AT 82, Ted "Wombat” Hawken has no intention of slowing down.

Despite a cancer bout that left him without a bowel, the Australian Army veteran said he would stick with his exercise regime to help keep his type-2 diabetes under control.

After a diet of pies and beers in his army days, Mr Hawken said he was given his diagnosis in the early 70s.

"They kept us pretty fit in the army but you were forever eating things,” he said.

"They would bring around the pie wagon in the morning and you'd get a couple of pies.

"When I left the army and I went to a civilian doctor for the first time they told me I'd have to get a blood test and that's when I found out so I had to stop all that.

"I don't think a lot of people realise what problems diabetes can lead to.”

Mr Hawken's trainer, Active Body Conditioning exercise physiologist Harry Marshall, leads the octogenarian in strength and flexibility sessions three times a week at WIRAC, complementing daily cardio workouts.

"He's on the treadmill every day for 45 minutes to an hour which is well above the recommended minimum,” Mr Marshall said.

"Unlike typical diabetics who use insulin, Ted will use insulin at night but after meals he will come down and go on the treadmill to help control it.

"Sometimes if he's been going hard in the gym, he'll go out and get a Hava Heart to help his sugar levels. If Ted can do it, anyone can.”

Mr Hawken said his fitness was what kept him going after a heart attack that nearly claimed his life last year.

"We were out wood cutting in the bush one day and I collapsed,” he said.

"I carry around my angina spray at all times so Jim O'Leary was giving me CPR and Johno Felton was trying to get the spray into me.

"I ended up having to get surgery last August and had a bypass and some stents put in. Exercise is the best thing for controlling diabetes. It's cheaper to pay for gym fees than for the medication.

"If I hadn't been keeping fit I wouldn't have survived the heart attack.”

Mr Hawken and Mr Marshall said there were plenty of options for people looking to start out with getting fit.

"Just start out by changing one habit, whether that's diet or a lack of activity,” Mr Marshall said.

"If you have some experience, start out slow with what you know, or go for a walk around the block or see a professional to help you get started.”