Skip to main content
  • Individuals
    • Individuals
    • Business
    • Adviser
    • Financial Wellbeing
    • About us
    • Contact us
    • Claims
    • AIA Vitality Member Login
  • Search
  • AIA Australia
  • Health Insurance
    • Member Benefits
    • Member Login
    • Get a quote
    • Make a claim
  • Life Insurance
    • Life Cover
    • Total and Permanent Disablement
    • Crisis Recovery
    • Income Protection Core
    • Business Expenses
    • Make a claim
    • Medix
  • Retirement & Investment
    • Guaranteed Annuities
    • Investment Growth Bond
    • Unit Prices
  • AIA Vitality
    • Partners and Rewards
    • Already a member? Login
  • Content Hub
    • Move Well
    • Plan Well
    • Eat Well
    • Think Well
  • Help & Support
    • Making a Claim
    • Forms & Documents
    • Policyholder Information
    • Complaints process
    • Contact AIA
    • Customer feedback
    • COVID-19
AIA
  • Individuals
  • Business
  • Adviser
  • Financial Wellbeing
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Claims
  • AIA Vitality Member Login
  • Health Insurance

    Health Insurance

    Cover that protects and rewards.

    • Member Benefits

      Learn more about the range of benefits available to AIA Health Insurance members.

    • Member Login

      Existing members login here to your online account.

    • Get a quote

      Ready to get started?

    • Make a claim

      Get help with making a claim.

  • Life Insurance

    Life Insurance

    We’re here to help protect your family, your lifestyle and your future.

    For Individuals

    For Business

    • Life Cover

      Helps protect your loved ones if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness or pass away.

    • Total and Permanent Disablement

      A lump sum benefit if you can’t work due to injury or illness

    • Crisis Recovery

      Helps ease the financial burden should you suffer a traumatic event.

    • Income Protection Core

      Can provide you with a monthly income if you become disabled due to injury or illness.

    • Business Expenses

      May assist to pay expenses of your business if you cannot work due to injury or illness.

    • Make a claim

      Get help with making a claim.

    • Medix

      Personal Medical Case Management.

  • Retirement & Investment

    Retirement & Investment

    Plan for a more comfortable tomorrow.

    • Guaranteed Annuities

      Can provide you with a regular, guaranteed income stream throughout your retirement.

    • Investment Growth Bond

      Also known as an insurance bond, it offers a tax-effective way to invest for the future and is flexible enough to suit a wide range of needs.

    • Unit Prices

      Find unit prices for a range of superannuation and investment products.

  • AIA Vitality

    AIA Vitality

    AIA Vitality is a personalised, science-backed health and wellbeing program that supports you every day to make healthier lifestyle choices.

    • Partners and Rewards

      Learn more about our partners and rewards.

    • Already a member? Login

      Check your AIA Vitality Status and get access to the tools you need to help improve your health.

  • Content Hub

    Content Hub

    The AIA Vitality Content Hub is your go to for science-backed, health and wellbeing inspiration and advice.

    • Move Well

      Find your further when it comes to exercise and fitness.

    • Plan Well

      Tools and support for your future, because a good tomorrow starts today.

    • Eat Well

      Care for your body with food that makes you feel good.

    • Think Well

      Tools and information to help you cultivate a healthy frame of mind.

  • Help & Support

    Help & Support

    We strive to assist you for all your inquiries with high touch customer service.

    Contact AIA
    • Making a Claim

      Get help with making a claim.

    • Forms & Documents

      A selection of forms and other important product related documents.

    • Policyholder Information

      Useful information for policyholders.

    • Complaints process

      If you have a complaint, we'll do our best to resolve the situation.

    • Contact AIA

      How to get in contact with us.

    • Customer feedback

      Let us know how we're doing.

    • COVID-19

      How we are responding.

  • Search
  • Contact Us
    • Call Us

      Open: 8am to 6pm, AEST Mon - Fri

    • Find an adviser

Move Well
Prev | Next
Back to Top
  • {{title}}

    {{label}}
  • Chris Judd: A Pilates Primer

    Chris Judd - 4 min read

    22 May 2019


    The benefits of Pilates are compelling, and many athletes – including Chris Judd – swear by it. Here’s why you should be spending some time on the mat.

    Chris Judd: A Pilates Primer

    I didn’t pick up Pilates until I was 25 years old. By that point, my body was completely broken down with osteitis pubis (an inflammation caused by overload) – so it was introduced to me as a means of rehabilitation. The results were so compelling that I think that I did Pilates almost every single day for the rest of my career.

    Initially, I’d do Pilates at the club with physios – but eventually, I bought a reformer machine for home. Even now, if I feel my back flaring up, I’ll jump on the machine for a few weeks – usually just in 15-minute blocks. Thankfully, though, I’m not putting my body under nearly as much stress these days ¬¬– so I’m not on the reformer as regularly as I used to be.

    Training with precision

    Personally, I found Pilates beneficial when it came to muscle control. I’ve tried yoga for flexibility, but I saw such a benefit to engaging small intrinsic muscles with Pilates. Those groups are difficult to strengthen with traditional weight exercises because your larger muscles take over. I was really homing in on spinal mobility and building small muscles in the glutes – as well as some light ab-work.

    Benefits beyond the body

    Then, of course, a lot of people enjoy the mindfulness component of Pilates. When I was doing it regularly, I’d approach it like I was paying an insurance premium on my own body. I was really putting a down payment on my own ability to do the exercise I wanted to in the future. If you’re considering starting Pilates – or any training, really – think of it as an investment in yourself.

    I’ve got to say, Pilates is one of the few kinds of exercise where I can wake up the day after doing it and actually feel better. Usually, if you’re sore and you go for a run or jump on the bike, you’re going to wake up feeling even worse for wear. But with Pilates – if you’ve been doing it right – you should see an improvement.

    Perfect for cross-training…

    One of the biggest advantages I see from using regular Pilates training as a complementary exercise is it has the ability to help you fix physical problems you’re experiencing. If you’re having a persistent problem and you go to see a physio or myotherapist – they’ll be able to diagnose it, but it’s still going to take effort on your part to fix the issue.

    …Or any training

    Of course, it’s also great as a stand-alone exercise tool. My approach was always more results driven, but if your body is sound and able then Pilates can really help you push the limits of what you can achieve. It’s similar to running – you say you’re into it and that covers everything from 400 metres around the block to a 100km ultra-marathon. There’s this whole dimension of difficulty you can attach to running, and Pilates is no different. The only limitation is how far you want to take it.

    In that sense, it’s the perfect form of exercise for everyone from Iron Man-contenders to those who are just starting their fitness journey. Anyone who’s pushing themselves – and that’s a definition relative to the individual – would definitely be served by incorporating some Pilates training in their routine. As with every exercise, start slow – but just get out there and give it try. You might be surprised by the results.

    A Pilates trainer’s perspective

    Cat Webb, founder of Good Times Pilates shares some simple exercise to try at home.

    “This approach to fitness was developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s. Not only did he invent the movement, but he developed the equipment to go with it. First, there were mat-based exercises – then he designed the reformer machine. There are just so many things you can do with Pilates, no matter which way you choose to try.

    If you’ve never tried Pilates before, here are three mat-based exercises you can do at home.

    1. Swan Lie on your tummy on the ground with your hands near your shoulders. Then, push yourself up with your hands – so that side-on your body is curved like a capital letter ‘J’. Repeat 20 times. This exercise is helping to reverse the hunched shape we spend so much of our time in when we’re sitting down. By extending your spine, you’re relaxing the muscles in your back.

    2. Bridge Lie on your back with your knees bent so your feet are flat on the ground. Keep your arms beside you and lift your bum up and down off the ground. This one is scalable, so you can make the motion fast or slow, or you can try straightening one knee so you’re doing it with one leg. However you want to approach it, do it 10 times with a pause at the top where you really focus on the motion. You’ll be engaging your hamstrings and glutes with every movement.

    3. Side plank Again, this exercise has a lot of progressions and regressions depending on your strength level. The best way to start is lying on your forearm with your elbow in line with your feet. Then, reach your free arm up to the ceiling and push into the floor with your other forearm so you lift your body off the ground. For an added challenge, reach the free arm over your head to add a bending motion to the movement. Repeat these 10 times on each side. By doing so, you’re activating your obliques and lats, and you’re adding a nice side-stretch into the mix as well.”

    Chris Judd

    Former Australian Rules footballer Chris Judd is familiar with how to get your heart rate up and push yourself physically. Twice winner of the prestigious Brownlow Medal, Chris is an honoured sportsman and father to four children, Oscar, Billie, Tom and Darcy. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances.

    Disclaimer:
    The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional, tax or other advice. It does not take into account any individual’s personal situation or needs. You should consider obtaining professional advice from a financial adviser and/or tax specialist, or medical or health practitioner, in relation to your own circumstances and before acting on this information.


    This inspirational content is brought to you by AIA Vitality

    AIA Vitality is a science-backed program that helps you learn more about your health, offers ways to improve it and motivates you with rewards along the way.

    Contact AIA

    Choose your preferred way to receive information and support

    Contact AIA

    Choose your preferred way to receive information and support

    Help and support

    Make a claim

    Frequently asked questions

    Customer feedback

    Complaints process

    Whistleblower disclosure

    Forms and documents library

    Target Market Determinations

    Explore AIA

    AIA Vitality

    Health insurance

    Life insurance

    OneLife

    About AIA

    Careers

    Our people

    Our commitments

    Media centre

    Our awards

    FSC commitment

    Help and support

    Make a claim

    Frequently asked questions

    Customer feedback

    Complaints process

    Whistleblower disclosure

    Forms and documents library

    Target Market Determinations

    explore Aia

    AIA Vitality

    Health insurance

    Life insurance

    Retirement & investment

    Content Hub

    about AIA

    Careers

    Our people

    Our commitments

    Media centre

    Our awards

    FSC commitment


    Copyright © 2021. AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries or affiliates. All rights reserved. Priority Protection and Priority Protection for Platform Investors products are issued by AIA Australia Limited (ABN 79 004 837 861, AFSL 230043). AIA Vitality, a personalised, science-backed program that supports members every day to make healthier choices, is available with eligible products issued by AIA Australia. AIA Health with AIA Vitality is issued by AIA Health Insurance Pty Ltd ABN 32 611 323 034, a registered private health insurer governed by the Private Health Insurance Act 2007, Private Health Insurance Rules 2007 and the AIA Health Insurance Pty Ltd Fund Rules. The information on this website is current as at 1 April 2021 and may be subject to change. It is general information only and is not intended in any way to be financial, legal, tax, health, medical, nutritional or other advice. You should consider your own personal circumstances and needs and view the relevant product documents, fact sheets, fund rules and terms and conditions before making a decision to acquire such products. If necessary you should obtain professional advice from a financial, tax, medical or health professional. Unless expressly stated, any views or expressions of opinion (including any video content) do not represent the opinion of AIA.
    Terms of Use | Privacy