[LittleMoonRabbit]

Hey guys,
I have been asking lots of questions (sorry) but a complete change in lifestyle like this is new to me, so I feel comfortable relying on the input from people like you who have been through this before. It's great to have this community of knowledgable individuals who are going through the same things that I am. You guys are awesome, and I am officially addicted to this site

I joined the gym and have been working out every night. I am absolutely loving it! My stress level has instantly gone down, I am sleeping better at night, and I can already feel a boost in my energy level. It's fabulous. However, I have been reminded on a number of occasions not to... overdo it. I, being new to this whole workout thing, am not really sure how to judge what is "too much" exercise. Last night I went with my husband, who is in much better shape than I, and I ran against him on the treadmill, to see if I could keep up. And, while I didn't run as far as he did (My speed was a little slower than his) I did run a bit longer (which equaled about 1.25 miles). I pushed myself as hard as I possibly could to keep up with him... and I was very much impressed myself with how far I could actually go, lol. But... was it stupid of me in my first week of being at the gym, to challenge myself so much? After I had cooled down from that run, I also proceeded to do 30 minutes on the eliptical, and do 20 minutes of strength training. I'm not terribly sore this morning... Okay so that was far more information than you probably needed, but I wanted to give you an idea of what I have been doing.

I guess what I am asking is, what should I shoot for when going to the gym??? How do I know if I am going to hard, or too far? And also, as a side note... why is it important to stretch before a workout?? My husband insists on stretching, and he taught me a routine he learned while he was on his high school's varsity baseball team. I have never stretched before a workout until yesterday, and I didn't really feel any change, lol. So I was curious as to what it actually does... Thanks in advance for any information you give me. I am so very much appreciative of all of you and the support you give to me and everyone around you