How Lisa Raleigh’s fitness career evolved to rebounding

Having over 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industry Lisa Raleigh’s brand now continues to expand on many frontiers. 

You may have seen her on your TV screens for multiple fitness segments across the board from SABC 3, to the Home Channel to Supersport. Raleigh has gained a loyal following for her consistent approach to wellness and health. 

Having one of the largest online health and fitness websites, she recently launched her first retail store in Nicolway Shopping Centre, Bryanston in Johannesburg. 

Lisa Raleigh’s retail store

Having taken a tour conducted by Raleigh, the synergy of Lisa Raleigh’s store was clearly thought out. The moment you walk in you immediately see athleisure sets and the apparel designed by Raleigh’s creative eye.

Raleigh is aware that her workout apparel is not cheap but it isn’t too expensive either, and it is quality that will draw in customers.

The reason they were attracted to Bryanston was to reach their living standards measure (LSM) market. Some of the Body King collection items start from R899. 

Having worn numerous athleisure wear over the last two decades, Raleigh found the quality of the fabric is important and how it fits.

“Women have different shapes and sizes, we want to accentuate certain aspects of our bodies, we want to minimise and hide other aspects.”

She explains fabric that wasn’t see-through, that was cool in summer and warm in winter was the right match. 

The store also offers sport bra fittings, and accessories with colourful details, ankle weights, carrier bags and rebounder equipment. 

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Before the retail store, Lisa Raleigh’s online store has been operational for two years and it made sense in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, however, in January this year, they opened a small shop on the side of their fitness studio in Parktown North. 

After positive feedback from consumers who liked that they could touch and feel the athleisure wear, Raleigh eventually found a store that would be a perfect location in nearby suburbs. 

Althelsuire isnt just Raleigh’s beat, she has three brands in total, Body Kind, bounti and Lr (mindful living).  

The athleisure wear is called “Body Kind” with positive names for the styles such as fierce, bold, allure and respect.

The styles match the names, from natural tones to bold colours, and floral to match every women’s needs.

The accessories, such as some of the headbands are silicone, so they are non-slip. Scrunchies that have zips to fit in your parking pocket. 

READ: 3 tips to spring clean your fitness journey after winter

There are also two colour tights for the price of one, as the inside of the tights comes with a different pattern or colour, items that go far. 

Rebounding

Raleigh is possibly one of the biggest supporters of rebounding, workouts and programmes on a rebounder. This is largely why her bounti brand and business is the largest rebounding fitness equipment and services supplier on the African continent. 

She explains that rebounding become an important aspect of her fitness routine after she turned 40 in July. 

“As I have been getting older, I can’t do what I used to do. I use to do certain things such as run too much or go to cross fit. I landed being spongey, sore, inflamed, and aching. I just felt like my body hated being pushed to that extreme. 

“But, I like it. I like to push my body. I wanted to sweat and I wanted to train hard.”

She found after taking DNA health test her body is prone to inflammation and struggles to detoxify. 

She explains that rebounding was founded by NASA. 

As Astronauts returned from space, they found they had lost so much muscle and bone density they needed to recover and restore that. 

“Rebounding did this quickly but without that heavy impact. It eventually developed into a wellness trend. It has taken me five years to get to this point. Informing people this is not a fad and why it is here to stay.”

Rebounding has many pros which include its low impact and great for those prone to injuries or recovering from injury. It’s convenient, the equipment is house friendly, affordable in the long run, and it’s great for all fitness levels and ages. 

You don’t only need to do strength workouts or pilates to tone, rebound tones the whole body with added equipment and incorporated exercises such as yoga on a rebounder, as the exercise burns a lot of calories. 

“Because rebounding goes below the surface, you working against gravity. So the G-force pull on the body is four times of the gravity, it’s more effective than bouncing on the ground,” Raleigh explains.  

Other positives include helping get rid of cellulite, boosting the immune system, with the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) recently endorsing rebounding as a preventive exercise for those in remission. 

ALSO READ: Mark Pilgrim says rebounding has been instrumental in his fight against cancer

The bounti rebounder collection includes a variety of rebounders, including a locally manufactured bounti Studio Deluxe rebounder considered to be one of the best in the world. The accessories include carrying bags and workout equipment to expand on the rebounding experience. 

DNA results 

During our conversation, Raleigh emphasised DNA health testing to get the best results for your body. The health industry is known for its different and often fad science that tells people what they should follow and do to lose weight quicker. Does anybody remember the trend of blood testing? Do utter such words near the fitness instructor. 

“Once you have had your DNA tested, you will know certain things about yourself.” She says DNA health results will show if you are gluten intolerant, how you react to stress if you are lactose intolerant, how your body reacts to things like sugar, and how much training you need, but this all depends on what type of DNA test you take. The test cost approximately R1800. 

“It makes it 100% accurate, so that all your efforts, the time you spend in the gym is not in vain. You are doing the type of training needed for you,” she concludes.

The new store also has her Lr health products, shop around the collagen section and health premises.

Raleigh is set to open a rebounding studio in September.