Dr. Dan Ritchie started his fitness career at Southeast Missouri State University with a bachelor’s degree in Fitness and Sports Medicine and then spent a year as a graduate assistant coaching Division 1 athletes. He completed his master’s degree in Health & Physical Education at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater, where he won the 2002 Thesis of the Year. Then Dan continued as a Lynn Fellow at Purdue University, completing his PhD in Kinesiology with a minor in Gerontology.

Dan owned and operated Miracles Fitness in West Lafayette, Indiana, where he and his staff trained over 2000 clients, from 2007-2022. With over 25 years of experience, he has extensive knowledge on training the mature adult market and has equipped people in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and beyond to achieve their goals and enhance their functional longevity. Dan was the 2014 PFP Trainer of the Year, and then shortly after he and Dr. Cody Sipe co-founded the FUNCTIONAL AGING Institute.

Dan is a sought-after expert and speaker at national and international events on topics like balance for older adults, personal training business development, the global aging phenomenon, and FUNCTIONAL AGING training models. He’s routinely interviewed for podcasts, webinars, and on-online education summits