As any long-time Third Time Enabled readers will know, I occasionally look for new pastimes that involve spending less time staring at a screen (a book club, for instance – which has mostly consisted of me reading e-books). And yes, you’ve guessed it; the set of weights you see below form the basis of my latest endeavour not to be so much of a slave to my devices. For many years, in the run up to each Christmas and birthday, I asked for them semi-seriously, thinking in my head that they’d be a good idea, but never really pushing for them and often making jokes about my supposed inability to maintain an exercise regime.

That, however, was before my current spell of long-term unemployment set in. I’ve had no way of determining this for sure – it’s difficult to weigh someone who can’t stand up properly – but with a lack of purpose has come an abundance of food, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if some of it has started to show. My 25th birthday at the end of August was therefore the perfect time for the weights to arrive for real, and with them some sort of concrete workout routine. Going forward, I plan to use them twice a day in the morning and evening, although I haven’t quite managed to stick to that pattern just yet. They have still had a fair amount of use, though, and I’ve made sure to stretch in every direction. As a rule of thumb, I do 20 reps stretching downwards, 20 out to the sides, and another 20 above my head. I feel like 60 reps twice a day is a good starting point, but I just need to discipline myself so that I definitely get them in. Who knows? If I really gel with it, I could end up doing more and more. I’ve always had pretty broad shoulders because I use my arms for everything, but I remember Lara telling me once that if I really put the effort in, I could be “Triangle Man” – wide at the top and narrowing towards the bottom! We’ll see, shall we?

Mason