I hate going to the gym.

While I’m not disgustingly obese (like oh-so-many of my fellow Americans), I’m not in shape, either. So in order to maintain some semblance of proper health, I have to exercise, and during our frigid winters, that means going to the gym.

The gym I go to isn’t some dudebro-infested Muscle Beach clone, thankfully. I use the one at my local community college; it’s close by, membership is dirt cheap, and since I go after work, I almost always have the place to myself. My problem isn’t embarrassment or feelings of inadequacy compared to other gym-goers; it’s the appallingly boring process of moving in place and performing a cardiovascular workout.

I know that sounds like laziness, but it’s really not; during warmer weather, I have no problem going out on my bike. This is infinitely preferable to spending time at the gym, as I’m actually going somewhere while on a bike. At the gym, I’m stuck moving in place on a treadmill or crosstrainer, trying to hear music via my iPod over the blaring pop radio station that’s piped into the workout room. Then we’ve got the incredibly shitty programs shown on the three televisions above the cardio area. One is always tuned to ESPN; that makes sense, since it’s a gym, but I couldn’t care less about sports. Another is set to Fox News. I don’t want to see the talking heads on that channel spew their usual lies and bullshit no matter where I am. The last TV’s channel setting varies, but it’s never any good; it’s often stuck on either Shop NBC or CNBC. Who the hell wants to watch infomercials or hear about finance when they’re working out?!

All of this makes for a very depressing and annoying workout. Some people enjoy exercising, but for me, it’s something I literally have to force myself into doing. If I don’t, I end up feeling sick more often.

Has the weather improved yet?