the gym

In light of both my exercise pledge and my earlier allusion to my disdain for the gym, now's as good a time as ever to explain why exactly I prefer to exercise in the great outdoors. It's a combination of two factors: I love nature, and I can't stand the gym environment. Whether you're like me, or exactly the opposite (you can't wait to jump on the treadmill at Bally's), one thing is for sure: getting regular exercise is a lot easier if it's on your terms.

As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing more beautiful than the world around us. I love the breeze, the trees, the grass - the everchanging scenery of the outdoors makes exercise infinitely more enjoyable for me. Conversely, the gym triggers the exact opposite response in me. I'm not sure why exactly, but it just seems boring to walk on a conveyor belt watching closed-captioned MSNBC.

My goal to exercise daily over my Spring Break has helped me realize how much my enjoyment of an exercise impacts my inclination to sustain it. The moral of the story: You want to exercise more? Make sure you love what you're doing!

See you on the mountaintop!