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Why are we so into health and wellness around here? Our answer is simple. We believe everyone deserves to live and happy life. We feel that happiness is founded in feeling good from the inside out.
For any of you who can relate to my story, life is full of loss, pain and sorrow. When you loose someone close to you or someone very near to you becomes ill it becomes essential to eliminate any toxins in your life and maintain what you have left of good health. Health is something to be taken seriously and it can be overwhelming to know were to start if its not something you have spent time on previous to your loss. When I lost my dad from heart disease I had already been on a journey of learning nutrition. I was not in a place where I felt I needed to be disciplined but I always found it interesting to learn about how the body processes fuel. In the wake of the years after, it became very clear to me that the beauty industry was flooded with harsh toxic chemicals. Parabens for example are in almost everything and they go through the skin and deposit directly into breast tissue and can lead to causing cancer. It makes my blood boil that companies that know this continue to use theses ingredients. Chantel Funk + Co. is a company that I got to make the decision to remove any and all products that had these and other toxic ingredients known to cause harm to our beloved community. In 2017 we changed our brands to natural, organic and toxic free companies that had good ethical and sustainable practices for our earth. It is important to me that when a guest shops at my shop they know they are safe from harm and leaving very little impact on the earth. It is also important to me that the products truly work. I am proud of the integrity of the brands we carry and how easy it is to shop with us.
Last year was my first year in making a long term commitment to my health after being diagnosed with AMN following my sons diagnosis of Adrenoleukodystrophy and Adrenal Insufficiency. I need to be an example to my kids as to what it means to live a healthy life with wellness being the focus. I was also determined not to be defined by my diagnosis and I started walking every day. Eventually I wanted to challenge myself to start running. Now I have ran two half marathons just for fun in my neighborhood and I run 10-20km/week. I started eating plant based in January and have graduated to a sustainable vegan lifestyle (this was a 5 year goal I crushed in 6 months). I want to feel good every day so I can show up for my kids, husband, colleagues and this community. Small daily steps inside an abundance mindset (what can I add?) is the way to success.
We never know when we will loose our health to disease and once it is gone there isn’t always a way to get it back. I do my best every day to eat healthy, exercise, take care of my mental health and make sure my body is not exposed to harmful chemicals. I wish is to inspire you to take small steps towards your health and overall wellness. It is so true that when you feel well anything feels conquerable. You are worth it, take care of yourself friends!
-Chantel
Want to learn more about health and wellness? Stay tuned for our upcoming workshops and make sure to let us know you are interested!
Chantel Funk + Co. 