Listen to my interview with Sam Delaney on his podcast, The Reset, on the player below. We talk about my story and how I went from struggling with fatherhood, how I failed to look after my mental and physical wellbeing, right up to how I got better and came to launch 66 Days to help people who have had enough of being unhealthy.

More about me

I’m Dan Foley and I created 66 Days. I’m a qualified, insured personal trainer and have had a passion for sport and exercise since my playing days at school, through a career encompassing sports and sports writing. Despite loving physical fitness, I battled with actually finding a healthy balance until I made a decision to dedicate myself to helping others on their fitness journey in mid-life.. By that time I’d had a successful career in media, got married and had two children; on the face of it, everything seemed great. But the demands of work and young children had left me burned out. I was self-medicating with everything from alcohol to food; anything that would change the way I felt and gave me relief from exhaustion and stress. Eventually, I came to realise that these coping methods were doing more harm than good, but I didn’t have a plan B.

I had always enjoyed being active, playing sports and being outdoors – I first qualified as a gym instructor in 2013. But the indestructible feeling of youth was giving way to the reality of getting older. I was all too aware that as  40 year old man, my body was naturally starting its decline and that muscular strength, bone density, cardiovascular health and pretty much every other function start to atrophy. 

I quit my job to look after my family and myself, to take a break from the downward spiral I was in, mentally and physically. During this time I was able to better look after my health, exploring exercise, nutrition and rest, and how they impacted my mental and physical health. I read, studied and gained my diploma as a personal trainer, making me qualified to create training programmes for individual and groups, to teach a wide variety of exercise methods and techniques, as well as recovery and nutrition advice.

Throughout this process I have learned what makes me healthy and happy, and how I can build those habits into a full, busy life. I started 66 Days to help other dads who are struggling with their mental and physical health. If you want to find out more, there’s more info about the 66 Days Fitness programme here and you can contact me today.