Before Starting a Meditation Practice, Attend to the Basics

Meditation is great and can bring about huge transformation.  But, meditation is no substitute for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  Rather, it both depends on and then helps maintain a healthy lifestyle (keystone habit).
So, be sure to keep healthy habits around regular exercise, diet, sleep, social life, and work.

Exercise:

Gentle and regular movement daily:  get in a least 6,000 steps a day, take walks etc.
Intense exercise 3 times a week:  Strength training with real exertion, and/or High Intensity Interval Training, like sprinting on a stationary bike or an elliptical
Tai Chi and Yoga are also helpful

Diet:

There is a lot of controversy around diet.  The only piece of completely reliable advice on diet is to avoid processed foods.  Beyond that it gets more speculative. Best to consume organic foods.  But, avoiding processed foods is more important than eating organic, in my opinion.

Sleep:

Try to get the amount of sleep that you function best on, not just what you can get by on.  I need about 7 1/2 to 8 hours myself.  It’s best to go to bed at the same time and wake at the same time everyday, avoid screens within 2 hours of bed, and to sleep in a cool, dark place.  

Social life:

Cultivate friendships.  Be of help to others and ask for help when you need it.  Be as ethical and kind as possible with others.  Challenge yourself to relish your social relationships more and more.  This helps everything.


Livelihood:
Accomplish something and be a productive member of society:  It’s important to exert yourself and feel proud of your efforts and accomplishments and to know that they are of benefit to others.

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