Anyone a member of a gym/fitness center?
I decided to be a guest of a local "fitness center" that a friend is a member of, to get an idea of whether I wanted to join. As I'm walking around, I see people spinning on stationary bikes and walking around a indoor track or running on a treadmill and I'm trying to figure out why these people PAY close to $150 a year to do this. For the winter months, I kind of understand the purpose of them but in the spring/summer/fall I would think it would be cheaper in the long run and more fun to buy a bicycle and ride on a bike path. Or hitting up the high school's track(which is available for community use 3 days/week) to walk/run while being away from traffic.

Maybe its the adventurous side of me that refuses to spin in one place, I could never get used to stationary bikes. When I pedal I like to know I'm actually going some where, to enjoy the scenery (buildings/traffic/nature around me). As for walking, I despise walking in "laps" but really enjoy hitting up hiking trails.

This particular gym has very little in the sense of weight lifting equipment which would be the most beneficial for me as I try replacing my body fat with muscle. I think I'll keep looking for a better alternative.

So, returning to the question addressed: Are you a member of a gym? What are your thoughts on them?