EXCLUSIVE: Tiff Hall on the most challening stage of motherhood and the fitness tip that actually works
The mum-of-two says it’s time to ditch the scales.
Fitness trainer and podcast host Tiff Hall knows what it’s like for women to feel pressure to ‘bounce back’ after pregnancy.
The mum-of-two has a five-year-old son Arnold and welcomed daughter, Vada, in May 2022.
Since becoming a mum, Tiff has spoken out about the ridiculous pressure she and other women felt to shed their baby weight fast.
Tiff’s advice is simple. Ditch the scales and commit to ‘bouncing forward’ ‘instead.
Tiff Hall opens up to Bounty Parents about keeping motivated to work out, the most challenging stage of motherhood and how her marriage with breakfast radio host, Ed Kavalee, changed after having kids.
How much pressure did you feel to ‘bounce back’ after your two pregnancies?
I felt enormous pressure. Not just because I was working in the media and had a fitness program that I was running but I felt it on social media, just as a woman and it was very toxic at the time.
I decided when I put a photo out of my postpartum body six years ago, that I wasn’t going to bounce back, but I was going to take my time and respect the fourth trimester and that recovery period.
I wanted to preserve my relationship with exercise and enjoy a sustainable return to health and fitness in the right way. I don’t know when it came from but I said, I’m going to bounce forward. And that’s what it meant in terms of after having a baby but it became a philosophy that I adopted in all areas of my life.
I started to bounce forward after having injuries, after having disappointments in business and I had an overwhelming response from women all over who said, ‘I’m bouncing forward from divorce’, ‘I’m bouncing forward from the promotion I didn’t get at work’. It has become a great philosophy for women to take the pressure off and be kinder to themselves.
What advice do you have for women who are struggling to find motivation to excercise?
I’ve been there and my best advice is shifting my focus from what my body looks like to how my body is feeling and performing. Shift from aesthetics to strength and energy levels rather than being obsessed with ‘I’m really unhappy with my size, or my weight or the number on the scale’.
I encourage women to not worry about scales at all but focus on non-scale victories, like going down the slide with your child again, having more energy and fitting into an old pair of jeans. It’s a healthy way of looking at it because it’s a shift in language.
What was your approach to getting fit again after your pregancies?
In both pregnancies, I was determined to take my time but it was harder after Vada because I was six years older and I really did feel that difference. I’d also had two wrist reconstructions and other injuries in between having Arnold and Vada and so I wasn’t as capable. With my pregnancy with Arnold, I was in fighting fit form going into it.
I’d put on much more weight with Vada than I had with Arnold. I was over 90 kilos when I gave birth to her and my joints were aching and I felt the extra weight. I had been sick and had some difficulties in the lead up to my pregnancy with Vada as well. I’d had some miscarriages and I wasn’t going into it fit and strong and I came out of it feeling even worse.
I had to focus on breaking down that fitness mountain into small steps and taking it much slower after Vada. I also had issues with my pelvic floor and my lower abdominals – my whole core had kind of collapsed.
I had to do the foundational work to rebuild and I started with breathing exercises and was like, ‘I’m going to do something that I can’t fail at and I’m going to feel confident and I’m going to be more motivated to move forward. It’s about breaking it down and taking those small steps and celebrating the small wins.
Tell us about your new podcast Bounce Forward and the main message you want to share with your listeners?
Health doesn’t have to be complicated and fitness doesn’t have to be really hard, it can be simple and easy. I wanted to share tips that take the pressure off and stop that all or nothing attitude, and to help women to feel like a win can be 10 minutes of exercise.
You don’t have to run a marathon, you don’t have to be on a strict diet. That whatever you can get done that helps you to feel good about yourself is worth it.
We’re bombarded by so much wellness content all day and it’s confusing. Like, am I juicing enough? Am I wearing the right activewear? Am I sweating enough? Am I meant to be doing yoga or this or that and it’s too much.
I wanted to break it down for people and be a voice of reason and to help them to feel good about themselves.
You inspire so many. What keeps you driven and inspired?
My kids! Honestly, everything I do is for them. I get up at a 4.45am and I do my exercise and they get up at 6am. It’s hard when you’ve got a big day ahead of you but I remind myself, I’m going to have more energy, those endorphins are going to kick in and I’m going to be a happier mum and not grumpy with them. I’m going to feel good.
My kids keep me grounded and inspired but also it’s about helping others as well. My Tiff XO community reach out every day with inspiring stories and whenever I’m lacking motivation I pop into my Facebook community and I see the women on there doing it against all odds. They’re slaying the day and I think if you can do 20 minutes, then I can do it.
Do you find mornings are the best time to exercise?
Yes, if I don’t prioritise it early, it just doesn’t get done. At the end of the day, I’m so tired and after I put the kids in bed I just want to sit on the couch.
Also, I’ve been a personal trainer for so many years that early morning starts were always second nature to me. My husband gets up really early for breakfast radio. So we’re both up around the 4.30am mark. He goes off to work and I do a bit of exercise, have a shower, get the kids up, and the day starts. I find that works well because otherwise running a company and having two small kids, it’s just it’s not doable for me.
What has been the most challenging stage of motherhood for you?
A year ago, when Vada was a newborn and Arnold was at school, that’s the most hectic time I’ve ever experienced. Their routines didn’t match up at all and I didn’t have any time for myself at all. It was a real grind and very hard but I’m finding my rhythm now.
Becoming parents can change a relationship. For you and Ed, what’s secret to a happy marriage after children?
It has taken a long time to figure that one out. It has been like a bomb going off in our relationship. We’ve found we have to carve out time for each other, whether it’s a coffee or a quick lunch. Going out and having dinner and seeing a movie is not really viable anymore, but we can do dinner and a movie at home and be together. Having that time is really important to preserve the relationship and to remember who you were before you had kids.
Tiffiny Hall is on a mission to help you live a fitter, healthier and more balanced life with new original podcast Bounce Forward. Listen to it here.
