...and this is my friend Gym.

I went to the gym this morning for the first time in ages. I discovered a short time ago that a friend who goes in the morning before he goes to work was struggling with motivation, and despite loving getting up early, I've been struggling to get out of bed before 7:30... So I thought we might both benefit from combining our efforts in the morning, kinda.

So this morning, Dave came and picked me up at 7:30 - he was 15 minutes late, the fucker - and we went and gymmed. I loved it, it was bloody great fun, and I feel great again. It's been months since I've felt this good, and every ache and twinge I had has gone. No doubt some of that is endorphins, but I suspect most of it is the benefits of a really excellent stretch. I always stretch for six minutes or so after warming up, and then for as long as I feel like after working out. My right leg has been giving me grief; the hip has felt like someone with flaming shoes was kicking me in it (a result of sitting on my arse, working, and not walking enough. A ligament shortens after a while and it feels truly shite). Now though, it feels great, and even the hamstring – which almost cramped when I tried to stretch the quadricep recently – feels like it should.

Here's another indication I haven't been getting nearly enough exercise – I have a monthly subscription for contact lenses, and at the moment I have enough for the next 13 months, wearing a pair every day. I usually only wear them for sport, so a month's worth will usually last six weeks to two months anyway, but that many sitting on the shelf… Well, it's ridiculous.

Dave mentioned he might be up for it again tomorrow, or Friday. I'm going to try and get him to do both. It was good.