First, Know Thyself

Nearly every day, members ask for my take on the latest inno­vations in health and wellness. Lately, questions have been along the lines of, What vitamins and ­minerals should I be taking? What’s your stance on GLP-1s and other pep­tides? What about testosterone?

With the growing interest in strategic supplementation and advanced protocols like hormone optimization and peptide therapy, these inquiries have only increased — and for good reason.

The research about them is stacking up. Now, nutrients, supplements, ­hormones, and peptides are more ­accessible than ever, and many of them have the potential to improve how we feel and function as we age.

This can make it tempting to dive in headfirst, especially when influencers and “experts” are touting them far and wide across the media landscape. It’s a pattern we see repeatedly: ­People read about a supplement that’s generating excitement — or a friend swears by a particular ­peptide, or a podcast host raves about hormone therapy — and they decide to try it for themselves.

Maybe they experience some changes. Maybe they don’t. Either way, they’re essentially navigating in the dark. Enticed by broad-stroke recommendations, these folks are ingesting or injecting products they often don’t understand, without knowing whether they even need them.

At Life Time, we know there is no one-size-fits-all solution. We’ve seen time and again that the most successful health and fitness protocols are targeted and personalized; they’re tailored to fit someone’s individual physiology.

So, the question isn’t, What should I be taking? but rather, What is my current baseline? What does my body need to function optimally? These kinds of questions can’t be answered with guesswork.

That’s why we’re creating a centralized health coaching hub that aims to help you find the answers and solutions your body needs. Our goal is (and always has been) to provide education so that you can make empowered decisions about what to do next to improve your health and well-being.

The experience starts with a one-on-one session with a health coach, who guides you through a symptom assessment and questionnaire; this covers your goals, your lifestyle (including nutrition, fitness, and sleep habits, and stress levels), and any challenges you might be facing.

Depending on your results, your coach may recommend additional testing or support:

• An active metabolic assessment (AMA) with a Dynamic Personal Trainer can pinpoint how efficiently you use oxygen while exercising at various intensities; your unique metrics can help you work out smarter, not harder.
• A resting metabolic assessment with a Dynamic Nutrition Coach determines how many calories your body burns at rest. This can inform your eating and activity habits.
• At-home lab tests can identify food sensitivities or inflammation. A Dynamic Nutrition Coach can help you address issues through supplementation and lifestyle changes.
• A comprehensive blood panel with medical interpretation by the team at MIORA, the precision medical clinics at Life Time, details your nutrient status, hormone levels, metabolic health, and more. The panel, one component of the Metabolic Code (created by Jim LaValle, our chief science officer), assesses more than 70 biomarkers to uncover patterns ­— not just isolated numbers — about how your body’s systems are functioning.

With this data in hand, you can now take action that actually helps you progress toward your goals.

This is the work the Life Time team cares most deeply about: empowering people to understand where they are, what they need, and why they need it, so they can make informed and personalized decisions. And that can be game-changing.

So, when someone asks me if I think they should try one these new health interventions, I usually suggest that they get to know themselves first. Do some advanced blood work; maybe take an AMA.

Sit down with someone who can help you understand your results. Then have an honest conversation about the strategies and interventions — and the combinations of them — that make the most sense for you.

After all these years in the health and wellness business, we know that the people who make the most meaningful, lasting progress are not those who latch on to every trend that comes along. They’re the ones who take the time to truly understand themselves. Then they act with intention based on what they learn.

So tune in, because your body has a lot to tell you.