Off Label · Issue 01 · July 21, 2026
My perfect day, wake to sleep
The routine I run from morning light to mouth tape. Steal what fits.
Hey there! Quick intro, since this is the FIRST edition of the Off Label Newsletter.
I'm Dr. Clay Moss. I'm a physician completing formal training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, with a focus on longevity and human performance. I focus on function: how people move, recover, and hold onto their independence. I've seen up close what it looks like when someone loses that capacity, and most of it traces back to decisions made decades earlier.
My goal here is simple. Give you the tools to make your life as efficiently healthy as possible. The highest return moves for the least friction, explained the way I'd explain them to a friend who happened to have a doctor in the family.
So let's start where I get asked the most: what does a perfect day actually look like for me?
There is no perfect day that works for everyone. Some people thrive fasting until noon for the focus and the fat-loss benefits (I love to, now and then). Others need food at 7am. Don't copy me. Look at the levers, then pull the ones that fit your life. (Scroll to the end for the quick-hitters.)
Here's mine, start to finish:
Morning
- Big glass of water the moment I'm up, usually with electrolytes. More salt for me since I sweat a lot through the week. Use less if you don't.
- Splash cold water on my face, then straight outside for crucial sunlight and easy movement: 30 seconds of bouncing, arm swings, body waves, loosen the low back, then down onto the ground for cat-cow to wake up the spine. We stop getting on the floor as adults and quietly lose that sense of "play". Take it back.
- As much of this in sunlight as I can. Morning light sets your circadian clock, and even a cloudy day gives your eyes far more signal than the brightest indoor lighting.
- One to ten minutes of gratitude, prayer, or meditation.
- Then a workout if I can fit it in in the morning, or straight to a protein shake if I'm training later: 25 to 50g grass-fed whey, water, low-fat Greek yogurt, 5 to 10g creatine, and a couple handfuls of wild blueberries. I sip it through the morning.
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(On protein in general: aim for 0.7 to 1g per pound of body weight per day. That one number does more for your body composition, your recovery, and how full you actually feel than almost anything else on this list.)
- Shower, then supplements. My staples are vitamin D, omega-3s, and a multivitamin, plus a few targeted to my labs and goals. I've added some longevity compounds too (NMN, CaAKG, Urolithin A), but only once the foundation is handled. Those are never the first move.
- Coffee comes a little after waking, not first thing. Give your system time to wake up on its own and the caffeine costs you less of an afternoon crash.
At work
- A half-gallon jug of water with diluted electrolytes on the desk.
- I get up. 5 to 10 air squats every bathroom trip, and I always take the long outdoor route whenever I cross the hospital.
- Stressed midday? Three to five physiologic sighs: a full inhale, a second short inhale stacked on top, then a long slow exhale as if you're breathing out of a straw. That double breath reinflates your lungs and pulls you out of the stress response within a minute.
- Lunch is usually last night's dinner. A grass-fed beef or salmon bowl. Clean protein, light on carbs, some veggies and fruit.
Evening
- If I haven't trained yet, now's the time. Home gym, push, pull, legs across the week. If I already lifted, I walk outside with my dog and my wife and actually decompress.
- I wake 2 to 3 hours before work starts so I get something done early and skip the late-night scramble. Nothing good happens after 8pm, in my experience.
Wind-down
- No overhead lights for the last 3 to 4 hours, so I don't blunt my own melatonin.
- Last meal at least 2 hours before bed. Better body temperature, quieter digestion, deeper sleep.
- 60 to 90 minutes out: 200 to 500mg magnesium glycinate and 3g glycine.
- Bedroom down to 67 to 69 degrees, sleep mask on (better blackout curtains are next on my list).
- I tape my mouth too. I'm a chronic snorer, and three years in it has transformed my sleep and my wife's. Skip this one if you have sleep apnea.
- In bed by 10 to 10:30.
None of this is medical advice, just what works for me.
A few things you can start this week
- Water and electrolytes the moment you wake
- 5 to 10 minutes of morning light and movement
- Push coffee to 60 minutes after waking
- 30 to 40g of protein in your first meal, and 0.7 to 1g per pound of body weight across the day
- Stand up and move every hour you sit
- Physiologic sighs when stress spikes (double deep inhale through your nose, then a long exhale through your mouth)
- Turn off the overhead lights a few hours before bed. Only lamps and candles (unscented).
- Last meal 2+ hours before sleep
- Cool, dark, quiet bedroom
- In bed on time
Pick one this week. Add the next when it sticks.
That's it for this one! I'll say it plainly: thank you for being here. I get to do this because you follow along, and I don't take you for granted. It means the world!
More soon, Clay