What you describe is absolutely the way to do it without looking weird. Don’t be aggressive about it, accept a no or an awkward silence or similar as being a no, respond in a pleasant tone and not an aggressive one, and you should be pretty good to go without being seen as a creep, as long as you don’t repeat it later. Of course, don’t make a point of going around hitting on women in gyms or who are at work, but it can be done tactfully.
What you describe is absolutely the way to do it without looking weird. Don’t be aggressive about it, accept a no or an awkward silence or similar as being a no, respond in a pleasant tone and not an aggressive one, and you should be pretty good to go without being seen as a creep, as long as you don’t repeat it later. Of course, don’t make a point of going around hitting on women in gyms or who are at work, but it can be done tactfully.