Coach Elliott

There are so many myths about how to stay looking younger.  For some it means plastic surgery and for others it is the use of 300.00 bottles of moisturizer.  It seems like Botox is very popular and we are stopping at nothing to ensure that we stay young.  This blog is not about becoming younger by getting surgery.  This blog is about staying young the natural way. Here are some tips for staying younger: Drink lots of water: There is no magical secret that water keeps us healthy, hydrated and promotes moisture.  Drink those 8 glasses of water daily and keep your body hydrated.  If the inside of you is dry it is going to show on the outside. Get the rest you need every night: Get the sleep you need every night.  It may not always be possible but sleep 6-8 hours a day depending on what your body is telling you.  Listen to the messages you receive from your body and rest for as long as you think you need to sleep, about 8 hours. Drink a mini...

I have seen every commercial for every kind of product imaginable, some that almost seem unreal or too good to be true.  Yet it is not the product so much as the services being sold that instill fear a in us and get us to question ourselves, our life and our worth.  Many commercials seem very intent on making us become fearful of something or insecure about ourselves.  By using the most common of lifes' pitfalls commercials target us by instilling fear.  The fear of being audited by the IRS, the fear of being uninsured, the fear of getting sued or having to sue someone, the fear of our insurance not covering the cost of a claim and many more.  Then there is the secondary goal which is to make us feel insecure or question our appearance.  These commercials advertise whitening strips for our teeth, the deodorant commercials that focus on how we may smell badly and the cleaning solutions that say that they kill 99 percent of germs.  From cold medicine for...

I believe that with all that it takes to get through one day as a parent is an accomplishment.  I understand that just getting the kids up, getting them to move into action and get dressed and ready for school before you are late to work is like a battle we fight each day, day in and day out.  By the time the end of the week roles around we are exhausted and then we start that routine all over again on Monday.  What is so scary about this day to day routine is that very little active parenting and communication happens and frankly there is an argument for not adding anything more to our mother and father role.  Yet what we know is that active parenting that involves ongoing communication is vital to the healthy upbringing of children.  One of the main complaints children have is that they are not heard and that often times when they get attention it is negative attention and elicited by something they did wrong.  Active parenting means that we parent all th...

Recently a friend had a serious car accident where his car was totaled.  He was turning left and out of no where a car ran directly into his car on the passenger side.  When I looked at the picture of the damage I could only think what could have happened and that if there were to have been a passenger he or she would have likely been killed.  Surviving these kinds of things in our life is not just difficult but at times makes us question whether we have done something wrong.  Yet what is more likely is that the bad things happen and we usually survive them. Another friend of mine has been battling with cancer and has fought a good fight.  She has had surgery and had chemo and radiation that has destroyed some of the parts of her body.  As a result she has a colostomy bag.  Recently life challenged her again when one of her best male friends died.  To top things off she then developed hernias and had to be operated.  The operation was so pa...

I like to think that I am one of the people who at 61 has some swagger left in him.  I have often been asked my secret to staying young and although the  verdict is out still I think there may be some things that have helped out along the way. Here are some things that may help you stay young:  Stay active:  Dance, exercise, take walks, bike ride or jog.  The trick is to stay active and not allow yourself to become stagnant.  As long as you are active doing something you will look and feel better.  Staying in one place for long periods of time will make us stiff and the more we stay still the more we become lazy and use to it.  There are many options that will keep us active but simply doing something active each day will suffice.  Of course we can take it a step further and have a regimented workout each day. Don't be "old":  I have always thought that the world old had a negative image.  I never liked to use it and when I ...

I have been the lucky recipient of some interesting and enlightening comments shared with me by women.  Many times I wish that other men could hear and understand the concerns of women and be able to respond in a way that honors them.  Whenever the opportunity arises I share what women say with men if I feel as though they could learn from it.  If only men would be more willing to hear what women have to say the world would like be a better place and relationships would be based more on communication and honesty than just a physical attraction.  Here are some things women have shared with me that may be helpful to men: Women don't like arrogant men:  Women dislike men who are arrogant and think themselves overly important.  Women like men who are humble and will admit to their shortcomings rather than act as though they are perfect.  Women want to be with men who believe them to be equally as important as they are and value them.  Women dislike...

"I don't just accept it, I rejoice in the fact that you are gay".  Gloria Vanderbilt addressing her son Anderson Cooper coming out to her. Just this morning Anderson Cooper shared the quote about his mother after he revealed to her that he was gay.  What we can learn from her statement is that it is not enough to be accepted but that each of us should be celebrated.  It is one thing for people to tolerate differences in others but it is not the same as cheering others on and supporting them in a way that truly says that you love them.  When Anderson came out to his mother he did not likely expect that kind of celebratory response from his mother.  Yet this is the kind of response that we should all get from others about who we are and what we find sacred. Being a man of color is not always easy.  In fact I have had many negative situations and endured a number of  racial slurs and insults.  I have more than anything understood that as long as ...