When you hear the word, “craving,” what comes to mind?

It might be a feeling or an itch, that if left unscratched, will eventually take on a life of it's own.

What we now know is that cravings can be unnatural or natural depending on the manipulator that creates it based on satisfying our deepest physical and social needs.

This week on Wellness Force Radio, Holistic Health Coach Kevin Geary of Rebooted Body shares how we can identify our "manipulators" to then stop using superficial cravings as a means of instant gratification.

Decode Your Cravings

Do you crave a McDonald’s Big Mac or a large ice cream sundae after a long day? Or maybe a large glass of ice cold water in the summer?

Some cravings are natural and healthy; our body's voice that has spoken to us for Millenia to support health, vitality, and satisfy our soul.

But having a sugary smoothie will not help us satisfy what we are truly missing from our lives.

What we really crave are physical and social factors such as energy, acceptance, and a life purpose. It’s never too late to begin taking a closer look at yourself and discover what you’re truly craving in your life.

When we take time to figure out our stress factors and what we crave, we can get to a place of self-acceptance and feel satisfied with ourselves. When we really look deep inside ourselves, we can find fulfillment and finally get the fit life that we want.

What is a Craving vs. a Superficial Craving?

A craving is something that is a human need for a specific purpose such as survival; to be happy; or other core human needs.

A superficial craving is more of a desire such as a desire for a cup of hot coffee in the morning or something sweet as an afternoon snack.

When we can’t satisfy real human cravings, it can increase our superficial cravings and bring on a great deal of stress so that we easily turn to different coping mechanisms such as eating unhealthy foods.

Human cravings that we need to satisfy to end superficial cravings can include:

• Safety
• Mobility
• Movement
• Love and Relationships
• Social Acceptance
• Purpose
• Health and Vitality
• Self Actualization
• Autonomy

What Are Our Manipulators?

All of us have very different backgrounds that involve stressors and factors that keep us from reaching our health and fitness goals.

These are referred to as BioPsychoSocial Manipulators. One specific manipulator is perfection. If we feel the need to have specific meal plans, workouts, and other specialized plans to reach fitness and body success, this need for perfection can actually have a negative effect on ourselves both physically and emotionally.<