Last weekend I went along to Big Cat Fest at The Big Cat Sanctuary.
And yes, obviously seeing lions, tigers, leopards and various other largish pussy cats that could remove my head with one swipe was bloody brilliant.
But somewhere between staring at a Lion and wondering whether Mabel would make it her bitch or not if we had it in the garden.
The whole philosophy behind a sanctuary isn’t actually that different from how I think we should approach our own health.
I know I can hear you already going what the fuck are you on about Pete.
So, I’m not about to tell you to unleash your inner tiger.
Waking up the Lion inside you either.
And at absolutely no point will I suggest you start eating raw meat.
It’s a lot more simpler than that.
A sanctuary exists to protect something incredibly valuable.
To preserve what we still have.
To restore where possible.
To create an environment where animals can thrive.
And, importantly, to think about the future.
Maybe we should start thinking about ourselves and treating our health in much the same way.
Like Most Things, We Don’t Appreciate What We’ve Got Until We Start Losing It
One of the main ideas behind conservation is protecting something before it’s too late.
Unfortunately, humans aren’t particularly brilliant at applying that philosophy to ourselves.
We take being able to walk for granted.
Until walking becomes difficult.
We don’t think about being able to get off the floor.
Until suddenly getting off the floor requires furniture, planning and several noises you definitely didn’t make ten years ago.
We don’t appreciate carrying our own shopping.
Climbing stairs.
Playing with the kids or grandkids.
Going on holiday and exploring somewhere on foot.
Getting out of a chair without using our hands.
Being able to say:
“Yeah, I’ll come.”
Until some of those things start becoming difficult.
Then we’d give almost anything to have them back.
That’s why to a certain extent I think we’ve got this whole health and fitness slightly backwards.
We often wait until something has gone wrong before deciding our health deserves some attention.
But health isn’t just something you try to fix when you start losing it.
It’s something that needs protecting while you’ve still got it.
Your Environment Matters More Than You Think
You couldn’t rescue an endangered animal, stick it in completely the wrong environment and then tell it:
“Come on mate. You just need to want it more.”
It needs the right environment.
Space.
Food.
Stimulation.
Safety.
Care.
The conditions that allow it to thrive.
Humans, we really aren’t massively different.
If you’re sleeping five hours a night…
Sitting down for ten hours a day…
Surrounded by food that makes overeating incredibly easy…
Stressed off your tits…
Working stupid arse hours…
And spending most of your time around people who don’t particularly value looking after themselves…
Maybe motivation isn’t entirely the problem.
Maybe your environment isn’t helping.
That’s something I’ve increasingly appreciated about The Fox Den.
Yes, when it comes down to it, it’s somewhere people come to exercise.
But I wanted to create an environment where looking after yourself is normal.
People in their 20s train alongside people in their 50s.
People in their 30s train alongside people in their 60s.
We’ve got people heading through their 70s and beyond.
And occasionally we let some younger people in so we can psychologically torment them with stories about life before Wi-Fi and social media.
Nobody particularly cares how much you lift, but everyone is there to make sure you are pushing yourself to do more than you can think of.
Nobody cares whether you’re the fastest, running 5k is still running 5k whether it takes you 40 minutes or 18.
We notice when you haven’t been in.
We celebrate when you achieve something.
We take the piss out of each other.
We see each other.
And you’re surrounded by people who are also trying to keep themselves strong, fit and capable.
That environment matters.
Probably far more than we realise.
Rehabilitation Takes Time
Another thing that struck me about the work of a sanctuary is that care doesn’t magically undo everything that’s happened before.
Recovery takes time.
It takes patience.
Consistency.
The right conditions.
Sometimes there are setbacks.
Sometimes progress is slow, shit I know about a lot more than I really wish I did.
Bodies aren’t much different.
You don’t undo ten years of inactivity with a six-week challenge.
You don’t build meaningful strength after three trips to the gym.
You don’t repair your relationship with food because you’ve managed to be “good” since Monday.
And you don’t suddenly become fit because you’ve bought an expensive watch that’s now repeatedly telling you that you’re stressed and you need to move & breath.
Sometimes you’re dealing with an injury.
Sometimes the menopause arrives kicks the door down and moves all the bloody goalposts.
Sometimes work goes mental.
Sometimes you’re caring for somebody else.
Sometimes life simply kicks you squarely in the bollocks.
That’s when consistency doesn’t necessarily mean smashing every workout.
Sometimes the win isn’t moving forwards.
Sometimes the win is stopping yourself moving backwards.
Keep doing something.
Keep giving your body a reason to remain capable.
Then when life settles down, you build again.
Think About Future You
Conservation isn’t only about the animals standing in front of us today.
It’s about what happens tomorrow.
Next year.
In ten years.
In fifty years.
And perhaps that’s the biggest lesson we can steal for our own health.
Most of us think about exercise in terms of now.
Losing weight for a holiday.
Running a 10K.
Getting stronger.
Looking better.
And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of those things.
But there’s another person you’re training for.
Future You.
The 60-year-old version of you.
The 70-year-old version.
The 80-year-old version.
Hopefully the 90-year-old version.
Every squat.
Every walk.
Every bit of cardio.
Every decent meal.
Every decent night’s sleep.
Every bit of muscle you build.
Every bit of fitness you maintain.
You’re putting something in the bank for that person.
Because eventually you’re going to become them.
And they’re either going to look back and think:
“You did alright.”
Or…
“You absolute twat.”
This Isn’t About Living Forever
That’s the important bit.
None of this makes us immortal, let’s be honest who really wants to?
Exercise isn’t going to stop you ageing.
Eating vegetables isn’t going to make you live forever.
Conservation isn’t really about immortality either.
It’s about protecting something valuable.
Giving it the best environment possible.
Helping it thrive.
And giving it the best possible chance of having a future.
That’s how I think we should approach our health.
Not desperately trying to cling onto youth, as much as we Gen X would love to, lets be honest, we will always be 25 in our heads.
Not obsessing about every calorie.
Not spending our lives chasing perfect health.
Just looking after the incredibly valuable thing we’ve already got.
Our ability to live.
To move.
To explore.
To laugh.
To dance.
To travel.
To carry our own shopping.
To get ourselves out of the bath when we’re 85.
Whatever matters to you.
So maybe we should be focusing on the following.
Protect what you’ve got.
Build what you can.
Give Future You a fighting chance.
And if you’ve never been to The Big Cat Sanctuary, have a look at the work they do.
Because protecting something before it’s gone makes considerably more sense than wishing we’d protected it afterwards.
Turns out that applies to big fuck off White Lions…
…and humans.
