Earth Day 5K: King 5’s Jesse Jones Gets Fit
By Seattle Mag March 6, 2013
For those of you following my journey to train for the Seattle magazine Earth Day 5K on April 20 (my first 5K ever), or who have committed to running it with me, I have some exciting news: King 5’s consumer reporter, and advocate of the people, Jesse Jones, is slated to be our Master of Ceremonies for the event. We’re all really excited here at the magazine, since we’re huge fans of his and all he does for the community. Plus, this.
I heard through the grapevine of that Mr. Jones had recently lost a bunch of weight doing Crossfit, so we sat down for little virtual chat via email about it. Read on for wise words from Jesse Jones:
Ali Brownrigg: What prompted you to get in shape? Anything specific?
Jesse Jones: My doctor suggested it. But what really got me was when I got on the scale and weighed about an Ezell’s chicken wing from weighing 300 pounds.
AB: Why Crossfit?
JJ: My brother in law vacationed in our home last year and we talked about getting fit. He’s into Crossfit big time. He asked me to give it a try. I went to Crossfit Mukilteo and met owner Josh Rhodes who got me started. My first workout was awesome! Some pushups and sit-ups, a little running and just a little bit of throw up. But Crossfit works for me because of its physicality. What I mean is flipping tires, pushing things, moving real weight. It was so just so fun. And Josh is awesome.
AB: Anything surprise you about this experience?
JJ: I was surprised that at 49 I can get faster and stronger. I was truly surprised how much I love pushing myself to places I didn’t think were possible in my workouts. I never thought I’d be a physical mess after an hour workout.
AB: What’s new about life since you’ve lost the weight?
JJ: I lost 30 pounds. It means my wife and daughter take me shopping to buy new clothes. That seems cool, until you start trying things on. Then my eight year old turns into Joan Rivers making fun of my newfangled duds.
AB: Anything else you’d like to say about your physical fitness journey?
JJ: It’s hard, but the payoff is big. If you fall off the wagon, don’t cry about it or quit in embarrassment. Just get right back on and keep moving. It’s a real deal lifesaver.