Note the spectacles.
When you meet Katie Tissington, the first thing you notice are her glasses. They’re large red frames and are fun, artistic, and undeniably unique – and once you get to know her, you realize that those glasses are perfect for her.
Although Katie is a passionate photographer, she claims to not be “a huge artist outside of [her] wardrobe”, but feels that “dressing is one way in which I can be creative and artistic everyday.” Her style certainly is one-of-a-kind, and Katie attributes it to “a long period in my elementary school and high school life where I was very focused on developing a sense of individuality… I had this ingrained desire to be described as unique.” Nevertheless, she has accepted that, “if I’m wearing the same boots as someone else, it’s not the end of the world”. However, we seriously doubt anyone else has her cowboy boots- those are definitely as unique as her.
Aside from her personal style, Katie is incredibly active on campus and involved with the student community. This summer, for instance, she photo-documented her trip to Pittsburg as a representative of the UBC Residence Hall Association (RHA). “There are over 400 schools with Residence Hall Associations,” she says, and on every campus RHA’s are a “student-run organization that aim to advocate on behalf of the students…the primary focus is the welfare of students.” As the Vice President of the UBC RHA, Katie’s position is mostly administrative – she has to organize the social media outlets, meetings, and internal communications of the RHA – in effect, helping to organize and improve the residence experience of almost 8,000 students. It isn’t your typical administrative work position!
But it’s not all about work with Katie – it’s about balance, too. Envied on her social media for her beautifully crafted meals, Katie is a vegetarian on the way to becoming vegan – and an amazing chef. She decided to try vegetarianism after she was told that she “looked like a vegetarian, and they [other people] wanted to know if I was one – and I wasn’t – but I was interested in the morals of vegetarians.” Katie adds that her main motivation is a compassionate one and “it didn’t align with [her] love of animals to eat them,” so she decided to try going vegetarian.
After three weeks of abstaining from meat, she was surprised at how much better she felt – and most importantly, how much she enjoyed it. As a result, she’s now foraying into the world of veganism. Being mostly vegan has its challenges – “you have to think more about where you’re finding your nutrients, and it has made me a lot more informed about what my body needs in terms of my micro and macronutrients.”
On campus, Katie is involved in the UBC Activists for Animals group, which gets into “the ethics of eating a vegetarian diet” and VegUBC – a new community on campus for vegans and vegetarians, “interested in meeting new, open-minded people who want to live a healthier, more sustainable and more humane lifestyle.” It’s a wonderful initiative for the growing community of vegans and vegetarians on campus, and of course, a great resource for sharing delicious recipes. (P.S. – Katie recommends every recipe from this vegan blog!)
Her interest in health extends beyond being a veggie lover; Katie is a gym regular and an avid runner to boot. She understands the societal pressure on young women to fit an almost impossible ideal, encouraging young women to fight against that unhealthy image by, “exercising some mental willpower, and trying to get yourself to recognize that the ideal figure can be achieved by a very select few, because their structure and metabolism is different.”
“The number on the scale…shouldn’t be the ultimate goal, you should be able to feel good. Do you feel vibrant? Do you feel energized and like you can take on the day?” When it comes to motivation, Katie knows that healthy incentives don’t come from simply deciding “I don’t like the way I look,” but rather through asking yourself, “what is the goal I would ultimately like to achieve?” With a focus on both physically and emotionally healthy practices you can’t go wrong.
So, what will Katie do next? She doesn’t have a concrete career path or graduate school lined up yet (much like the rest of us!) but it seems apparent that whatever she sets her mind to doing, she will not only accomplish easily, but she will do so with a sense of humor, creativity, compassion – and the power of soy.
On the next page: Katie’s top three fitness tips!
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Katie’s Fitness Tips
1. Know Why You’re Eating
– Assess about your eating habits. Are you eating because you’re bored (does anyone else use this as an excuse for a study break)? Or because you feel a certain way after eating a meal? A lot of the time, cravings mean that your body is lacking certain nutrients. For example, when you’re craving chips and other salty foods, that means your body is lacking electrolytes (get some potassium in your system to fix this!). Try to think about why you want to eat certain foods, what your body is telling you, and how to replenish your body in a healthy way.
It’s probably best if you stick with the top row.
2. Download a Helpful Health Program
– This helps you to have a community, motivation, and helpful tips to keep you on track towards meeting your goals all day every day. A great example is Nike Training Club!
Nike Training Club Program
3. Break Down Your Workouts
– When you’re just starting to exercise, a 45-60 minute workout can seem like an almost Herculean task – so break up your exercise into 5-10 minute segments. Go for a walk, take the stairs instead of the elevator, do a set of crunches here, a few push-ups there and you’re on your way!
Start climbing those flights of stairs you hate!
Good luck!