The Daniel Clough Podcast

One big Thanksgiving meal isn’t going to derail your health and fitness. At least, if you pay attention to what happens around it.In this episode, I break down a simple way to enjoy the day fully while staying on track with your long-term goals. No guilt and no obsessing. Just a clear, realistic approach that works for Thanksgiving, holidays, big nights out, and weekends away. In fact, this will work for anything that knocks you out of routine.If you want to build a body and lifestyle that can handle real life (family events, travel, celebrations, stress, all of it), this is the episode that will help.

Ever wonder why you keep putting your health last, even though you swear this is the week you’ll finally make it a priority?The good news is that it's not because you’re weak or undisciplined. It’s because the odds are stacked against you — psychologically and environmentally.In this episode, I break down the hidden root causes that time and time again pull your health to the bottom of the list, even when you know it should come first.When you see what’s really going on, you’ll understand how to finally break the cycle and start putting your health first.

Ever wonder why your habits keep slipping — even though you're trying really hard?In this episode, I’ll break down the number one reason people fail to build habits that stick. I share how I’ve learned to catch myself before things spiral, and show you the simple fix that can completely change your consistency.If you’ve been stuck in the cycle of starting strong and then falling off, this might be the breakthrough you’ve been waiting for.

Struggling to stay on track? You don’t need another hack or quick tip — you need a system. In this video, I share the simple shift that finally kept me consistent.

This week’s a different kind of episode: a personal update on why I’m changing my fitness goals, adjusting my training, and adding fasting — with plenty of takeaways you can apply too.Show Notes:Essentials: Effects of Fasting & Time Restricted Eating on Fat Loss & Health | Huberman Lab — https://open.spotify.com/episode/6y84DRrE7rCew07PXVe5FC?si=12885fa80f9b4c3f

In this quick video, I share my simple strategy for how I protect my progress, keep a baseline of discipline, and still enjoy every bit of my holiday.

Getting lean isn’t about willpower — it’s about strategy.In this video, I share 4 powerful tactics that helped me finally stay consistent, lose fat, and feel confident on the beach. These will help you stick to your plan — not just for days or weeks, but for months.If you’re stuck, frustrated, or falling off track… this will change everything.Shownotes:How to achieve a healthy bodyweight — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIa7v9ZnghU

Once you hit your 40s, everything changes.Your body doesn’t recover the same. The old approach to fitness stops working. And for a lot of people, that’s the start of a slow decline.But it doesn’t have to be that way. In this video I’m going to share five things I changed in my 40s that completely turned my health and fitness around.None of them are quick hacks – but if you focus on these, they can completely change where you are a year from now.Show notes:jamiebentonfitness

Last week marked four years since I gave up alcohol — one of the most important and transformative decisions I’ve ever made.In this episode, I share four deeper realisations I’ve had since quitting. These aren’t the typical benefits you’ve heard before. They’re the unexpected shifts that changed how I live, train, think, and feel. They might just change how you entirely see alcohol too.Whether you’re sober curious, quietly questioning your relationship with alcohol, or just open to becoming a better version of yourself — this one’s for you.

Want to build real discipline — the kind that sticks even when motivation disappears?In this video, I share the 4 simple strategies that helped me stay consistent, show up when I didn’t feel like it, and build the kind of discipline that will take your life to another level.If you want more consistency in your workouts, habits, or life in general — start here.

Even your strongest habits are just one rough week away from slipping.In this episode, I break down what’s been working — and what’s been slipping — in my own foundational health habits. More importantly, I’ll show you how to notice the slide, reset with intention, and stay in control.If you’re slipping, you’re not broken. You just need a better system.

In this episode, I unpack the truth behind the Liver King scandal — and why, despite the lies and steroids, he did get one thing right: foundational health habits matter.But instead of raw liver and circus antics, I spotlight 5 men who are living proof that discipline, consistency, and basic habits can build strong, lean, capable bodies and great lives — without the drama.Show notes:Rich Froning — https://www.instagram.com/richfroning/Josh Bridges — https://www.instagram.com/joshbridges_trainingPaul Saladino — https://www.instagram.com/paulsaladinomd/Peter Attia — https://www.instagram.com/peterattiamdChris Williamson — https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx

I’ve had an eighth foundational health habit in mind for a while now — but I’ve been hesitant to add it. In this episode, I walk through why I’ve held back, what’s changed, and the real reasons I’m probably about to commit.

Getting in shape isn’t complicated — but staying consistent is. In this episode, I break down why most people struggle with consistency (hint: it’s not about motivation or willpower) and what actually changes when you build real capability and discipline. I share 3 real-life examples to show how foundational habits can transform your baseline — and finally get you the results you’ve been chasing.

In this episode, I stack rank the 7 foundational health habits that have made the biggest difference in my energy, discipline, and overall well-being.Not all habits are created equal — and if you're trying to feel better, look better, or get back on track, knowing where to start is everything.Some rankings might be obvious. But. others might surprise you — especially what I put at the very bottom!Whether you're just getting started or want to level up your health, this breakdown will help you focus on what actually moves the needle.Show notes:[1] A Prospective Study of Sleep Duration and Mortality Risk in Women — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15164896/[2] Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2016 study (The Lancet, 2018) — https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)30134-X/fulltext[3] Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts — https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359050623_Daily_steps_and_all-cause_mortality_a_meta-analysis_of_15_international_cohorts[4] Blue Zones Study (Dan Buettner + National Geographic) — https://www.bluezones.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Nat_Geo_LongevityF.pdf[5] Drinking just one dose of caffeine in the evening can decrease the amount of deep sleep by 20% — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5BMGmf1ai0

In my early 40s, I was constantly injured and frustrated with my training. Now, I’m in the best shape of my life — training six times a week, injury-free, and actually enjoying it. These 6 lessons changed everything.Show Notes:Jamie Benton Fitness — https://www.instagram.com/jamiebentonfitness

I explore whether I’ll ever stop tracking my foundational health habits – and why I probably won’t. From comparing my approach to the seemingly effortless routines of people like Josh Bridges and Paul Saladino, to reflecting on my own discipline, I unpack the role habit tracking plays in helping me stay consistent, intentional, and grounded.Show notes:Josh Bridges – http://www.youtube.com/@JoshBridges Paul Saladino – https://www.youtube.com/c/paulsaladinomd My Habit Tracking Template (monthly physical tick sheet) – https://www.danielclough.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Screenshot-2024-11-05-at-12.40.16.png My Habit Tracking Template (all months ) – https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N_Q0xyOw5DiWrKzJHnP_nq0FtelYa6ZbGLvc7v4_4UI/edit?gid=0#gid=0

You want to always be open to exploring small changes and tweaks to your environment, habits and routines. Because sometimes just the tiniest of tweaks is all you need to completely revitalise a habit or routine.

Towards the end of last year, I took a step back to reflect on where I am with my foundational health habits – as well my overall health and fitness. I also started to think about where I want to spend my energy and focus in 2025, so I can take things to the next level.As usual, there’s never a shortage of things to focus on and improve – but I’ve narrowed it down to 3 main areas of focus for 2025.

In this episode, I'm straying a bit from foundational health habits. However, being able to reach and maintain a healthy body weight is perhaps one of the most impactful things I’ve been able to achieve over the last few years – not only for my physical health, but also for my mental health.I know it's something a lot of people struggle with. That’s why I wanted to do an episode which covers a very simple and effective strategy to be able to achieve your healthy body weight.Show notes:Body-Mass Index and Mortality  among 1.46 Million White Adults – https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa1000367Two thirds of the adult population in the United States and at least half the populations of many other developed countries are currently overweight or obese – https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obesity-overweight.htm Only 12 percent of American adults are metabolically healthy, study finds – https://sph.unc.edu/sph-news/only-12-percent-of-american-adults-are-metabolically-healthy-study-finds/

This episode is a blockbuster of a health habit update. I usually do these types of episodes every month, but I haven’t done one since July. So, we have August, September and October to cover.I will also reveal a change I am making to one of my health habits. I rarely do this, but I think now is a very good time to try and take things to the next level for one of my habits.Show Notes:Foundational Health Habit Tracker – https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N_Q0xyOw5DiWrKzJHnP_nq0FtelYa6ZbGLvc7v4_4UI/edit?gid=0#gid=0

If you’ve struggled – or are currently struggling to build health habits and behaviours into your life, this is the episode for you. Today, we’re going to talk about TWO things that will make it SO much easier to make big changes in your life. These two things can literally be either a blocker or enabler to you letting go of bad habits, building new health habits, or making transformative changes in your life.

I break down the two key shifts that you need to make, if you’re going to build yourself into someone who is capable of being disciplined and consistent with foundational health habits, training and nutrition. These two key shifts are what have worked for me. I have personally gone from someone who lacked discipline and wasn’t able to be consistent for most of my adult life – to someone today who is extremely disciplined and consistent with my foundational health habits, training and nutrition – week in, week out. If you're struggling with discipline and being consistent, this is the episode for you.

I look back at July, and evaluate how well I did with tracking, and sticking to my seven foundational health habits. I hit a few bumps, and talk about what that means, and how to attack next month.I hope you find the insights useful for your own journey with foundational health habits.

Alright, we’re in August, so plenty of you will be off on your summer holidays – me included!So, I thought it would be a good idea to share how I handle tracking my foundational health habits whilst I’m on holiday.As you would expect, I take a very different approach to tracking habits when I’m on holiday vs. when I’m at home and in the normal routine of day to day life. Hopefully this episode will give you some good ideas of your own for how to adjust your habit tracking strategy when you’re traveling or on a holiday.

Today's episode is a monthly habit review. I look back at June, and see how I am doing on my foundational health habit journey. As usual, I find this super helpful from an accountability perspective – and you should also find the insights useful for your own journey with foundational health habits.

I cover one of the most important factors in being able to be consistent with foundational health habits – and in fact, anything in life.And as we know, consistency is everything when it comes to results. So, I think you’ll find this super episode useful and the advice really easy to implement.

Today’s episode is a monthly habit review. I look back on the previous month and look at my consistency for my seven foundational health habits. I reflect on my wins and losses, see what learnings can be taken from them, and then look forward to the month ahead.

I look back on April, to see how I did across all of my seven foundational health habits. As you can probably guess from the episode title, things may not have gone to plan!===Referenced in the show:Full Habit History – https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N_Q0xyOw5DiWrKzJHnP_nq0FtelYa6ZbGLvc7v4_4UI/edit#gid=0

I break down what I think is one of the biggest mistake I see people making when it comes to fitness programmes. This one thing could be the ultimate unlock for getting massively better results – whatever type of fitness you’re doing.Referenced in the Show:=======Persist: Training Program by Marcus Filly – https://functional-bodybuilding.com/persist/Josh Bridges: Training Programs – https://josh-bridges.com/collections/all-programs Active Life Rx – https://activelifeprofessional.com/rx-coaching/ Jason Brown coaching programs: https://marketplace.trainheroic.com/brand/jason-brown-coachingChris Hinshaw Training Programs – https://aerobic-capacity.myshopify.com/collections/downloadable-pdfs Sentinel Training by Taylor Self – https://sentineltraining.fitr.training/p/sentinelGMB Fitness Training Programs – https://gmb.io/programs/ Pliability – https://pliability.com/ GOWOD – https://www.gowod.app/ 3 Playing Brothers Sevan Matossian – https://app.sugarwod.com/marketplace/3-playing-brothersMy personal trainer: Jamie Benton Fitness – https://www.instagram.com/jamiebentonfitness/

Protein is one of my seven foundational health habits. One of the most common questions I get – and to be fair, only one person has ever asked a question, so, I think that’s an accurate statement – is this: how do you eat so much protein every day?So, in this episode, I’m going to break down how I arrived at my protein target, and exactly how I manage to hit it every day. It took me quite a while to figure out how to be able to do this easily, so I’m hoping it will help shortcut your own journey with eating enough protein.Referenced in the show:===================E02: What are the eight foundational health habits?Peter AttiaAndrew D. HubermanDr. Rhonda PatrickMarcus FillyMax LugavereSal Di Stefano

I cover the one ingredient you need to start becoming the best version of yourself. This ingredient in itself will be the difference to you obviously becoming a stronger, and more capable person every six months or so.========Referenced in the show:1. Dr. Matthew Walker: The Biology of Sleep & Your Unique Sleep Needs | Huberman Lab Guest Series2. Dr. Matthew Walker: Protocols to Improve Your Sleep | Huberman Lab Guest Series

I look at how I did with my seven foundational health habits for March. This is something I do every month to hold myself accountable, and to see what learnings I can take forward into the following month. Hopefully you will find some of the insights useful for your own journey in building foundational health habits.

Today's episode is an action packed one. I am going to cover five rules that will help you build foundational health habits.If you’re missing any of these, you’re going to find it very hard to build foundational health habits in your life. You might even struggle to ever build any. But, if you have these 5 rules in place, you’re going to do very well.These rules took me a long time to figure out and I’m super pumped to share them with you.======Referenced in Show:The Learning Zone Model by Lev VygotskyMy habit tick sheet template

I cover how hard it is to commit to training programs, diets, new behaviours – or quite frankly, making any big and new change in your life. I have a feeling that you might be making it harder than it has to be. You might just have things the wrong way around.

I share a strategy that will help you more easily establish a new habit, or take an existing one to the next level. It’s really easy to implement, and it’s something I use regularly to improve my own habit game. In fact, I share a recent example of how I used it to improve my foundational health habit of drinking three litres of water a day.

This episode is a regular monthly review of how I performed on my habits for the previous month. I’ll recap on my goals for February, share how I did on each habit, and then cover what my focuses are for March. I think you'll find lots of little tips in this episode that will be helpful for your own habits, and ultimately this is a really nice way to hold me accountable for walking the talk.======Referenced in Show:Foundational Health Habit Tracker [Daniel Clough]

Yep, there are some BIG changes with my foundational health habits. Two are OUT. and I am bringing in a brand new one. I explain each of these, and why I believe this leaves with me with a much stronger set of now, seven foundational health habits.=======Referenced in Show:British Medical Journal: Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses

I cover a short process I go through, that helps me get the most out of each month with my foundational health habits.

I share my foundational health habits goals for 2024. It might not be what you expect!

In this episode, I give a full introduction to the eight foundational health habits that I’m tracking on a daily basis.If you listened to the previous episode, you’ll know that it’s been quite a journey to arrive at these health habits. So, I’m really excited to introduce each of them to you!=====Referenced in the show:How to Increase Your Willpower & Tenacity | Huberman Lab Podcast (this link jumps right to the segment on Autonomic Function, Tenacity & Willpower, Sleep & Stress)Association of Habitual Alcohol Intake With Risk of Cardiovascular DiseaseEffects of Alcohol on the Body: Data Insights for HRV, Sleep & More Whoop What Is Caffeine, and Is It Good or Bad for Health?Sleep Expert REVEALS How Caffeine DESTROYS Your Sleep & Productivity! | Matthew WalkerDaily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohortsRefined Carbs and Irrational Food Choices (Greg Glassman)

In this very first episode, I reflect on my journey so far with building foundational health habits into my own life. It was actually really nice to take a step back, and reflect on how it came together. It should serve as the perfect introduction to what the podcast is all about.