At 83, Neil Millgate isn’t slowing down.

The Warriewood Brook resident spends five days a week on the water, paddling with the Pittwater Dragon Boat Club three days a week and kayaking with friends on another two. He also regularly heads to the gym and still walks between six and eight kilometres, despite having undergone a knee replacement.

His retirement looks very different to what many people imagine, but Neil says staying active has been the key to maintaining his independence and enjoying life.

“My approach is why stop a good thing when you are enjoying life, the people around you and the opportunities that may be yet to come,” he said.

“Fitness is the key. As the saying goes, ‘use it or lose it’.”

Neil first discovered dragon boating in 2005 after his wife, Di, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following surgery and radiation treatment, she decided she wanted to take up the sport as part of her recovery and encouraged Neil to join her.

“Our journey began,” he said.

“After a few weeks training, Di suggested that I should give it a go, so I did and became one of the first men to paddle with Dragons Abreast Sydney as a supporter for Di.”

What started as a way to support his wife quickly became a passion. Within a year Neil had made the NSW state team and, in 2007, represented Australia.

“I had not realised how much training went into racing at this level, on the water three or four times each week and in the gym at least three times,” he said.

“My life had been taken over, in a good way, and the buzz I got from paddling with 19 other like-minded people is unbelievable. Friends made at this time are still with me today.”

Since then, Neil and Di have travelled extensively, competing in dragon boating events across New Zealand, Italy and the United States while exploring new destinations along the way.

He believes one of the biggest reasons he’s stayed committed is the sense of responsibility that comes with being part of a team.

“Come hail or shine you must be there for each other. There is no ‘I don’t feel like it today’,” he said.

“We all have bad days but it is the people that turn up on their bad days that make an outstanding team possible, and what you give to your team you will get back in spades.”

That commitment has paid dividends well beyond the race course.

“Fortunately I do not have mobility problems and can regularly walk six to eight kilometres even with a knee replacement,” he said.

“I can move furniture, hang pictures, walk down or up steps without using the handrail and little jobs around the house are all still within my capabilities, primarily due to my ongoing fitness and willingness to continue my exercise regime.”

His advice to others over 70 is simple.

“Just because you are over 70 or 80 years of age, you should not stop trying to either stay fit or improve your current fitness level,” he said.

“You can start with small things that can be done at home in your chair, stand up and down, start walking rather than taking the car. If you’re lucky enough to have a gym nearby or in your village, use it.”

He also believes finding someone to exercise with can make all the difference.

“It is most important to get fit with a friend. It means you are committed to do something with someone you respect. You know you don’t want to let them down and, believe me, this makes all the difference when you feel like giving it a miss.”

Neil’s experience reflects what physiotherapist Liam Potter sees every day through the strength and mobility programs he runs at Anglicare’s Warriewood Brook Seniors Living village on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Potter believes many older Australians are capable of far more than they realise.

“Too many health providers wrap older Australians in cotton wool,” he said.

“They focus so much on the risk of injury or falls that they convince people they can’t make real gains in strength and balance.”

Instead, Potter believes older Australians should be “training like athletes”.

“When we show clients the real evidence of what their bodies can still do, it unlocks an athlete’s mindset,” he said.

“Suddenly, they realise that if they put in the work, they get the results.”

Rather than relying on guesswork, Potter uses the same VALD performance technology commonly found in professional sporting clubs to measure strength, grip and lower body power, allowing residents to see measurable improvements over time.

“As our clients see their own data improving, everything changes,” he said.

“They start showing up more often, pushing themselves a bit harder and treating their bodies like they are capable of improving.”

For those worried strength training might be dangerous later in life, Potter says the approach is gradual and carefully supervised.

“We never push someone to the limit on day one,” he said.

“We start with baby steps: very light weights, low repetitions and simple movements. The goal is to build trust.”

He also spends time helping people understand the difference between discomfort and injury.

“A little discomfort during exercise doesn’t mean you’re damaging your joints. In fact, if you want to reduce the pain of osteoarthritis in your knees, the single best thing you can do is build the muscle around them.”

As confidence grows, so too does the challenge.

“People massively underestimate what their bodies are still capable of,” Potter said.

“We even have clients in their 80s maxing out the village leg press machine at 100 kilograms. That’s what safe, measured progression looks like.”

The benefits extend far beyond the gym.

Potter has seen residents avoid needing walkers, regain the confidence to travel overseas, improve their heart health and even maintain cognitive function through regular resistance training.

“We spend a lot of time practising how to get up off the floor,” he said.

“Recently, one of our clients had a fall at home. Because she had trained for that exact situation, she was able to get herself off the ground immediately, call for help and get medical attention fast.”

For older Australians wondering where to begin, Potter recommends starting with one surprisingly simple habit.

“Stop using your hands to get out of a chair,” he said.

“Cross your arms over your chest and try to stand up. Practice it ten times in a row, a set in the morning, a set at lunch and a set at dinner. That one small habit puts you miles ahead.”

His second piece of advice is equally straightforward.

“Resistance training is the single most important thing an older Australian can do for their body. It is the literal definition of ‘use it or lose it’.

“And most importantly, make it something you actually want to do. Find a community, have a laugh and lift some heavy things.”