Reality TV star Luke McLeod reveals the benefits of meditation

He is known for starring in reality TV show The Bachelorette but Luke McLeod says he prefers his day job – teaching meditation to clear the mind and body.

He’s best known for boasting the kind of good looks and physicality that land you the plum

gigs on reality TV shows like The Bachelorette and The Bachelor In Paradise, but Luke McLeod says he’d rather be appreciated for his mind more than his muscle.

“I love to try, and teach, new and interesting types of meditation, from Transcendental Meditation to Vipassana,” the 34-year-old says.

“Meditation is my job so I’m lucky to practice a lot of it.”

McLeod has recently launched a new meditation app called Soul Alive and swears by making meditation a daily practice for peak mental health.

“I would say meditation is probably the number one exercise I do to keep my mind in good shape,” McLeod says.

“Meditation for the mind is like going to the gym for your body. It cleans out the ‘fat’, flushes away the waste and leaves you feeling healthier.”

Former Bachelorette contestant Luke McLeod enjoys meditation. Picture: Jonathan Ng

A vocal advocate for mental health, McLeod says that it’s a topic that shouldn’t be stigmatised, and people should never feel embarrassed to speak up if they’re in need of help.

“If someone is feeling embarrassed about the state of their mental health, I think it’s really important to first just acknowledge that everyone at some point struggles with their mental

health, just like at some point in almost everyone's life, they’re going to struggle with their physical health,” he says.

“Once you’ve met someone where they’re at and assured them it’s okay, it’s a matter of helping them see and approach their mental health in a positive way. Showing them that meditation can be a fun, enjoyable and powerful practice.”

As for any men who think that they don’t need meditation or mindfulness, or believe it’s not

a masculine pursuit, McLeod is quick to point out some greats who’ve used it to soar to

incredible heights.

“Meditation has made me more of a man than anything else I’ve done in my life,” he says.

“It’s made me more confident, clear and calm – all qualities of a great man, I think. If they don’t want to take my word for it, then look at the likes of Steve Jobs and Muhammad Ali –

both the very best in their field, and both meditated regularly. The proof is in the pudding.”

Luke McLeod on…

Exercise

“I train at the gym three to four times a week, surf when I can and do a fair bit of stretching too. Your body is your vessel for carrying out the work while you’re on this planet, so you have to look after it. Exercise also helps improve your mental state, and is wonderful for releasing static energy. Then, once that’s out, try some meditation. It’s like putting the cherry on top and will do wonders for your mental health.”

Luke McLeod knows the importance of sleep and exercise for overall wellbeing Picture: Jonathan Ng

Sleep

“Sleep is so important – it’s essential time needed to recharge our batteries. For me I need close to eight hours every night, so getting into a routine really helps with this – training your body clock to know when it’s time to go to sleep and wake up. I’m almost at a point where I now wake up a few minutes before my alarm goes off every morning. I like to take magnesium most nights too.”

Mindfulness

“If you want to live a life that has really been ‘lived’, then mindfulness is the vehicle to taking you there. It’s the practice of really teaching you how to live, and how to be here now and embrace all parts of life.”

Luke McLeod is the founder of meditation and mindfulness app Soul Alive; soulalive.com.au

GET FIT AND HEALTHY WITH ADAM MACDOUGALL

Lose the beer gut without losing all the beers at themanshake.com.au

Adam MacDougall is the creator of The Man Shake. A new, healthy, weight loss shake that is low in sugar, full of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals that you can have on the run and leaves you feeling full.

For FREE Health & Fitness tips, follow Adam on:

FACEBOOK:

facebook.com/themanshake

TWITTER:

@adammacdougall5

INSTAGRAM:

adam_macdougall_