How often should I be working out?

I JUST started working out again this week, for the first time in 2 years. After my first gym session, I became really sore. All I did was do a few reps with dumbells and the elliptical for 30 minutes. I went and worked out again last night, but this time I could only last 20 minutes on the elliptical because I was still so sore.

I've been making an effort to work out every other day, but if my body is still really sore should I be working out? Or should I wait? How long can I wait? Or should I fight through the pain??

It is important to give your muscles time to recover between workouts, but if you are still recovering 2 or more days later you may want to decrease the intensity of your workout a little to avoid injuring yourself.  As a general rule, for weight lifting and interval training you should have at least one day off between workouts of a similar type and for steady state cardio you can do it everyday, but should have at least one day off a week.

every other day or 3 days per week is pretty good when you are just starting out. You dont want to overdo it and injure yourself. Its normal to become really sore when you try a new exercise for the first time or after a long break, but your muscles will adapt to being used that way again and after a couple of weeks you wont feel as sore anymore. When i started exercising again after my c-section i would get really sore for two days afterwards and i would do stretches at home instead of going back to the gym. If your in pain then you really shouldnt be exercising. But if its just soreness you can probably work through it. As long as your listening to your body you will be fine. I went snowboarding for the first time last new years and discovered muscles i never knew existed, i was incredibly sore for 3 days after, but i still went back on the slopes the next day, not so much cause i wanted to, but because i paid the 3 day rental fee and i was determined to get my moneys worth...lol