ADR Coaching

Alcohol suppresses the immune system.
Exercise supports the immune system.

Alcohol is a depressant.
Exercise has proven more effective than drugs at treating anxiety and depression.

Drunk people have no spatial awareness.
Gym-goers tend to keep themselves to themselves.

Pubs are notorious for fistfights, a definitively non-distanced activity.
I've never once seen a fight occur at a gym.

Effects of alcohol intoxication place an enormous strain on the NHS.
Exercise improves health, reducing strain on the NHS.

And which one of these establishments is our government opening first?






Instagram post credit - Eddie Hall - The Beast

Decided to take a short hiatus from posting about the immune system to make a short post about motivation, something which many people (including myself) are struggling with during the current lockdown situation.

I've seen a lot of trainers, coaches, and other fitness professionals taking advantage of recent circumstances and using this opportunity to post all manner of home workouts - I actually have plans to do the same at some point myself - however, the point which I believe is being overlooked is that there's no point in any of this if people have no motivation to exercise in the first place.

The bottom line is, you can set up the most perfect training regime in the history of humans picking up heavy things, but if you lack the motivation to consistently put it into action then your results will be sub-par at best and non-existent at worst.

Here are a few quick tips on how to increase your motivation levels, not only during lockdown but during "normal" times as well.

1. REMIND YOURSELF what you're trying to do and why you're doing it. Constantly. If your goal is to change how you look, take the most unflattering and uncomfortable photo of yourself and put it on your fridge, phone lock screen, or another location where it will be seen every day, then add a second picture beside it showing either you in your best shape or a picture of someone with the kind of physique you are aiming for. If your motives are more health-related, photos of your family/children can be a useful reminder of who you're doing it for.

2. RECORD PROGRESS frequently and use the results, whether positive or negative, as fuel for motivation - if you have improved this week, let that fill you with encouragement, if you haven't, let that motivate you to be on the ball next week. View these recordings as opportunities to analyse which aspects you're on the right track with and which you aren't and then use these thoughts to identify what changes you might need to make to your programme. Just be careful not to let yourself become too disheartened if you aren't seeing the results you were expecting - be honest with yourself and figure out why progress isn't being made, address it, then smash it next week.
Side notes - always record progress at the same or similar time of day for each recording, and never ever just go by the total weight on the scales. Instead, use a set of body composition scales which enable you to view your body fat percentage (bf%), and I also recommend using photos and videos to help judge progress, as well as taking note of how you fit in clothes and, most importantly, how you feel.

3. GETTING STARTED is the most important step for any and all motivation, and therefore progress, and it's the part the majority of people struggle with the most. I'm a chronic, champion-level procrastinator, and I've found that - at least in the case of fitness - the 'Do Something' principle is the only reliable fix that breaks the apathy spell consistently. In a shell of a nut, this means that when faced with low motivation, just do something, anything. Even one press-up. Tell yourself whatever you need to in order to get going, whether it's that you'll take it easy this workout or that you'll only do a few sets then call it a day. I don't usually condone half-arsed workouts but a half-arsed workout is better than no workout, and as you go along you'll build up the momentum necessary to stay motivated. Commonly what happens is you find you get into the swing of things and end up training harder than anticipated anyway, or you don't want to stop, or both.

4. HAVE PATIENCE. As Roy Cropper once said, Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a neck-turning set of buttocks. Viral social media posts would have us believe we can all get "Hollywood" physiques in 4 weeks which leads to disappointment, frustration and lack of motivation when these expectations aren't met. Don't lose focus just because you feel like it's taking too long to see results, it might be a cliche but fitness is a long journey filled with a ton of trial and error and it can take a while until the pieces of your individual puzzle 'click' and you start to see truly noticable progress. As mentioned in #2, you should constantly analyse and evaluate your regime with an open and honest mind and make changes as necessary. If it's quite literally been months and you're still not seeing any significant results, I recommend considering either a complete overhaul of your programme, getting tested for any undiagnosed medical issues you may have, or both.

5. LISTEN TO MUSIC which uplifts you, inspires you, and makes you want to sprint off a pier at the same time. Pretty self-explanatory.

6. FOLLOW THIS PAGE for some top-tier, completely non-cheesey and non-cliche inspirational quotes.

If anyone is struggling with motivation or has any other queries and wants to get in touch, please feel free to shoot us a private message and we'll be happy to help.

Team ADR x

All immune system nutrients are important during the pandemic, however the evidence is mounting every day that vitamin D is especially vital, both in terms of not catching anything in the first place and limiting the severity and duration of the symptoms.

This is good news, however, a word of advice before you whip out the mankini and sprint to the beach with 24 hard-boiled eggs - as mentioned in a previous post, it is almost impossible to achieve optimal vit D levels through sunlight and diet alone, especially if you fit any one of the at-risk categories (i.e. the majority of western civilisation). I highly recommend a daily vitamin D supplement, especially during this time.

It is time to take seriously the link between Vitamin D deficiency and more serious Covid-19 symptoms A suggestive set of numbers was published online in April by a medical scientist in the Philippines, Dr Mark Alipio.