The Masters Athlete Survival Guide
We explore thriving as an athlete after 40. Each episode, we’ll dive into tips, hacks, and inspiring stories from seasoned athletes and our personal experience. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a competitive pro, this podcast is your playbook for staying fit, strong, and motivated
The Masters Athlete Survival Guide
Coach Dan John's Personal Blueprint for "Life Made Simple"
Transitioning into life beyond 40 doesn't have to be complicated. Coach Dan John shares his actionable, science-backed strategies for maintaining health, vitality, and happiness as we age.
• Importance of quality sleep and relaxation techniques
• Essential dental and medical care routine
• Simple skin and hair care practices
• Effective daily supplementation habits
• Diverse and healthy dietary regimen with intermittent fasting
• Importance of consistent physical activity
• Insights into a typical day in Coach Dan John's life
• Call to action: share the episode and follow us on Instagram
Listen to Coach Dan John's Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/6iQUODyzsCIKcLKkzWUG9z?si=1cca00deeec44f9a
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New episodes come out every other Thursday!
Welcome to the Master's Athlete Survival Guide, where we explore the secrets to thriving in sports after 40. I'm John Catalinas and, along with Scott Fyke, we'll dive into training tips, nutrition hacks and inspiring stories from seasoned athletes who defy age limits. Whether you're a weekend warrior or a competitive pro, this podcast is your playbook for staying fit, strong and motivated. Let's get started. Hey everybody, it's John and the special guest today is me. So after our two-part series with Coach Dan John, he sent me an email boiling down a lot of what he actually does and actually prescribes, and I kind of wanted to share it as a bit of an appendix to that two-part series. If you listen to that series, you'll hear a lot of these tips and tricks, but he really just directly mentions it here in this email, which I'm going to read into the official log. This appendix and the episodes are called Life Made Simple, and that's a play on Mass Made Simple, which is the book that introduced me to Coach Dan John and really sort of kick-started my master's weight training career. So here we go. He refers to this as poor Danny's almanac, or trying to live long on less than $2 million a year. Annie's Almanac, or trying to live long on less than $2 million a year. A fellow Utahan, brian Johnson, has become famous for his concept Don't Die. Statistically, I don't think this is a good idea, but I take longevity very seriously. I truly want to be there for my grandkids as long as I can. Johnson made a killing on the internet and sold his company for a lot of money and is now chasing immortality at the tune of $2 million a year. Well, I can't afford that. But I can afford my regime. It is based on the best available science, doesn't include traveling to other countries for questionable drug use, nor does it involve Dracula-like blood plasma transfusions from younger family members In this section he refers to as sleep.
Speaker 1:First, I put a lot of effort into sleeping long and well. I trained myself years ago to fall asleep after a long period of struggling. I have used eye masks, earplugs, blackout curtains, expensive pillows and all kinds of magic dusts. I still travel with my music cozy eye mask and occasionally I have had to tune out noise in hotels with my Brainfm app. But taking the time to learn how to meditate and do relaxation tapes was a real key for me. Bud Winter's book Relax and Win was a game changer for me. I learned how to relax, sleep and win. Side note, music Cozy is a soft headband headphone that you can wear to sleep while you're listening to things like Brain FM, which is a meditation and relaxation app.
Speaker 1:Before he goes to sleep, he writes out his to-do list for the next day, preps his coffee. Ideally, he wakes up to the smell of coffee, do his dental hygiene and takes his Hibernate, which we'll get to later. As to what that is, it's a four-ingredient sleep aid and you can get a discount with this link, which is hibernatate. Labcom, slash pages, slash dan. He gets nothing for it. He's just trying to help us out on this list. Writing out the to-do list might be his most relaxing. I don't wake up and worry about forgetting anything. I also write up my workout plan, my podcast and any birthdays or events. Hey, coach, dan John, my birthday is December 26th. In case anybody asks For dental hygiene, he takes very seriously.
Speaker 1:I visit the dentist for checkups and cleaning three times a year, as recommended. I like to use mouthwash first to loosen up the things so I can floss. After I floss, I brush my teeth with a fluoride paste and I don't rinse at the end of the fluoride can remain. This is a trick I found online and it works. I keep floss sticks in the driver's side cubby of my car. I often floss when I drive, which is a little bit gross listening to podcasts about strength, health and fitness Under medical care.
Speaker 1:He says I go to the dentist three times a year, my doctor once a year for a physical or, as issues arrive, my skin doctor twice a year fair skin people who do track and field for almost 60 years tend to have some skin cancer issues. My eye doctor once a year and the American Red Cross five times a year to donate blood and get that free checkup. I do what professionals tell me to do for my health and I shut up. It's always better to listen to people who know. On the subject of skin and hair care. He says I wish I would have started these things earlier.
Speaker 1:I use head and shoulders, recommended by my dermatologist. I also wipe it along my nose, ears, cheeks and chin, as the doctor tells me. This helps with my rosacea, a condition that lucky guys like me get. After shaving, I always use Oil Vol-A Daily Moisturizer. It doesn't clog my pores and it is a mild sunscreen. My skin doctor also recommends to me to take Minoxidil, aka Rogaine, for the thinning areas in the back of my scalp to ward off more skin cancers. I'm not sure it works, but the number of those burn treatments on my head have eased off. Cause Correlation, I don't know. He, my skin doctor, has also had me use adaptogenetel occasionally if my rosacea flares up. Everything I list is over the counter.
Speaker 1:On the subject of supplements and prescriptions, I start each day with a serving of orange-flavored, sugar-free Metamucil and four creatine gummy tablets. That makes about five grams. I've been doing the Metamucil for a long time and I think I can see an impact on my blood tests and maybe even my blood pressure. Let's just say it works. I've only recently started on creatine again. I use it for my brain health and it might be helping me maintain my strength. I take a Kirkland brand low dose 81 milligram aspirin. I did this for years and then I was told by someone in the faculty room that this was not effective. This is before I learned that a doctor's wife is literally the worst place to get medical advice. Then I read David Sinclair's book on longevity and he recommended it and I started again. I don't see any impact, like the Rogaine, but it's cheap and easy to pop it in my mouth At night.
Speaker 1:I take two things. I take 500 mg of metformin, one single tablet, and I've been taking this exact dose for literally decades. The reason goes back to picking up a parasite in Egypt and not from DNA or lifestyle. The reason goes back to picking up a parasite in Egypt and not from DNA or lifestyle. Bill Gifford in the book Spring Chicken notes that this might be the most proved longevity supplement drug or intervention. Many people I know take up to four or five times more than that. I hope I just keep this minimal, appropriate dose. Then I take my three hibernate pills, which is a blend of zinc, magnesium, vitamin D and a small dose of melatonin, and that's the sleep aid that I mentioned earlier.
Speaker 1:Diet, or what I actually eat section. On most days I take the exact advice given from Brad Peehan on his new anabolic fasting books, and I quote on non-workout days I would move my focus away from eating to build muscle or even to burn fat. Instead I would focus on health, as cliche as this sounds, and prioritize fruits, veggies, tubers, eggs and dairy and a little bit of meat and some nuts and seeds. I eat a lot of berries in my morning smoothie. It is part of my breakfast, with eggs and veggies. I tend to eat only after I get a great night's sleep, drink coffee, work out and walk, as I am doing the armor building formula, one of Coach Dan John's programs. Most of my morning workouts are walking, original strength, the great eight ab workout and some easy circuits, original strength and great eight also being resources found on danjohnuniversitycom. Then it's the smoothie and eggs.
Speaker 1:I fast for 24 hours. Twice a week I have a normal eating day and I do my armor building formula continuous clean and press and curls and squats. Then I eat a lot of protein through meat, chicken and fish, plus protein drinks. It's easy to hold a fast after 100, 150 grams of protein. For me. I've discovered that when in doubt, eat fruit and drink, eat protein. The rest takes care of itself.
Speaker 1:I do quote, unquote count calories as appropriate. With my height, I can consume about 2,800 calories a day. With the two full days of fasting I have a lot more wiggle room. I estimate about 500 calories a day in eating protein. Irish whiskey, both with or without an E, has 70 calories per shot, but a very small handful of chips has 170 calories. It's your choice, as Dumbledore taught us. So I find that if I eat veggies, most fruits and berries, those 500 calories of protein give or take, and drink mostly coffee and water, it's hard for me to average that 2,800 calories a day with the two 24-hour fasts. Obviously that's why my weight has dropped so much with Easy Strength for Fat Loss another one of Dan John's programs and some ideas from Brad Pean about cycling my protein or lifting versus non-lifting days. Calorie counting and protein counting are great ways to dial in your fat loss journey. Yes, there is more, but those two things counting calories and protein give you some real insights. As far as Dan John's current training, he stumbled onto this great program with barbells. You can find many of his books at danjohnuniversitycom backslash bookstore.
Speaker 1:My body simply loves the continuous clean and pressing curl combination. My javelin thrower received the university's award for neuroscience and she tells me that lifting is the best thing I can do for my long-term mental health. Amen, brother, I walk daily for at long-term mental health. Amen, brother, I walk daily for at least a half an hour, but often longer. I never honestly go for more than an hour unless I am in Vermont, england or Denmark. I also do original strength every day too. Another one of his programs On Monday I do a special session with my inner circle.
Speaker 1:I deepen my fast when I do this session and the coaching and the original strength make the fast easier. I adjusted the armor building formula to include the high rep pressing. On my Wednesday workout I strive for 100 total overhead presses and I don't care how I get there. I still do glute loops, hip thrusts and clamshells At least three times a week. I do armor building formula on Thursday and Sunday evenings and the high rep presses. On Wednesday morning I do original strength, the glutes and some extra stuff like rows. I simply can't walk original strength and do glutes enough. I have a home gym with lots of equipment and a social group that supports my training Also. Amen, brother.
Speaker 1:On the subject of lifestyle, coach Dan John says I'm a member of a financial intentional community that meets every Saturday. I have people come to train with me every morning at 930. My inner circle meetings dominate my Wednesdays. Thursday night, erica and I go to the senior center to dance with our friends. I'm active in my daughter's lives and strive to be a good neighbor too. I volunteer coach at the university five or more days a week and I interact with people nearly daily, from infant to elderly. I have many role models for aging in my life who did it right and who didn't. I'm an active member and supporter of the local music scene and I donate to keep it alive. I really appreciate my work with Utah Presence, which I'm going to have to ask them about because I don't know what Utah Presence is.
Speaker 1:I start most days with a sauna and I do seated original strength while listening to podcasts or meditation music. I think the sauna will continue to be proved to have benefits for reaching for the best human life. I always wear a seatbelt, to the nuisance of Uber drivers who just want to go. I use handrails going down the stairs all the time. I make sure that I have a firm handhold on the wall when I enter a shower or bath. These are very good, simple precautions. Practically everything I do is fairly simple. I can purchase nearly everything I have at local stores or click online for something I can't find, which would be unusual. Nothing here, including the daily training, really takes a lot of time. I can make a protein and berry smoothie faster than I can type this sentence. The daily, weekly and monthly commitment is probably the only thing that would separate me from most people in my age group. Real Life Longevity section.
Speaker 1:We're going to go through a typical Sunday for Coach Dan John. He wakes up without an alarm or to the smell of coffee. He drinks the coffee. He drinks the coffee as long as it takes to answer emails, texts, questions, whatever. One serving of sugar-free orange flavor, metamucil, four creatine gummies. That only takes a minute or two. Cleaning the glass with metamucil residue takes the longest part of the section of my day.
Speaker 1:I often sauna after I finish making Wandering Waits, wandering Waits being his online newsletter that I suggest you subscribe to. I'm sure you can find how to subscribe at danjohnuniversitycom. The sauna lasts from 10 to 30 minutes, but I listen to music or podcasts. Then he does his morning ritual Mouth wash, flush, floss, brush, teeth shampoo with head and shoulders oil of Olay. Take his baby aspirin, as old people refer to low-dose aspirin as baby aspirin and everybody as old as I can totally understand that taste. Right now, apply Rogaine to that spot on the back of my head. That takes about 10 minutes. I take 5 total pills a day this aspirin, the evening melatonin and 3 hibernates, which is that sleep cocktail we mentioned earlier On non-workout days, I would move my focus away from eating to build muscles or even burn fat.
Speaker 1:Instead, I would focus on health, as cliche as it sounds, and prioritize fruits, veggies, tubers, eggs and dairy, a little bit of meat, some nuts and some seeds, which he said earlier. But this is a typical Sunday and it's exactly what he does every Sunday, probably nearly every day. I eat a lot of berries with my morning smoothie. It's part of my breakfast, with eggs and veggies. Usually on Sundays I do get a walk Somewhere around 4 o'clock in the afternoon I do the armor building formula with barbells Continuous clean and press curls, front squats as they appear in the program.
Speaker 1:That's only about a 20 minute workout. Then I have a protein feast. Try to get 100 to 150 grams of protein. It's probably easiest for me to do this with hamburger patties up to four and protein drinks. I have done this with turkey, salmon and chicken thighs, but the new countertop, george Fordman grill, makes this very easy and doesn't disrupt other food prep. Then he begins his 24-hour fast. Not long before bed he takes his metformin and his hibernate sleep cocktail, again with the mouthwash, floss and brushing teeth, which takes just a few minutes. Then he goes to sleep. So, with the sauna and the workout, his entire effort might be 45 minutes or so.
Speaker 1:Doing these things on a Sunday, and that is a day in the life of Coach Dan John. The appendix to our interview with Coach that we branded Life Made Simple. Please check him out on danjohnuniversitycom, listen to parts one and two of our episodes with him, and we look forward to seeing you in the future. Thanks for listening. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post it on your social media or leave a review. To catch all the latest from us, you can follow us on Instagram at Masters Athlete Survival Guide. Thanks again. Leave a review to catch all the latest from us. You can follow us on Instagram at masters athlete survival guide. Thanks again. Now get off our lawn, you damn kids.