I've been working out for several decades. I'll add some straightforward advice:
1. If it feels good, do it! The biggest boost you get from working out is mental. Your body will soon tell you if you're overdoing it, and your mind will process that info into a program that you feel comfortable with.
2. But, be disciplined! If working out is important, don't find excuses not to work out. I knew plenty of people who joined the company gym at work, but always found a reason not to go--usually because someone wanted to go out to lunch. If it's important, blow off the lunch and do the workout.
3. There's a real tradeoff betweem joining a gym vs. acquiring equipment and using it at home. Joining a gym provides an incentive to use your membership, but a disincentive if you have to travel to get to the gym. Having equipment at home solves that problem, but makes another: How do you get past the fridge and the TV to use your equipment? I can't answer those questions for you, except to say that, if you join a gym, make sure it's very close (less than 5 minutes) from your home or workplace.
4. If you decide to acquire your own equipment, put an ad in the local paper saying, "weights and exercise equipment wanted." You will soon get plenty of calls from people who invested in equipment and never used it, or have kids who were on high school teams and went off to college, leaving parents with dust-collecting, space-consuming stuff. They'll probably give it to you if you take it off their hands.
5. Yes, you can, and should, work out every day--as long as you vary your workout so you're not using the same muscles every day in the same way. You should do some form of aerobic workout every day (running, swimming, stationary or road bicycling, stairmaster, treadmill). You can weight-lift muscle groups on alternate days--e.g., biceps and shoulders one day, abs and thighs next day, etc. Just avoid lifting the same type of weights for the same muscle groups every day.
6. The single most important factor in a successful workout program is repeatibility: can you do it when you want, where you want it? Study after study has proven that the farther or more difficult it is to get to your workout location, the less likely you'll do it. Same is true for type of exercise. For example, don't choose road bicycling if you live in places with lots of bad weather; or swimming if the local pool is constantly taken over by kids and swim teams.