Finding the perfect workout mix

So there I was, bicycling, getting nowhere fast. That’s right, I was at the HPER working out between two rather buff men who periodically glanced at the screen on my stationary bicycle to make sure they were pedaling faster and burning more calories than a 5-foot-3, 110-pound girl.

I generally do not stray too far from my stationary bicycle, in part because it’s the only thing that I know won’t fight back. (The elliptical machines will attack without mercy. I’ve seen it.) The other reason I don’t ever venture to the weight-training section is because it is full of dudes trying to “get big” by lifting weights that are too heavy. And, of course, they’re watching themselves in the mirror.

Now after I’ve found the perfect bicycle, I plant my booty down and throw on my headphones, which most times at the gym can be found blasting Slightly Stoopid or The Rolling Stones. Something about the thought of Mick Jagger dancing around stage to “Street Fighting Man” really gets me going.

I tend not to listen to the music already playing in the workout room because I am too deeply scarred by experiences in my high school’s workout room. The only thing our wrestlers and football players were willing to listen to was “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana.

As much as Kurt Cobain can inspire me to exercise by singing about “a mulatto, an albino, a mosquito” and his libido, turning off the repeat setting would have been a treat.

Two days ago I decided to overcome this ridiculous fear of exercise-room music. It was a growing experience. Light-hearted pop ballads flowed through the musty, underground sweat box we call a workout room – the kinds of songs we hate to love but secretly listen to on our iPods while walking to class.

I mean, sure, who doesn’t love working out to some hardcore beats that encourage you to lift heavier weights and pedal faster than I do? But every once in a while it’s all right to turn up “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz as loud as you can and just go and relax and enjoy the sweaty experience.