Have you heard about our Brand Ambassador program? Our Hunk Squad is a group of passionate Heavenly Hunks lovers who are excited to share their love for these ridiculously amazing treats.
Over the summer we featured the fantastic Anne Craig, and this month we'd like to introduce you to Finley! Get to know her in our Hunk Squad Member Spotlight below.
What’s your name?
Finley Funsten…but you can call me FinFun ☺
What’s your Instagram handle?
@finleyfunsten
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
Bettering the fitness and nutrition scene in Charlotte and beyond gets me out of bed every morning! Fitness has always been integral to my lifestyle. I played Division I field hockey in college, and quickly fell in love with the strength and conditioning world following my graduation into adulthood! In addition to managing and coaching at MADabolic CLT (Charlotte’s premier interval-driven strength and conditioning gym), I leverage extensive experience and credentials in the nutrition space. I work one-on-one with everyday athletes and fitness enthusiasts on implementing a sustainable, balanced, and performance-supporting approach to food and fitness.
What sparked your passion for the relationships between the body and food?
My fascination with nutrition started more narrowly as I learned more about how cohesively nutrition intersects with athletic performance. Quickly thereafter, I dived deeper and deeper into the nutrition space in pursuit of learning how food fuels literally every aspect of life. Food supports so much more than just performance. Understanding just how pivotal dietary habits are on things like sleep, hormonal health, energy, mood, productivity, and beyond is fascinating and plays a big role in what I teach my 1:1 nutrition clients.
Furthermore, my passion for our relationship with food extends past the physical elements, as I find a troubling number of people struggle with their mental and emotional relationship with what they eat. With that, I am driven to help the community break the unnecessarily stigmatized “rules” and guilt that so pervasively exists around food!
Any specific advice you would give to other busy women who are interested in starting to make healthier diet choices for themselves and family?
First, I recommend starting NOW. It’s easy to procrastinate with a “diet starts Monday” or “I’ll wait ‘til the New Year” mentality. But the truth is: the most ideal time to start making lifestyle changes to better your health is right there in that moment! You are the CEO of your health, so there’s no need to wait to claim control over what you CAN control, such as your nutrition!
Second, I think it’s important to execute patience. Making dietary lifestyle changes usually entails adopting new habits, and habits take time to solidify. As opposed to biting off more than you can chew by trying to change EVERYTHING at, try segmenting out these changes into smaller chunks. For example, if you struggle with getting enough protein in, eating an adequate amount of veggies and fruits, drinking plenty of water, and getting regular exercise in, avoid trying to rectify all of those challenges at the same time. Start with one, such as focusing on eating more lean protein sources at each meal. Once you feel comfortable with that habit, layer in a focus on eating more veggies. Once you’re nailing the protein and veggie goal, move on to the next one. This strategy not only encourages these habits to stick, but it also eliminates the likelihood of burnout by attempting to change too much at once.
Lastly, understand that it’s totally normal and expected for changes to take time! Overnight results are not only realistic, but they’re not sustainable either.
What does a typical day look like for you?
A typical day starts with an early morning training session at MADabolic CLT. Afterwards, I come back home for a shower and cook up a giant breakfast. While eating and sipping coffee, I spend time each morning responding to nutrition client check-ins before heading back to the gym for the day. Throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening, when I’m not coaching MAD classes, I’m either behind the scenes knocking out administrative to-do’s and developing brand content, or I’m out in the community visiting our favorite local business partners! Each day comes to a close in the company of my husband and two pups. We enjoy dinner out every now and then, but most evenings we’re cooking a fresh and flavorful meal, kicking our feet up and catching up on our favorite Netflix or HBO series.
What’s the most important our readers should know about indulging in something sweet?
That there is plenty of space for sweet treats to exist within a healthy diet! One of the hardest mentalities to break is that of food guilt. In reality, there’s no morality assigned to food. It takes practice and effort, but taking measures to eliminate the sense of guilt that oftentimes accompanies indulging in something sweet is critical in establishing a healthy relationship with what we eat and removing restrictive dietary parameters.
To start, I encourage you all to start by removing words like “cheat,” “bad, “naughty”, and any other negative rhetoric from your food vocabulary. Words are powerful, and the less negative verbiage we use to describe food, the less stigmatized they become. Another strategy I like to recommend for anyone who struggles with restriction-based cravings is to enjoy something sweet every day. Yes – you read that right! Whether that be a couple of Heavenly Hunks, a small bowl of ice cream, a cookie, etc., regularly exposing yourself to foods you previously perceived as “bad” helps put control into your hands and away from those foods.
How long have you been crushing on Heavenly Hunks?
2 years!
How did you learn about E&C’s Snacks/What drew you to our snacks?
My sister actually turned me onto them, as they’re a treat she loves sharing with her toddler. I remember stealing one off my niece’s plate (she was 1 at the time…savage, I know) and was immediately hooked on the Hunk life. Immediately proceeded to get online and bulk order them…and now it’s a staple my pantry can’t live without.
What’s your favorite Hunk flavor?
White Chocolate Oatmeal (which is interesting, because I’m ordinarily a dark or milk chocolate lover).
What’s your favorite way to enjoy Hunks?
My favorite way to Hunk is before I head out the door for my morning workout. They are the perfect size and so convenient…I usually pop two of them on my way out the door before getting my sweat session in for the day. Cookies for a pre-workout breakfast? WHY NOT??
What’s the best thing about being a member of the Hunk Squad?
Getting to spread the hunky love with anyone and everyone!! I love these treats and feel so good about what they’re made of, so I want everyone else to know about them too! I also love that they’re allergen-friendly, so literally anyone can enjoy them.
Interested in becoming a member of the Hunk Squad? Get more information and apply here.