Sweating Silliness

Sometimes when I'm hitting the gym I feel like what I do there is so silly. I mean what practical skill does curling a dumbbell actually replicate? Perhaps lifting a very odd-shaped bag? I definitely get the "hamster on the wheel" syndrome when I get on the treadmill too. I know it all builds muscle and endurance. . . plus it burns calories, but if an alien culture were observing us . . . it would be interesting to know their take. The bottom line is I have taken in too many calories in my life and I need to burn them off, and when it is -40 below out, going for a scenic hike doesn't really sound appealing. So, I need to get over sweating the silliness.