Latest news with #Akradi
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Petition protests Life Time's plan to close basketball court at Target Center gym
Life Time's plans to remove the basketball court from its Target Center gym has sparked a petition from members opposing the change. The petition protesting the decision by Life Time CEO Bahram Akradi has garnered nearly 500 signatures since it was launched March 23. In an email to Bring Me The News on Monday, a Life Time spokesperson confirmed the company plans to create "a new training and competition space that is the first-of-its-kind for Life Time in the country." The spokesperson also said a waitlist for the new space has been established and it has "received a very positive response" despite the petition. The space, referred to by Akradi to members as "LT Games," will feature "high-energy, cardio and functional training competition with regional events leading to a national championship, where top athletes will compete for cash and prizes." "This new experience will elevate training and performance for thousands nationwide, and Minnesota members will be the first to try the course," Akradi stated, adding the new attraction is expected to launch this spring. The remodel is set to shut down the fitness club's last remaining basketball court at the downtown Minneapolis gym. Other court space was converted into a pickleball court in 2021. In the petition, opponents of the plan contend the changes are being advanced without input from members. "Basketball is more than just a recreational option at this location—it is a vital part of the club's identity and a key reason many of us became (and remain) Life Time members," the petition reads. "On any given day, you will find parents training their children, organized 5-on-5 competitive runs, and members of all ages using the court to stay active, build relationships, and find community in the heart of downtown." The petition also accuses Life Time of "moving away from its commitment to providing holistic, community-driven health and fitness experiences" with the decision. Basketball is expected to remain at Life Time clubs in Fridley, St. Louis Park and elsewhere. The downtown Minneapolis court was once used by the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx before the professional teams moved across the street to the Mayo Clinic Square nearly a decade ago.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The CEO of Life Time says he takes 45-50 supplements a day for healthy aging. Here's how he decides what to include.
The CEO of Life Time Fitness says he takes about 45-50 supplements every morning. But he doesn't want you copying his strategy. He gets bloodwork done regularly, a technique longevity doctors endorse. Bahram Akradi says that he's so fit, he can challenge people half his age at the gym. "At 63, I'm competing with 33-year-olds," the CEO of Life Time Fitness told Business Insider. He says folks who observe his daily routines and rituals often want to know his secrets for staying strong and healthy. "They say, 'tell me what you're taking,' and I'm like, 'well, what I'm taking is customized to me. You don't need to be taking what I'm taking.'" He subscribes to the same supplement-taking strategy that's become increasingly popular in longevity circles and at specialty clinics around the world: "Precision medicine." Test, then treat, according to your own results. For Akradi, the technique is nothing new. He says he's been taking "about 45 to 50" pills every morning for many years. Not every capsule is unique; he estimates there are about 35 to 40 different compounds in the mix. "I have been doing what I'm doing for the last 15 years," he said. Every four months, he goes in for testing to reassess his regimen. "I do my blood work, and I adjust my supplements." Most doctors would tell you this is probably overkill. Comprehensive bloodwork like this can cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Besides, getting bloodwork done once a year at an annual exam (ideally, one that's covered by insurance) is likely good enough to gauge what major supplement changes may be in order. But Akradi thinks of this as his own form of high-end seasonal housekeeping. "My routine is: do my blood work every 120 days and then, 'oh, I don't have enough zinc in my deal,' add a little zinc. Or I have too much iron, take a little iron out," he said. "My strong recommendation to people, if they can afford it, is: don't take supplements generically." In 2024, Akradi took a stab at his dream: adding a longevity clinic to a Life Time gym near the company's headquarters in Minneapolis. The clinic, called Miora, sits in the posh, underground branch of Life Time below the arena where the Minnesota Timberwolves play. Doctors on staff can prescribe supplements and medications, including GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. "You come in, we take your blood, we go through your assessment," Akradi said. Miora doesn't take insurance, sidestepping the US healthcare system and getting customers to pay out of pocket. Within six months, Akradi said, the clinic was profitable. This is Life Time's second foray into clinical care. Akradi tried once, over a decade ago, to pivot into doctor's office care for gym-goers when he established the first "LT Proactive Care" clinic in 2013. The model relied on insurance and didn't work so well. Those clinics all eventually closed. With one solid proof of concept, Akradi is planning to open at least two more Miora clinics before the end of Q1 2025, one in Florida and the other in Illinois. He views it as a natural evolution for the fitness company he founded in 1992, trying to show that Life Time is a complement — not an alternative — to alluring quick fixes, like diets and weight-loss pills. "The goal was to build a fully integrated, healthy living and healthy aging company," he said. Miora isn't the only place doing tailored supplement prescriptions. There are longevity clinics sprouting up around the world taking a similar approach to supplementation — deciding a regimen based on bloodwork. Andrea Maier, one of the leading academic supplement researchers in aging and longevity, says less is usually more when it comes to supplements for longevity. "In our clinic, we are de-prescribing," Maier recently told Business Insider. "We first have to diagnose what's wrong, what somebody needs, and that might differ." Read the original article on Business Insider
