Oh, My Aching Rear!

In an effort to be healthier and in order to lose a couple of pounds that have recently snuck up on me, I've been hitting the gym pretty hard lately. I spend a lot of time on the elliptical machines, and also attend a couple of classes. I love the classes, but the elliptical machines are so much nicer to me. I can actually walk the day after I use the ellipticals. After the classes, though? Not so much.

Last Wednesday I went to a class called "Step and Sculpt". This meant that we spent about 20 minutes stepping, 10 minutes lifting weights, another 20 minutes stepping, and then 10 more minutes doing ab exercises. The day after this class I was a little sore, but still mobile. I spent practically the whole day in the car though, and that was apparently a bad idea because on Friday I could barely walk. I went shopping with my mom and sister and they were walking behind me laughing hysterically at my attempts to walk normally. And stairs? Forget about it. My knees were not working well. Last Saturday I was finally able to move almost normally, and by Monday I was back at the gym and pain-free.

So last night I decided to tempt fate again, only this time with the "Cardio Kickboxing" class, which I like to describe as "Tae Bo on Steroids". This is one hard-core class. Last night was the first time I made it through without feeling like I was going to die or throw up, or maybe both. However, my rear end is so sore today that it pains me to sit. It hurts more to walk, though, so I'll choose the sitting pain. My left ear is in pain too, but I'm not sure I can tie that one back to the class. I may have slept on that side all night last night to avoid moving and subsequently waking myself up with a jolt of pain.

I really don't know why I do this to myself, other than I must be a glutton for punishment. Aaron always tells me to take it easier, but also gives me a hard time if I'm not at the gym since we pay so much for it. So, next week I'll be back at the "Step and Sculpt" version of hell. I'm just hoping that my body adjusts eventually so that I can do these classes and not feel like I need to swallow a bottle of motrin the next day. Because, seriously? I feel like asking someone to put me out of my misery today. Think I'm overdoing it? Or is the pain a good thing, a la "no pain, no gain"?