Meet the Expert: Kath Banks
“My passion is to work with the person in front of me and the ability to create rapport with each person is key..”
As owner of the Moonee Ponds Aligned for Life Pilates studio since 2005, Kath has been working closely with clients to achieve their health and fitness goals and rehabilitate from various injuries and conditions.
Kath’s primary focus is getting and keeping people moving well for life. She personally wants to live to 100 and still be moving well at that age. Her area of expertise is rehabilitation, with a Master of Clinical Exercise Science & Rehabilitation and Advanced Diploma Pilates, and works as a Rehabilitation Coordinator at Maribyrnong Sports Academy. She also a principal faculty educator for National Pilates Training.
As you can see, Kath brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to all her roles, and finds it deeply satisfying when she can help a client move freely and without pain, so they can fully participate and enjoy life once again.
Here’s your chance to understand a bit more about Kath …
Reach: What got you into Pilates and movement and on this journey?
I come from a very sporty family, so sport and exercise has always been an important part of my life. This led me into studying Sports Science at University and then I discovered the Pilates Method when my Hubby had a ‘bad’ back. I was inspired by the equipment, the movement possibilities and the ability to integrate this with what I already knew about human movement and exercise. I became a participant then very quickly a student, then an instructor and finally an educator. Being an educator led me to study a Masters in Clinical Exercise Science and Rehabilitation, enabling me to blend all my movement and sporting experience, as well as my theoretical knowledge into my teachings of the Pilates Method.
Reach: Tell us a bit about your daily movement and activities:
My daily movement activity is very dependant on what I am doing for that particular day and where I am working, but I always make sure I fit something in every day. My working week involves teaching clients or students in a fully equipped Pilates studio, working as a Rehabilitation Coordinator at a Sports Academy as well as dreaded admin work at home. So when I am in the studio I utilise the full array of apparatus, when I am at the Sports Academy I utilise the gym and when at home I will complete Matwork, as well as taking our gorgeous border collie out for a walk/run most days and trying to fit a weekly walk/chat with my girlfriends. So it is a little varied day to day, week to week but I always make sure I fit some sort of exercise/movement in every day.
Reach: Do you have a fave movement health passion? If so, tell us more!
It is a little hard for me to have a favourite movement health passion/topic because my client base is so varied. My passion is about working with the person in front of me and providing them with the best care I can offer.
In the Pilates studio my client base includes someone whose goal is being able to walk unaided after suffering a stroke, older adults with joint degeneration and joint replacements, clients with scoliosis, discogenic pain, and tendinopathies, as well as healthy bodies who want to use the Pilates Method for strength and conditioning. Then my work at the Sports Academy involves working with adolescent athletes who play a variety of sports and sustain many varied sporting injuries.
So I really love the diversity and the challenge of working with the individual. Not only to I have to truly understand the body, movement, sport, injuries, conditions and exercise prescription, I then have to truly get to know the person so I can communicate most effectively with them. Our ability to create rapport with every person we work with is key and so I really strive to create this with every individual.
Find Kath at alignedforlife.com.au
Kath delivers face-to-face workshops for Reach of:
