Member Spotlight: Natasha Jones

My name is Natasha Jones. I make a lot of noise.

My introduction to Crossfit started like so many others: I had heard/read about Crossfit and then inquired at my local affiliate, which just so happened to be in Hampton, VA at the time (it also helps that my cousin competed at the 2015 Crossfit Games with the Crossfit Grandview team). My journey to Crossfit Bexley happened when my better half joined after we moved back to Columbus (and, for the record, I was the one who introduced him to Crossfit in the first place).

Growing up in Toledo, OH, my parents put me into practically every sport possible (most likely to get me out of the house). The list is long and began with swimming, and around 6 years old began my long infatuation with both dance and tennis (with about a 4 year break in there for volleyball). I played varsity tennis all 4 years of high school (which is where all the noise stems from) and danced all the way up through graduate school, gaining a minor in dance from Ohio State with my undergraduate degree. I’ve always thrived in competitive environments.

Exercise and moving have always been my reprieve and my solace. It was during graduate school where I began “working out” almost daily, mostly in group class settings. The university gym had spinning, TRX, PUMP, and Zumba, and I tried all of them. It was during my first year of graduate school that I was finally feeling comfortable in my body, after losing about 15lbs. I had never been overweight, but I was always somewhat uncomfortable in my own skin and always struggled with my weight.

After graduating from graduate school (which provided its own moments of emotional growth and personal fulfillment/accomplishment), I married my Prince Charming and had to grow into the role of being a military spouse. Within the year of 2015, we moved from Clarksville, TN to Richmond, VA, and then to Hampton, VA, where I saw my first crossfit affiliate. It was in October of 2016 when I finally bit the bullet and decided to try it out. I always had a feeling that I would enjoy Crossfit, and I was definitely correct! I was making strides within the first 2 months!

Unfortunately in December 2016, I underwent bunion surgery and couldn’t even walk on my own for almost a month, and couldn’t Crossfit consistently for almost 3 months, which equaled a significant weight gain. Luckily, the affiliate that I belonged to would have nutrition challenges about every 2 months. Just as I was getting back into consistently Crossfitting (which was around April 2016), I decided to participate in a nutrition challenge and not only lost weight but also body fat percentage and multiple inches around my whole body. About 1 year after coming back from surgery, I had lost around 25lbs, looking the best that I ever had, and was lifting more weight than I had ever lifted before in my life. At the end of 2017, my husband finally joined the affiliate as well, and we finally had become the Crossfit couple that I had always wanted to be!

In March of 2018, the military told us that we had to move again, but this time the military moved me home to Columbus, OH! To make a long story short, I moved to Columbus about 2 months after my husband moved, and in the time that he was here without me, he found and joined CFB, so when I finally moved to Columbus, I had a gym that was ready and waiting for me! CFB has truly grown into an extension of our home and family (everyone likes our dog, too!). I’m so proud of my accomplishments that I’ve made since joining CFB and looking into the future, there’s so much more to come!