I Start Grad School Today

Today is the day I start my Master’s in Sport Psychology. It'll be my second graduate degree program, and it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a little bit. But now that it’s here, I’m feeling a mix of excitement, curiosity, and maybe a little bit of imposter syndrome.

I’ve always been drawn to the mental side of performance. Whether in my own training, in working/talking with others, or in life outside of fitness. In my own personal experience, I’ve slowly but surely realized that fitness isn’t just about what happens in the gym or on a race course, and mindset, resilience, and the ability to adapt are incredibly important.

There’s a reason some people stay consistent while others struggle. There’s a reason two people with the same physical abilities can have completely different outcomes. There’s a reason I’ve had moments in my own journey where I felt unstoppable, and others where I felt completely lost.

Why This Matters to Me

I’ve been on both sides of the spectrum. I’ve lost weight, gained it back, and lost it again. I’ve been strong, I’ve been injured, I’ve been motivated, and I’ve been burned out.

In 2020, I lost 47 pounds in just four months. I was at my lowest weight since the eighth grade. But I still didn't feel better. I didn't address my mental health. I was still having anxiety about not logging calories on MyFitnessPal. I was questioning what the point of getting out of bed was when my gym progress was stalling out. I felt like an imposter while I was just starting to train for my first 5K cause I wasn't as fast as some of my friends who had been running for years.

I've been able to keep most of that weight I've lost off but I've certainly gained some of it. To be honest, I don't weigh myself often anymore - it's a metric that doesn't matter much to me. I know as long as I'm going to the gym, training for races every now and then, finding new challenges, and eating whole foods and not being egregious with my calorie intake, everything is going to be OK. I've shifted from wanting to be "jacked" or "shredded" (or any other phrase you hear on social media) into someone who wants to look and feel good in their own skin. I thought that was always going to happen when I got a six-pack, but then when I got one, I felt the same mentally as when I was 50 pounds overweight.

Physical fitness is only part of the battle. Mental health and performance go hand in hand. You can follow the best training program in the world, but if you don’t have the mindset to push through tough days, adapt to setbacks, or stay consistent, it won’t mean much.

That’s why this program is important to me. I want to learn how to help people go beyond just physical training and build the mental strength to stay consistent, motivated, and resilient, not just in fitness, but in life.

What I Hope to Learn

I've recently earned my Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Coach, and Certified Wellness Coach certifications through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. While that's been a great start, I'm incredibly excited to keep going in a more academic setting.

The brain and body undoubtedly work together. With acquiring more knowledge about the psychology side of life, I know I can help people create a more sustainable, fulfilling approach to fitness and wellness.

Here are some of the key things I hope to take away:

✔ How to help people break free from the all-or-nothing mindset
✔ How to use habit psychology to make fitness sustainable
✔ How to coach others through mental barriers and self-doubt
✔ How stress, anxiety, and past experiences shape athletic performance
✔ How to apply sport psychology principles to everyday life, not just elite athletes

I've battled mental health struggles such as generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and an eating disorder. I've grown to hate (yes, hate is a strong word - I still mean it) when people say "Oh, you know, the gym is my therapy." Although I'm not doing this program to one day be a licensed therapist, I'm just as much as an advocate for therapy as I am for a good fitness routine, proper daily hydration, high protein diets, etc. The endorphins the gym releases are amazing. But often times they're not enough.

I don't think it's a mistake that at 31 years old, I'm the most athletic I've ever been, and I've been working with an awesome therapist regularly for over five years now. There's proven data that staying on top of your fitness and nutrition can help your mental health. But there is a point where it can take a turn for the worst, and I've been there. With all of this, I hope to help people navigate all the ins and outs of life, optimize their fitness and nutrition for both enjoyment and longevity, and avoid burnout with all the stressors today's world presents.

What’s Next?

Academics have been an interesting route for me. I was about as average of an high school student as you could find. I failed out of architecture school in Boston (and you just found out why Architecting Wellness is called Architecting Wellness), moved across the country to attend Santa Barbara City College to get back on track, and then found my way at Southern New Hampshire University with getting a BS in Sport Management. I then moved to Florida to get my MA in Strategic Communication and Leadership from the University of West Florida in Pensacola. It's now almost eight years after finishing my first master's program, and it's hard to believe that the average high school student/architecture school fail-out is going for his second master's degree. When times get hard I often remind myself I was able to do this from 18-23 years old. Now that I'm a bit older, I'm smart enough (or at least I like to think I'm smart) to know that balancing this program with my career, my close relationships, starting a business, training, and life is going to be hard. However, hard things are usually worth doing, and on the other side of discomfort is growth.

Today, I take the first step in this new chapter, and I can’t wait to see where it leads!

With grad school demands coming in, I will be shifting the AW Newsletter to a weekly publication. If you’ve ever struggled with motivation, burnout, or feeling stuck in your fitness journey, I’d love to hear your thoughts at architectingwellness@gmail.com and let me know what mental challenges have held you back.

Stay safe, stay healthy!

Martin Foley - Founder, Architecting Wellness