We all have the following needs: emotional, mental, physical, spiritual, and financial. Those needs vary in intensity throughout the day.  Some days it may be more emotional and spiritual needs. Other days financial needs may dominate. Every day we have physical needs.

6 PHYSICAL HUMAN NEEDS

Being aware of our physical needs is important to our health. Take time to make sure that those needs are being met APPROPRIATELY each day:

1. Rest (6-8 hours for most adults)
2. Water (0.5 to 1.0 ounce per weight in lbs). If you weigh 200 lbs, you should drink at least 100 ounces of water per day.
3. Food – we will not die if we do not eat in 24 hours. Remember why we need to eat. This is a big reason many people have weight issues. I know, I developed the habit of CHOOSING food to solve my problems or treat my discomfort and pain. Sadly, after years of doing this, it was extremely difficult to make a healthier and more appropriate choice.
4. Activity – we were designed to move. When we spend too much time stagnant, we increase the risk of diseases.
5. Air/Oxygen is something we take for granted; however, this is something without which we cannot live.
6. Shelter is also another physical need. Being outside in the elements can be quite destructive to our physical bodies. As you know if you have ever been outside in the cold without appropriate clothing. Then you may recall the heat waves and how many people died from heat stroke.

OUR NEEDS IMPACT OUR HEALTH

It is obvious how food and physical activity impact our weight. Eat too much and too often without enough physical activity and most people will gain weight. MOST things that we think we need are simply wants. It is important to understand that we DO NOT NEED as much food as we think we want, and we DO NOT NEED to eat as often as we think we want. Unfortunately, our signals have gotten a bit mixed up. This is where a healthy eating routine can help you to get those signals working properly again [example: 6am, 12p, and 6p] and change your frequency. The other thing I was quite surprised to discover was the size of our stomachs (make a fist). Therefore, we must also retrain ourselves to eat healthier portions.

If you are eating every hour or constantly, something besides PHYSIOLOGICAL HUNGER is going on. Many people are surprised to realize that they are emotional eaters. This was a new one for me, we can also be mental eaters and eat because of our thoughts.

1. Physiological
2. Emotional
3. Mental

When we are emotional eaters, our thoughts are always involved, because our thoughts cause us to create emotions and feelings. Yet, we can be strictly mental eaters when we have a certain pattern of thinking. Have you ever caught yourself saying, “Well I had one cookie, everything is ruined, I might as well have the whole bag”? That is mental eating, which results from having rules that are too rigid or too demanding. Ultimately, emotional and mental eating are grounded in erroneous beliefs.

THINGS THAT MESS WITH OUR SIGNALS

1. Thinking you can be perfect, which leaves you frustrated and exhausted (increased cortisol).
2. Lack of sleep wreaks havoc on your immune and hormonal systems.
3. Dehydration mimics hunger causing you to reach for food instead of water.
4. A lack of spiritual fulfillment or disconnect from self has you reaching for something (food) to fill you up.