Disney “So Random!” Star Tiffany Thornton on Fitness, Family and a Super Scary Disease

Disney star, Tiffany Thornton, has a unique role in the Disney family. Unlike her “So Random!” teenage costars, Tiffany’s true age is 25, which makes her more of a big sister to phenoms like Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus. Not only is she not going through real teenage issues like puberty, and first kisses in the public eye, she’s married (check out her wedding video below) and considering having babies soon! Even with this stark contrast of realities, she gets along great with her younger pals, and has chosen to use her voice to promote the meningitis vaccine – something she’s far too experienced with. When we spoke last week Tiffany was an open book about food, fitness, family and Christmas. Sounds like Santa’s got his work cut out for him at her home!

Fitz: Tell us what it’s like to be a Disney star.

Tiffany: It’s great! I love the people I work for and I love the people I work with. I love my job! The only negative part is when I get caught in the grocery store looking messy with no makeup on and someone wants to take a photo with me. But other than that it’s great. I’m 25, so the kids that watch our show aren’t necessarily my peers, but I love kids and I’ve always loved babysitting, so I enjoy having so much interaction with them. And the ability to be a role model is very powerful, especially when I’m given the chance to work for a cause like Meningitis, which I’ve had personal experience with. Hopefully I can change lives because of my work with Disney.

Fitz: Well, let’s start there. Tell us about that experience with meningitis. It sounds scary!

Tiffany: I was diagnosed at 19 after experiencing flu-like symptoms and spent 10 days in the hospital fighting for my life. It’s a communicable disease, so I could have contracted it just like people catch a cold (kissing, sharing drinks, etc …). The scary thing about meningitis is that it looks like the flu causing fevers, chills, aches and headaches, but it could kill people within 24 hours, especially children. Thank goodness my Mom had just seen a TV show about meningitis, so she was aggressive getting me the treatment I needed. A lot of people don’t know enough about meningitis, and a lot of children die because of it. I’m working for this cause because many people don’t know there’s a vaccine and it can be so easily prevented.

Fitz: Well, you make a very good case and now I’m planning on making sure my family gets vaccinated!

Tiffany: Thank you! It’s just so easy to prevent and would save so many lives if everyone got the vaccination. It’s as easy as the flu-shot and then you’re done. With the kids being out of school on winter break, it is a great time to go get it done! People can learn more at VoicesofMeningitis.org and on the Facebook page Raise Your Voice Against Meningitis.

Fitz: On the fitness frontier, I hear you’re pretty aggressive too. Tell me about your workouts and eating habits.

Tiffany: I have two Pomeranians who love to go outside, so my husband and I love to take them on lots of walks. We also have a gym here in our apartment complex which I use a lot too. I get bored pretty easily though, so I tend to get on the elliptical for 10 minutes, the treadmill for 10 minutes,  and the stair-climber for 10 minutes. I also do a lot of circuit training, because I can change things up with one minute breaks between exercises. I’m considering including swimming in my workouts as well!

Fitz: And your eating habits?

Tiffany: I’m from Texas, so I love my southern food. Fortunately, I also love my fruits and vegetables so I’m able to have balance. I don’t ever reject foods completely, but I make sure I don’t have the less healthy stuff every day. If I had to choose between working out more or eating perfectly all the time, I’d choose to workout more often to compensate for the occasional bad stuff. I try to control my portion sizes as well, but if I do go a little overboard eating I just try to exercise more that day.

Fitz: Have you experienced any of the pressure Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus are experiencing about their bodies? (For readers: If you’re unaware, both Demi and Miley – both healthy girls – have been called “fat” and ridiculed for their figures. Demi is recovering from an eating disorder.)

Tiffany: Yes! I think that comes with being in the spotlight. We’re always judging ourselves or being compared to other girls/women on the red carpet. I combat all of that with a healthy lifestyle full of exercise, which creates endorphins and makes me feel better anyway. I also surround myself with people who lift me up like great friends, and my husband who tells me I’m beautiful every day (cause he has to!) Hahahaha! I’m not a stick thin girl, but I am healthy. And when I don’t feel healthy, I get myself back to behaving healthy again! By working out a bit more or watching my portions, I can easily get back on track. I believe as a woman, we should listen to our bodies. When we want something sweet, we should remember that G-d gave us fruit to fulfill that need. We shouldn’t all just grab a cup of coffee to satisfy our hunger or cravings.

Fitz: As the big sister figure on “So Random!”, do you ever have to counsel the other girls on the show on this topic

Tiffany: No! The girls on this show are so put together and so mature. They don’t need me in this area. At 15, they know what they like, they know what they don’t like. I feel like – what the heck! When I was 15 I didn’t know anything!

Fitz: It’s weird right?! I worked with Disney stars Alyson Stoner, Kenton Duty and Caroline Sunshine a few months ago and they were so poised, mature and perfect in every way! I wasn’t nearly as fabulous when I was their age. Disney either picks them right or trains them right.

Tiffany: They know the biggest words and have the most adult conversations. I love being with them though. None of them seem to have any issues with insecurities, or at least they don’t talk about it and carry themselves with great confidence.

Fitz: Topic switch! What are you asking Santa for this year?

Tiffany: Well this has been a big year for me; I’ve just had my fairytale wedding and my husband and I are celebrating Christmas here in Los Angelos, which is the first time I’ve had to do this by myself. So I’m going to be asking Santa that I not burn anything this year. I’m cooking a turkey in our small apartment kitchen and I’m definitely going to need some help!

Fitz: Are you giving any special gifts?

Tiffany: We’re sending out wedding photos to our family members who really want them, and then we’re having friends over for meals.

Fitz: Real tree or fake tree?

Tiffany: Real! We just got a tree yesterday, and they “flocked” it. I’ve never heard of that before, but flocking is when they spray the tree so it looks like it’s covered in snow. And we’ve decorated it in silver, blue and white. It smells amazing too!

Fitz: Since you’re a newlywed, I have to ask, are you planning to have babies any time soon?

Tiffany: Well … we love kids, so whenever G-d wants to bless us with that, we’ll be grateful. But we just got past the wedding, so we’re still unwrapping wedding gifts and we’d like to get past that first. My Mom keeps asking when the thank you cards are coming, and I’m like  – I know Mom! But we definitely want kids in the future and we’re really excited about that happening someday.

***Thanks so much for the fabulous interview Tiffany, you are equally adorable and impressive as your costars! Merry Christmas to you and your new husband too!

Tiffany & Chris {Fairytale Wedding Trailer} from Fresh Focus Films on Vimeo.