No Pain, No Gain

It isn't exactly gain, per se, that I am looking for. Actually, it is just the opposite. You all know what I am talking about. We've all, at one point in our adult-lives, committed to exercise, be healthier, lose weight, etc. In my attempt at dropping a few (ok, a few more than a few) pounds, I have officially started "working out".
Wow- I feel like such a grown-up saying that. When did it happen that in order to stay in shape I had to "work-out"? I can remember when those types of activities were just part of a normal day of being. In high school that included sports, rollerblading, running, etc. In college there was the normal hauling myself and all my books across campus, but that's when exercise for the sake of exercise started to creep in. Going walking with friends was not just a leisurely stroll, it was for the intent of getting my heart rate up. I can't express to you how much I despised that type of stuff. While all my friends loved going to the gym, it just didn't seem necessary to me and wasn't something I enjoyed at all. The thing is, I didn't really have a motivation to do it. I was happy with my natural weight and could pretty much eat whatever I wanted and maintain it. What reason was there to exercise? (nevermind that I might as well have needed CPR after running up a flight of stairs to get to a class on time because my cardio system was so out of shape!)
Fast forward 14 years and 2 babies later. Ok, I still pretty much eat whatever I want, but my natural weight now is a far cry from what it was in those youthful days. And now my cardio is so bad that I might need CPR just from walking up the incline of our church's center aisle. I haven't been happy with my overall physical fitness in a long, long time. Plus I have been at the mercy of a painful post-surgery foot for 14 months (that sounds like a reasonable excuse, right?).
No more excuses! We joined the YMCA last week and I signed up for a 12 weeks to Fitness program which basically commits me to working out 3 times per week for 3 months. I started yesterday on a recumbent bike and an elliptical machine. (I'm trying really hard to avoid weight-bearing or at least stick to low-impact because my foot is still not healed properly) Yesterday it all felt great- I had all this extra energy. Today I did the same machines and am miserable. I tried to read while I was on the elliptical, so I only held onto the machine with my right hand while I held my book in my left hand. Tonight all the muscles in my right shoulder and neck are cramped and knotted as a result. Ooooooh, the pain!
I know they say no pain, no gain, but this seems a little ridiculous. I am officially taking tomorrow off and sticking solely to the ipod from here on out.