Tim Robards rose to fame as the Bachelor in the first season of The Bachelor Australia in 2013. Recently the chiropractor and fitness trainer has been on magazine covers in Australia and the US. Robards, 34, tells KATE WATERHOUSE about the key to getting fit, his advice to the next Bachelor, and when he thinks he will pop the question to his girlfriend, Anna Heinrich.
Did you always want to be a sports chiropractor? Yes, I was always interested in the sports side of things … I like helping people be the best that they can be … Instead of just treating people's pain, I actually want to just make people function better … A lot of people usually come in with a problem or something in their life they're not happy with, so you've go, "Right, what's the cause? Let's address the cause."
Were you a sporty kid at school? I was always pretty academic – I was into maths and did physics and all that, the sciencey sort of stuff, the nerdy stuff … I was kind of small, so I started hitting the gym in year 7, when I was 13. I was training every day, growing some size and strength. Most kids at that age, none of them had gone to a gym, so when I went to play footy I was actually pretty good because I just had that strength and, I guess, the determination and discipline.
Tell me about The Robards Method. It took about nine months to get the app where we wanted to get it, but it is pretty unique in that it uses the minimal amount of equipment to get the maximum amount of result … I wanted something to get more people outside – something that gets fresh air, a good place to de-stress. We incorporated the use of Olympic rings ... There is a level for everyone.
How has The Bachelor changed your life? That experience has proven one of the scariest things I've ever done. Every day I was pushing myself out of my comfort zone and it makes you grow as a person … It was great to have an audience ... and people that love following your story.
Did you actually think you would meet the love of your life when you first went into the show? I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think so … I said to them, "If this is just a show about drama and you just want some guy on, I don't want to be part of it."
What would be your advice to someone going into the show? I think if you're going in as the Bachelor or Bachelorette, you've got to be really, really clear on what you want. If you really want another relationship, it's going to show, but if you're just getting there to get a boost of your profile, it comes through. The camera doesn't lie.
So the big question is: is there is a proposal on the horizon? I think the key to us being successful in our relationship is keeping it real, and that is also part of what I would suggest to someone: even though you're on a show, don't get swept up on a TV show, like in a fairyland … We haven't rushed things because obviously everyone wants to see that, they either want to see the relationship continues and flourish or fail. So I want to do things when I'm ready.
Do you ever feel the pressure to pop the question? No, I wouldn't want to do it because I feel the pressure. I would do it when I feel just completely excited and ready and everything kind of falls into place. At the moment, we've got a wedding every second weekend. So when do you get time around other people's weddings? We've got to wait till the wedding season cools down, so that it can be kind of special. Otherwise, literally, the next day you have to go and be celebrating someone else's wedding that day.
What's the funniest headline you've ever read about you guys? Definitely there has been a couple about a baby surprise! And once there was a photograph of me leaving work with my lunch box and they are like, "Yeah, it's official, Tim and Anna have broken up and he's moving out".
What's your number one fitness tip? Just start with a simple little habit change; it's all about habits. So if you can just start with changing one thing in your diet and just add one little bit of exercise – maybe a walk, and maybe once a week but then soon it will probably turn into twice a week or three times a week and then turn into a jog. So, I think, set your goals, but start with small steps.
What do you indulge on? Probably Jude's food [Jude is Anna's mother] … Usually once a week or once a fortnight [we] have a three-course meal, some big sugary desert, and I just go like, "All right, I've been pretty good during the week" and I just let loose.
What's an ideal weekend for you? I love little adventures, I love to get out of Sydney or at least to new parts of Sydney sometimes. So we might pack up to mum and dad's up in Newcastle; to Toronto, which is always nice; or just heading up towards Palm Beach. Sometimes it is nice if we've got something in Sydney ... go to Kings Cross, go to boxing class together, go back, go to the beach on a quiet little spot.
Congratulations on your US Men's Health covers. How did that come about? Basically now I've had three covers in Australia, two of them got picked up by the US last year ... So right now, I think I've got like 30 covers or something around the world.
What about your partnership with ALDI? It's kind of in line with my values – fitness should be accessible to everyone ... and that is where these guys help make fitness apparel to make it accessible to as many people as possible ... So I am working with them for at least a year.
Where do you see yourself in five years? I would probably like to see to kids on the way, I would like to have a family – obviously with Anna. From a work point of view, [with] the Robards Method, I'd love to build that community and make that international community and sort of keep influencing and changing people's ideas on health and healthcare.
Katewaterhouse.com
BITE SIZE
We went to Sticky Fingers Kitchen & Bar, Surry Hills
We ate Scrambled eggs; avo toast with goat's cheese, pistachio nuts and citrus truffle honey on sourdough
We drank Green tea; flat white and freshly squeezed juices
Tim wears The Academy Brand shirt, Venroy shorts