Perspective by Bahram Akradi

We live in polarizing times. It's a period characterized not just by galvanizing issues, but by a great deal of vitriolic rhetoric. Every time we turn on the radio or TV, or even turn around in our homes or offices, we're likely to get an earful of why one person or position is right and another is totally, unredeemably wrong.

This year, a good friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer.

For as short as everybody likes to remind us that life is, in truth, if we're blessed with good health and good luck, it goes on for a good long while. And all the way along, it's filled with twists and turns, steep hills, long plateaus, and surprises of all kinds.

We love our children. We worry about our children. And, of course, we always want what’s best for them. But sometimes, by acting out of our instinctive desire to help our kids every step of the way, I believe we wind up doing them a disservice.

It’s interesting that in a society fixated on adventure and excitement, so many of us choose to lead lives defined by deeply entrenched routines. In fact, I suspect our vicarious fixation on others’ thrill rides is likely fueled by our real-life tendency toward mindless repetition.

In a culture where most of us are overwhelmed by too much stress, too much stuff, too many unhealthy temptations and way too many daily choices, it’s important to note that there are still a few areas where, in general, more really is better. Three examples come to mind ...

In recent years, there’s been a surge of popular interest in detoxification regimens - the kind that help flush food-borne and environmental toxins out of our systems.

Over the past year, many individuals and businesses have gotten more interested in “going green” - increasing their energy efficiency, reducing their chemical usage, shrinking their carbon footprints, and so on. And there are certainly plenty of good reasons for this.

When I heard we were focusing on life balance this month, I said: Great! I can talk about that for hours!

Inspiration sometimes comes at times and places we least expect. Last fall, for example, I found myself inspired while watching an NFL game.

Reflecting on the year past, looking at notable accomplishments and things to celebrate, I see a great many within the Life Time Fitness organization.

Nature is a brilliant designer. Look at a tree, a flower, a landscape, and you’ll generally see a well-centered composition. Even in the case of infinitely complex fractal constructions, there’s an organic symmetry, a progressive spreading from a center point (or many center points) that can be viewed at virtually any magnification and still appear balanced, right, whole.

Among the many industries due for an evolution, I’d say the fitness industry ranks high. It seems like so much of it has remained trapped in the ’80s - the hype, the noise, the focus on the surface of things.

Some of the most powerful messages we see and hear about fitness today (the ones that reach us through mass media) would seem to suggest that fitness is the domain of the young, the super-buff and, above all, the single.

The call to start working on my letter for this “Feel Great at Any Age” issue came at the perfect moment: It just happened to be my 45th birthday. Fact is, if you had asked me when I was 20 what 45 was going to look and feel like, I’m not sure I’d have been able to tell you.

Late spring is my favorite time of year. There’s something inspiring about seeing so many living things crank into the high gears of their growth cycles.

In business, there’s a concept known as the “Peter Principle” that describes how individuals within an organization tend to be promoted through the ranks until they rise to their level of incompetence.

We tend to think of cause and effect as a simple, two-part thing: A particular action results in a particular reaction, period. And perhaps in some controlled experiments, that’s true. But in life, most reactions are complex and cyclical chain reactions, because in life, most everything is connected.

Health is all the rage in business these days. Which is to say that many companies are actively promoting healthier employee lifestyles. Or at least they’re trying.

There’s a biology term - “circular mill” - that describes how a group of army ants, if separated from their colony, can wind up marching in an enormous circle, each ant perpetually following the ant in front of it.

Back when I was in college, my schoolwork came pretty easily to me, and like most young men, I thought I had life all figured out.