise: The client in coaching is facing temporary life challenges and desires to move forward. They are self-generating and able to take responsibility to integrate what they learn.

A coaching relationship has a measurable short term goal and is built on a vision.

FitLife: What does empowerment mean to you as a life coach?

Denise: Empowerment to me means that a client becomes better equipped to handle any life situation. They are empowered because they can navigate on their own more effectivelythrough life.

FitLife: Some may be turned off by the idea of empowerment, believing that it implies power over others. What would you say to someone with this belief?

Denise: Empowerment is the capacity to take personal responsibility for one’s own life situations. It isn’t about others. Empowerment is being better able to self-manage so that clients are more able to design and co-create relationships that are a win/win.

FitLife: We know what lifestyle strategies are most important for those seeking to initiate great physical change in their bodies (exercise, proper food intake, stress management, etc.), but many people feel powerless to implement these changes. Will you give our readers some insight into cultivating a feeling of empowerment toward these aims?

Denise: Empowerment is an experience a person has once they have observed an obstacle or challenge and then taken action to adjust or correct the situation. Empowerment is being better equipped to make choices in alignment with the desired results. Just knowing about something is not empowerment. True knowing is when you have done what it is you

think you know about. Empowerment is the mindset, capacity and willingness to take action. The experience of powerlessness is about the past. I encourage clients to look ahead to where they say they want to be. The past does not have to dictate the future. As we work together clients shift their mindset to one of “I can do this”. I let them know that they are not alone and that this will be a moment by moment process. Weight loss, just like any other issue in life doesn’t happen overnight. Having a plan and a partner will better assure their success. I encourage them to become observant of habits and patterns that are not currently working for their health and overall well-being. With their ongoing observation and insight we update the plan to accomplish their goals. It is a partnership.

FitLife: What do you see as the greatest obstacle to a sense of empowerment in a person’s life?

Denise: Some obstacles to a person’s sense of empowerment are:

Mindset – Most clients come to me with a tendency to determine their future success based on their past attempts. That is a belief that is limiting. One must be willing to let go of limiting beliefs as they adopt compassion, forgiveness and acceptance for themselves as they move forward in updating the old programming. It is crucial that they let go of who they assess themselves to be for who they can become.

Unwilling to learn – We are no longer equipped to handle the world we are waking up in. Our world is constantly changing. Our survival and success is dependent on being open to learning and implementing ongoing changes to keep up with a changing world.

Not being willing to taking responsibility for your life situations is a huge obstacle.

Empowerment does not exist if you are waiting to be rescued or if you are being enabled by someone else not to change.

FitLife: For someone feeling hopeless to make positive physical change, what do you see as the most important step in the right direction?

Denise: Get a partner, buddy, coach or trainer or teacher to educate and support you in the direction you want to go. You don’t know what you don’t know. It often takes someone being a different observer to educate and train you in more effective or updated methods to accomplish your goals.

FitLife: What would you say to the person who is prone to circumvent internal change, opting instead for easy and sometimes unhealthy solutions to losing weight?

Denise: Do it right the first time! If you are not willing to do the work, you can’t expect a lasting result. Health is a lifestyle not a weekend endeavor.

By revealing the programming that keeps the cycle of weight gain in place you are freed of the need to repeat the pattern. You can shift your mindset and your biology to rid the body of emotional and physical weight.

I believe that over time, easy and unhealthy solutions actually create long term complications and severe health problems. The yo-yo dieter will find it harder and harder to accomplish their goals because the internal frustration and disappointment will further cement in place a sense of powerlessness and helplessness. It is a place of maximum suffering.

FitLife: What’s the most important thing for anyone who feels powerless to know?

Denise: You are not alone! If you are coachable and willing to doing the internal and external work, you can do it!

FitLife: What services and/or educational opportunities that you offer would be of most interest to our readers, in your opinion.

Denise: I provide multiple educational opportunities that take into consideration that all of us at one time or another have felt a little stuck, maybe had a lack of focus or direction or have felt a like something was missing.

I provide individual and group coaching on a multitude of topics such as: