Driven by a strong desire to succeed and help improve the lives of others, fitness enthusiast Ilse Engelbrecht’s business is growing in leaps and bounds.
Ilse Engelbrecht (39), with a metabolic age of 19, is originally from Worcester in the Western Cape and currently lives in Boksburg. She’s been with her husband for 12 years and they tied the knot two and a half years ago in the Maldives.
Ilse loves coffee shops, highlighting it as her favourite hangout. ‘I love a delicious cappuccino and a slice of cake,’ she said.
Growing up, Ilse was always active and enjoyed sports. She played netball until she had an ankle injury which prohibited her from continuing to play any sport or pursue a career as a netball player.
Jump to it
Ilse is a fitness enthusiast and the founder of Jump Aholics SA, a successful business designed around rebounding. Rebounding is a type of aerobic exercise that is performed while jumping on a mini trampoline or rebounder.
It offers an incredible health boost for your whole system, supporting the body’s natural detox processes. It boosts circulation and reduces cellulite. It also sculpts a strong core and tones muscles.
Rebounding can help work the muscles in the legs. It increases your endurance, and strengthens your bones, among several other benefits.
‘This type of exercise is gaining popularity because it is gentle on the joints while allowing you to work your cardiovascular system without depleting the body,’ Ilse explained.
With a background in fitness, Ilse holds a qualification in personal training and is a qualified rebounding instructor. She has also done a nutrition course. Additionally, this fitness enthusiast worked on international cruise ships as a fitness director.
‘I’ve always been in the fitness industry and continue to love every moment of it. I won the first prize for the Summer Bodies fitness competition and obtained this by preparing with the best nutrition in the world,’ highlighted Ilse.
Ilse started her business just after the Covid pandemic. ‘During lockdown, I gained a lot of weight and after the pandemic, I decided to get myself a rebounder to lose weight and get back in shape.’
When Ilse lost the weight, she received many inquiries from people asking about how she lost weight. Along with her husband, Ilse made the decision to transform their backyard into a Jump Aholics studio and invited people; and that’s how the first studio started.
‘Three years later, Jump Aholics SA has 33 studios in South Africa and one international studio set to launch in 2025,’ she added.
Aiming for the best
The main reason she pursued the path of establishing Jump Aholics is to inspire and help women.
Ilse is driven by the feedback she receives from the many women who see positive results from rebounding. She highlighted that she feels amazing when she receives calls from clients telling her how much weight they’ve lost and how much better they feel because rebounding is not only for weight loss; it helps with your mind, it keeps the body clean and it helps with endorphins.
‘Hurting my ankle years ago stopped me from playing any sport but I am grateful to have found rebounding because it is such a low-impact exercise. It is the only sport I can do. If it was not for rebounding, I would have probably been a couch potato,’ shared Ilse.
Having started rebounding as a certified instructor in 2021, Ilse specialises in assisting people to achieve their health and fitness goals. ‘I can honestly say that since doing rebounding, I am in the best shape of my life. My goal is to help people to jump into the best version of themselves.’
Everyone has the chance to be their own boss because each Jump Aholics SA rebounding studio is privately owned.
‘We try to honour the Lord in everything we do and base our operations on biblical values,’ said the successful businesswoman.
Jump Aholics SA hopes to make an impact in people’s lives all over SA by allowing anyone to open a studio in their area. Their mission is to change lives by helping people to not only get fit and healthy but to also improve their self-image.
Bouncing off challenges
One of the biggest challenges Ilse faces is competition, but she continues to bring 100% to her business ensuring it succeeds and yields the desired result such as positive feedback from the clients.
‘It’s a lot of hard work and early hours but it’s all worth it. To emphasize, every studio is built on biblical principles, we speak blessings and believe that we will succeed.’
She added: ‘I am blessed to have an amazing support system; my husband and the ladies on the Jump Aholics team have always been by my side.’
Summer body tips with Ilse
Ilse advises that to get the perfect summer body it all starts with your mindset.
‘You need to tell yourself that you can do this, you need to be consistent and what you put in your mouth is very important.’
It’s common for people to exercise but not lose any weight and Ilse shares that to see desired results it is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise.
Ilse additionally advises that cardio is an important part of how she stays fit but strength training should be included. ‘Maintaining a balanced diet and weight can start with meal plans. At Jump Aholics we offer meal plans because we train so much, we are always hungry and it becomes easy to grab takeaways but having a healthy meal plan is essential,’ said the fitness guru.
She advises to not skip a meal and ensure you include enough protein in your meals.
Off the cuff:
- Sunshine vs rain?
Sunshine
- Indoors vs outdoors?
Outdoors
- Travel, art or food?
Travel and food
- Currently on your playlist?
Die Campbells – Hillbilly Rock Hillbilly Roll,
I love the 80s!
- Pet peeves?
I need to have peace, I have a very soft heart so I don’t like fighting, jealousy or when people don’t get along.
Text: DESNAY PETERSON. Photo: Lireze Photography. Hair and make-up: Beauty by S
