29 going on 70

Remember the conditioning class I was so nervous about last week? Well, that was on Thursday and somehow I am STILL sore. And my left hip hurts. What the heck? I know I'm not a spring chicken, but isn't 29 the new 20 or some shit like that? I feel like I'm 70! I'm a broke down Chevy in dire need of an oil change. 

In the past, I'd take a day or two off working out if I was really sore. But now I'm a little more educated, and I know that if I don't get my ass moving at least a little bit, lactic acid will build up in my muscles and cause me to feel even more sore. So Friday I did yoga and an moderate elliptical workout, and Saturday I did an easy 3.5 mile run in the park. It was painful at first, but I felt a bit better afterwards. But this hip just won't quit! 

I'm not one of those people who freaks out about getting older, but aching joints just isn't cool. What differences have you noticed in your body as you've gotten older? And how do you deal with your aches and pains?

Can working out really make you fat?

When I emailed my friends asking them about what motivated them to exercise for an assignment I was working on, Federica responded: "I don't work out--I have a theory it makes me fat!" Say what? When we got together last Thursday, I asked her what she meant and she said, "When I used to work out like crazy, I was 20 pounds heavier because I ate so much more." Hmm, interesting.
Since I started my new office job, I've traded my usual 6am workouts with blogging sessions. (It's hard to do at night because I'm usually either at an event, hanging out with midgets dressed as pirates or finishing up work that I'm actually getting paid to do.) The result? I've only worked out once in the past eight days. Yikes, that's a record. I did my Physique57 video the other day, and a couple other days I did random sets of push-ups, dips, lunges and crunches. I'm counting it all as one workout because not much cardio was involved. That's quite a difference from my usual routine of running, spinning and yoga classes.

I used to freak out if I exercised less than six times a week, but I've really been too busy to care too much. I actually noticed that my tummy is looking a little flatter--could I be losing weight? I have been eating a little healthier though: more veggies, less Diet Coke, more green tea and less ICE CREAM. So I'm feeling OK.

Acording to this article in TIME magazine, exercise plays a very small factor in weight loss, if any at all. The two main points were that exercise: 1.) Stimulates hunger. 2.) Gives you the "compensation problem." (ie. "I deserve this pizza because I just worked out!") This theory makes sense to me, but I'm not going to stop working out just to test its effectiveness (knowing me, I'd find a way to eat more and then some). I do think I might start trying to be smarter about my workouts though. Going forward, I want to push myself harder, but exercise a little less. I don't think six workouts a week is realistic anymore!

This being said, I can't WAIT for my spinning class tomorrow morning. Nothing is stopping me from going. I also cancelled plans with Jenn tomorrow night so I could go to yoga, too (sorry, Jenn!). I need to get back on track--my body is craving it!

Tell me: Do you agree with this theory? What changes do you see in yourself when you're working out more/less?