TPC on Channel 7’s Weekend Sunrise: Movement is about life, not exercise

Founder of The Physio Co (TPC), Tristan White, joined Weekend Sunrise on Channel 7 this week to talk about his new book, Moving is Living: Simple steps to stay active, confident and full of life in your 70s, 80s and beyond.

The book brings together lots of the things Tristan and the TPC team have learned over the past 20 years helping Aussie seniors stay mobile, safe and happy.

Tristan is currently doing a media tour to promote the book. For the Weekend Sunrise segment, he brought two guests to the Channel 7 studio – Pam and Lee. Both are 91, and TPC clients. They showed viewers how simple strength exercises work in real life.

Watch the full interview below.

Here are seven takeaways from the interview:

1. Move for the life you want

Tristan opened with why movement matters.

“After 20 years of helping people like Pam and Lee to stay mobile, safe and happy, I can tell you that movement is not about exercise, it’s about life,” Tristan said. “It’s about keeping doing the things you love and staying active and independent.”

He shared the story of Alexandra, 93, who lives in Sydney. Alexandra had a goal: travel to Greece for a family wedding. She worked hard with her physio and made the trip.

“That’s why movement matters. That’s what keeps our dreams alive.”

2. Start smaller than you think

Falls rank among the leading causes of hospital visits for older Aussies. Tristan’s first tip for staying safe and steady at home:

“Exercise can seem daunting, but start smaller than you think,” Tristan said.

If walking feels hard right now, walk to the front yard. Next time, walk to the neighbour’s place.

“A walk to the neighbour’s place to say g’day is a really wonderful thing,” he said.

3. Snack on exercise

You don’t need a gym or a spare hour. Tristan recommends short bursts of strength work spread through your day.

“We call them exercise snacks,” he said. “Fit them in while the kettle’s boiling.”

4. Give yourself a ‘standing ovation’

Pam and Lee demonstrated Tristan’s favourite strength exercise live on air. Sit in a chair, stand up, sit back down, and repeat.

“I like to call them standing ovations,” Tristan said. “It’s like your favourite show. The concert’s ended and you’re standing up to do a round of applause.”

His cue for the movement: “Nice and strong, nice and steady.”

5. Challenge yourself

The studio floor was a bit slippery, but Pam kept going with her standing ovation exercise. Tristan used the moment to explain why a little challenge helps.

“You’ve got to challenge yourself,” he said. “If you stay comfortable and you don’t push yourself, then you don’t get better and you can lose your independence.”

6. Support Mum and Dad, don’t do everything for them

Tristan has a 76-year-old mum, so this advice is personal, and his tip runs against the instinct most of us have.

“Don’t do everything for your Mum and Dad as early as possible,” Tristan said. “Support them to stay independent, keep their space, and ask them what they’d like to do.”

Find out what your parent loves, then back them to keep doing the activity.

“If it’s golf or it’s gardening or it’s trips away, we want to encourage that. And last thing, go for a walk together if you can.”

Stepping back comes from a place of support. In Tristan’s words: “With care and love.”

7. Life begins at 90

Both Pam and Lee moved through their standing ovations with ease, despite being in the glare of the TV cameras!

“Pam’s got a saying, life begins at 90, and we love that,” Tristan said.