Ask a Personal Trainer

Ask A Personal Trainer

We ask health and wellness professionals the same six questions we always ask. This week, TWO DOULAS talks to personal trainer Melissa Scarpelli.

Personal Trainer Melissa Scarpelli

Melissa Scarpelli has been a personal trainer for over eight years. After working in various Montreal gyms, she recently launched Mel’s Body Shop, an online coaching business. A wife and mother of two, she loves rock climbing, powerlifting, continuously expanding her exercise knowledge and coming up with new healthy recipes to share with her clients.

How would you describe your job in just one sentence?

I help people realize their full potential in the areas of health and fitness by guiding and educating them and by providing them with the tools and mindset necessary to achieve their goals.

What made you want to be a personal trainer? 

I enjoy exercise and health and decided to use my passion to help others see the benefit of this lifestyle.

How can new and expectant parents benefit from your services?

I have multiple certifications to help them in the areas of physical health and fitness.  I’m also a certified coach in Behavioral Change which helps me help parents who feel reluctant to change. Being proactive is so much more beneficial that being reactive. I have also had the pleasure to go through the process twice, bouncing back each time to a healthy weight and maintaining my strength. Someone who has successfully achieved their goals after going through a similar experience can be a good role model.

 What happens at your first meeting with a new or expectant parent? 

The first meeting is always about getting to know the individual and establishing trust. Goals will begin revealing themselves and together we will establish a system to reach those goals. Some will be through self-reflection and being truly honest with themselves; others will be through exercise and food suggestions and discussions.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about your field?

That I am just going to give out exercise programs and meal plans and say, ‘See ya!’ I am all about continuous contact and connection. I have clients who text me in the middle of the night as they reach for a piece of cake in the fridge. I enjoy helping people through those tough moments.

What do you love most about working with new and expectant parents?

There are so many women (and men too!) who let pregnancy be an excuse to eat whatever they want and become sedentary. Unless they are high-risk and/or a doctor has recommended it, there are better choices during this time! I enjoy educating expectant parents about the importance of health during this life-changing process. It’s is equally important that the parents attempt to give the baby the best chance they can from conception, and also that the parents take the steps necessary to be healthy and fit to take on this challenge themselves. All the lifting, bending, and not to mention the endurance both physically and mentally – they need to be ready!