Katie Occhipinti may seem like your typical, hard-working college student: She’s an athlete, preparing for her fourth and final season of TCNJ basketball. She’s focused on her studies in the fields of health and exercise science and marketing. She has a job on campus. Oh, and she’s a bodybuilder.
In summer 2010, Occhipinti, now a senior, competed in her first figure-bodybuilding competition. Though she didn’t take home first prize, the experience taught her a lot about her body, her mind and her spirit.
“Although it was really nice having my body in such great shape—pretty much my ideal body—you have to sacrifice so much to get to that level,” she said about the experience. “I learned to appreciate myself for what I am at my normal physique and weight. Plus, it was really out of my comfort zone, so now I’m a lot more comfortable with and aware of my body.”
Occhipinti, a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, says she was inspired to compete after seeing her older brother try his hand at bodybuilding the previous year, and by her mother, who was determined to compete as well in anticipation of her upcoming 50th birthday. Having that support system in place, Occipinti said, gave her more confidence to start training.
This Collegiette™ has come to realize the extreme sacrifice necessary to be a full-time bodybuilder. “Its not worth it,” she says. However, that’s not to say she won’t compete again.
“The hard work and competitiveness it takes to get there is what I love,” she said. “My goal would be to do better than the first time, and not necessarily beat anyone else.”
In the meantime, Occhipinti is sharing her fitness expertise with others. She has worked as a personal trainer at the Physical Enhancement Center since her freshman year, helping students learn how to create and maintain healthy workout habits. Regrettably, the personal training program at TCNJ has been eliminated this year for budgeting reasons.
When she’s at home, she trains clients at The Body Shop in Sterling, New Jersey. She is also focusing her attention on a new project in collaboration with her two health-conscious friends, culinary student Kate Strangfeld and plus-size model Alex Gregorek. The three have created a blog entitled No Skinny Girls, where the trio debunks myths regarding fitness, nutrition and body image.
Occhipinti has high hopes for her future and the future of No Skinny Girls. She is looking into grad school programs in nutrition communications or food science, and is hoping to become a registered dietician. She also wants to continue writing and blogging about fitness and health.
If there is one thing Occhipinti wants Collegiettes™ to know, it’s that being healthy comes from the inside out.
To learn more about Katie, Alexa and Kate’s blog, visit www.noskinnygirls.com.