How We Can Be Agile, Balanced, and Resilient Like a Cat

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There’s no credible evidence that, potentially, you could live forever. Or that you might somehow replicate yourself 8 times before passing on. True, in being not just an animal but a human animal, we’ve vastly surpassed felines cognitively. But inasmuch as all animals are mortal, any syllogism will reveal that no one can escape their ineluctable fate.

Nor can cats—except admittedly mythical ones.

There are logical reasons that, throughout history, cats have been viewed as having biologically based abilities missing in humans, and therefore appraised as having supernatural powers. All myths have some grounding in reality.

Traditionally, the preternatural gifts of cats have been linked to longevity, although within limits we can productively imitate them. Such a feat, however, requires steadfast discipline. But with enough motivation or drive it should be doable.

Below are some of these advantageous cat qualities, as well as steps humans can take consciously to develop their near-equivalent.

Exceptional Balance and Flexibility

Many researchers have pointed out that by their very nature cats possess speedy reflexes, and that their skeletal structure and inner ear mechanisms offer them laudable balance. These inherent characteristics in turn provide them with agility enabling them almost to defy gravity—if not death itself. They can fall from great heights yet land, unharmed, squarely on their feet.

Humans obviously lack the cat’s innate preparedness to do things that would mortally threaten us. But if we commit to engaging in the right kinds of exercise, we can substantially increase our balance and strength—not so much to fall safely, but to safeguard against falling altogether.

Experts have designed proprioception exercises to improve our balance, coordination, and agility. Doing them regularly can teach us how to react instantaneously, without having first to intellectually grasp the situation. In many instances such reflection would slow us down, increasing our reaction time and putting us at risk for injuries cats aren’t subject to.

There are different exercises to hone our proprioception, such as one-leg balancing, reverse lunges, and heel-to-toe walking.

Performing these exercises can’t turn you into a cat. But they can help you take their lead in safely executing moves that otherwise would be endangering. The balancing movements in such disciplines as tai chi and yoga can also aid you in developing cat-like agility.

Plus, simply adopting the right head-back posture in sitting and standing not only contributes to staying fit but also counters overly sedentary habits—thus assisting you in looking and feeling better than your years. Strategically, this combats the common tendency to bend forward, whether texting, playing video games, or watching TV.

Resilience: Strengthening Your Immune System

Reported data on cats demonstrate their capability to recover from injuries and illnesses faster than most humans. In ancient times, this seemingly miraculous ability linked them to various deities, thereby endowing them with supernatural status. It’s been speculated that the notion of their having nine lives derives from these genetic gifts, which many centuries ago couldn’t be understood objectively or scientifically.

Resilience as a term incorporates not just the physical but also the mental and emotional. If humans are to meet, and go beyond, their feline counterparts, they need to consider fitness in all its dimensions.

Exercise
I’ve already touched on particular exercises that are devised to improve balance and pliability. But getting enough exercise and making sure your regimen incorporates both aerobic activity and weight training is also essential in helping increase your longevity.

Our bodies were meant to move vigorously (cavemen could not have survived otherwise). Like it or not, if you want to counter the aging process as much as tenable, you need regularly to exert yourself and craft a dynamic exercise program.

Diet, Nutrition, and Weight Control
“You are what you eat." A healthy diet that’s low in salty, sugary foods and red meat, and high in fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, and grains is continually touted as ideal for almost everyone. That doesn’t mean you dare not ever touch a chocolate doughnut, but that such high-calorie sweets shouldn’t constitute a major part of your reward system.

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Occasional culinary indulgences aren’t likely to harm you. Again, it’s all a matter of balance or moderation. If you conscientiously cut out all your favorite, disapproved foods, you’ll probably feel deprived, which sooner or later will likely lead to out-of-control binging.

Sleep
To wake up refreshed, sleep authorities recommend getting between seven and nine hours sleep a night. But many studies reveal that most Americans don’t achieve that desired amount—and we certainly don’t come anywhere close to getting what cats get. It’s insufficient time in bed that accounts for so many of us feeling fatigued and worn down by midday.

Moreover, inadequate time asleep has been found to strain our immune systems and contribute to excessive wear-and-tear on our bodies, which adversely affects our mortality rate. Whether it’s poor sleep hygiene, or sleep-compromising anxiety, depression or rumination, all these things intimately relate to insomnia.

Managing Stress
There are few things more important than taking things in stride—as in, don’t sweat the small stuff. Or, for that matter, even serious matters that you can become more skilled at adapting to. The more things that upset you, the more your organs, glands, and systems will be out of whack and interfere with daily functioning.

This is why longevity is so often associated with having a reliable support system and belonging to groups or organizations that minimize lonely or shameful feelings of separation and self-isolation.

As critical as exercise, diet, and sleep are in keeping you feeling young, it may well be that, finally, what’s most important in extending your longevity is developing fulfilling relationships that enhance your sense of meaning and purpose.

It’s been said that the purpose of life is a life of purpose. And a big part of pursuing meaning or purpose may be keeping yourself goal-oriented, intellectually curious, and vibrantly alive.

But like all non-mythical cats, it can’t afford you nine lives. Still, excluding the idea of reincarnation, it should make your singular life happier, more fulfilling, and content.

© 2023 Leon F. Seltzer, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.