For those of you who don't know who Chontel Duncan is, let me give you a basic rundown. She is an Australian mother and business owner alongside her husband Samuel. They have two beautiful boys together and are hoping for two more healthy kids within the next few years. She has also accomplished a lot in life so far.
I came across her on one of those Snapchat "Discover" tabs a couple years ago. There was an article on there about how in shape she was with a picture of her a couple days/weeks after giving birth to her first son, Jeremiah. I was intrigued by the whole story and wanted to know more about her.
Pictured: Sam, baby Jeremiah ("Miah" for short), and Chontel
The article included her Snapchat username at the end, so I added her on there and followed her on Instagram soon after she dropped her handle for it on her Snapchat.
Not only is she the owner of a very successful (and popular) branch of gyms in Australia named HIIT Australia (meaning "High Intensity Interval Training"), but she also is the creator of a healthy recipe eBook and creator of a soon-to-be athletic clothing line at her gym. Aside from being super successful at the ripe age of 28, she's also just a genuinely good person.
Unlike many other "fitspos," she doesn't shame people for going out and eating junk food or drinking because guess what? She does it too. Chontel really believes in balancing these aspects of life to not be so hard on yourself, especially if you don't strictly follow a diet or if you missed a workout session for the week. We are all human and we make mistakes. Life is too short to beat yourself up over the little things.
Chonnie is an advocate for fit pregnancies, as both of her pregnancies were active ones. She always checks with her doctors before she does anything as far as training goes, as anyone in that situation should, and follows their orders to a tee. She supports other women who do the same and she also supports those who wish they could have a fit pregnancy but physically can't, acknowledging that every body is different and every pregnancy is different.
Aside from her physical aspects, her personality is absolutely lovely. She responds to online trolls in a generally calm manner, simply deleting the negative comments instead of starting something from it. She tries to be a very positive person, but even she has her rough days. This helps show her followers that she is human just like them.
Additionally, she is very honest. She posted a "mum pic" once that showed the messy side of parenting and motherhood, with a bare-bottomed Jeremiah pooping in her arms, along with a very lighthearted caption. She tells her followers what work she's had done physically to enhance certain features she wanted to enhance.
As an Instagram star, some companies will send her free stuff to try out, some of which ask her to promote their brand, others of which do not. Other times she'll hear about a brand or a product from a friend and buy it herself to try it out.
Whether she is asked or not, Chontel promotes the brands and products she loves out of the kindness of her heart, not to benefit from it. She even pays to work out at her own gym, pays for PT (personal training) sessions with PTs (personal trainers) that happen to also be her friends. She never takes advantage of them.
I could honestly write about the amazing Chontel Duncan for hours, but I'll wrap it up for now with a picture of her beautiful family and a reminder to be a good person.
Left to right: Sam, Swayde, Chontel, and Jeremiah Duncan