Storming onto our TV screens as Angel in Gladiators back in 2008, Tiffiny Hall made it clear from the get-go that she doesn’t give in without a fight. And that has never been more evident than in the past year.
The 37-year-old, who made a name for herself as a trainer on The Biggest Loser before turning her attention to her own fitness brand, has had to contend with what she calls “a real string of bad luck” – a series of wrist injuries and surgeries, plus all those lockdowns.
That’s not to mention her shock diagnoses of chronic fatigue syndrome and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, which she opened up about earlier this year. “I’ve had all kinds of setbacks,” Hall admits.
However, in true Tiffiny form, she hasn’t let it get her down. Speaking to WHO over Zoom from her Melbourne home, which she shares with her radio presenter hubby Ed Kavalee, 42, and their 4-year-old son Arnold, the fitness trainer is as positive and optimistic as ever.
“That’s all behind me. I’m feeling really great now and I just want to be positive and show people that you can get through without the excuses,” Hall explains.
“I’ve learned some good lessons through my recovery, and one of them is that your setbacks are never as good as your comebacks. And that’s what I’m hoping I’m doing at the moment – I’m making a massive comeback.”
Here, the trainer talks to WHO about fitness, balance and feeling good …
How was the last lockdown for you and your family? It’s been a long one!
Yeah, it has been. I mean, we’ve survived one of the longest lockdowns in history in Melbourne, Victoria. So it became sort of normal, which is so bad. But I’m very lucky because I live with a comedian, so he cracks a lot of jokes. He’s always upbeat. He’s a very funny guy, so he sort of kept spirits up. We had a lot of good fun as a family.
Are you excited it’s over?
I’m very pumped. I’m excited to see small businesses opening, to see my beautiful beloved gyms open their doors, and all of my colleagues and other personal trainers back. COVID is a thing that really hits people’s mental health and their physical health, and the COVID kilos creep on and you just start feeling blah. So to have the gyms reopened and to have a place of wellness and somewhere for people to go and have that different headspace, I think it’s really important.
You shared some big health news earlier this year. How’s your recovery been going?
Yeah, that was pretty massive, but it’s going well. I’m finding better ways to manage it. Lockdown for me was a little bit of a blessing because things did slow down. I wasn’t a million miles an hour. I was able to focus on my recovery. So it is improving out of sight, and I’ve been able to return to some light, gentle exercise. I’m also working much more now … but I’ve just had to be very smart in the way I work with my team. It’s all paying off, which is great.
And obviously you’ve been prioritising your health and family. Have you been enjoying that quality time?
Absolutely. Arnold is 4, so he’s at the best age. He’s had two lockdown birthdays, but we have just had so much fun. I mean, it’s hard, all parents are homeschooling, he wasn’t at kinder or any of these activities. So I’m full-time kinder teacher, entertainer, I’m his playmate because he doesn’t have siblings – it’s been full on! But I’ve loved every minute I’ve had with Ed and Arnold, and will continue to prioritise my family like that and look after myself a lot better.
You’ve still had plenty on the go work-wise.
Yeah, a lot has been happening! I launched my activewear brand, Flex … It’s always been my passion, activewear, because I was wearing it to university back in 2000, when no one wore activewear! I would teach a gym class and then I would go to a tutorial or lecture, and people would be like, “Ew, what is she wearing?”. Like full Lycra bike shorts, everything, just from the gym, you know? So it’s been a huge passion project to launch Flex and it’s been a sellout success, which is fantastic. And the other thing I’ve just launched is my supplement business Nourish.
Your TXO Life program has been keeping people active during lockdown, too. How have you been staying active?
We were lucky we have a little home gym set up in the garage. But I’ve been doing TXO as well because it was really hard to find motivation in lockdown. And I think I’m speaking for all people – you’re feeling a bit more miserable, your work schedules have changed, and I have a little one running around who doesn’t have his normal routine. So finding time for myself was really hard, and then once I found the time, finding the motivation on top of that … I just thought. “I need a mentor, I need to stick to a program,” so I just did TXO Life. And I’ve fallen in love with my own program all over again. Ed comes home and I’m doing the workouts to myself. There’s Tiff on the screen saying, “Star Jumps!” And he’s like, “You’re working out with yourself?” And I’m like, “I don’t think it’s that weird. Is it that weird?” I don’t know. I’m just so used to it. I love it!
You’ve always been an active person. How do you encourage yourself to slow down?
These days, it’s just having those punctuated self-care breaks throughout the day … You have to schedule them into your day and I do in my diary. It’s like meeting, Zoom, interview, Zoom, and then I put in “green time”. They are nourishing, rejuvenating breaks that I need throughout the day to just keep my energy up.
How do you manage the juggling act of work and parenting?
Oh man, it’s a team effort. I have fantastic babysitters that can step in. My mum’s very active, and Arnold has [other] fantastic grandparents that look after him as well. But Ed and I are very lucky – between us, we juggle very well. My husband works on breakfast radio, so he essentially finishes work about 9-9.30am and then he’s home. So then I kind of start work at 9.30 … It’s certainly a juggle but, you know, I just I block out a three to four-hour block of hard work at those times when Arnold’s at kinder, and then he’s home and I have to focus on him. That’s just life and he does come first.
Following everything you’ve achieved in the last few years, what’s next for you?
I’m launching Evergreen, which is my next Flex collection, in November. And I have a challenge that’s just launched because everyone’s feeling so disgusting after lockdown here in Victoria. People are feeling overweight, out of shape, and just don’t know where to start with their fitness. So I’ve launched my four-week comeback challenge. Everyone needs to make a comeback … We’re going to get back to feeling good and feeling like ourselves again after COVID and lockdown. Let’s put all that behind us – forget your setbacks, we’re ready for the comeback. So I’m really excited about this challenge. I need it myself.
Sign up for TXO Life or shop TXO Flex and Nourish products at mytxo.com.
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