Get Fit in Bed: Tone Your Body & Calm Your Mind from the Comfort of Your Bed has exercises that draw from Yoga, Pilates, Karate and gentle stretching.

The 42 exercises are grouped in three sections to be done on your back, on your sides and on your stomach. The book, written by a nurse, features step-by-step photographs and was designed to benefit Gimpy people recovering from surgery or injury.

“Get Fit In Bed” includes modifications for specific health conditions and offers exercises for every joint intersection, including those often overlooked in the feet, hands and spine.

“We are temporarily able-bodied and never know when we may experience a life-altering injury,” says Sheree Loftus Fader, a physical therapist who recommends “Get Fit in Bed” be at the bedside of “anyone who is bed-bound for any reason.”

Eds. Note: Cait will use this book. No problem. Marty, however, got sleepy just writing about bed and has gone down for a nap.

We know first-hand that water workouts are terrific for creaky bodies. Unlike the people in this video, we have yet to use an under water treadmill, but understand the benefits and certainly are intrigued by them.

For those of you fortunate enough to have your own pool, check out this product and this treadmill. And then there’s this but if you are Gimpy it would be hell getting in and out. We would need a crane.

Cait & Doug celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary this year and as their gift to each other, Cait wants a Wii Fit and its console.

The Wii is the best-selling game machine of the current generation, selling more than 25 million worldwide, and remains scarce in stores throughout North America.

Now Cait is hardly a “gamer” - the name given to those rabid about playing video games. But she is looking for something that is entertaining, can be done inside and makes her stretch and work muscles.

The Wii comes with 50 interactive games in four categories - strength training, aerobics, balance games and yoga. It’s easier to watch than to explain and our favorite newspaper, The New York Times, has a great article and video on it.

Click here for more.

Without a sense of balance, many things in life threaten to become insurmountable obstacles.

In her excellent article, Jane Brody, The New York Times’ health writer, documents why balance needs to be talked up in fitness circles as much as strength training, aerobics and stretching.

As Jane notes, a sense of balance can be preserved and even restored through exercises that require no special equipment or training. These exercises are as simple as standing on one foot while brushing your teeth or walking heel-to-toe with one foot directly in front of the other.

Jane’s article even offers a simple assessment of your current ability to maintain balance.

Click here to read the full story.

Aqua aerobics is our exercise of choice because it’s fun, gentle on the joints and offers seven times more muscle resistance than working out on dry land.

Cait, whose disability affords her limited exercise options, has been an aqua aerobics devotee for years. It’s given her greater mobility and muscle mass while reducing stress. (Even exercise-loathing Marty has taken the plunge.)

Working out in the water is wonderful - especially in winter when fear of slipping on ice keeps Gimpy people from walking outside. And it’s ideal for people with balance problems or those carrying too much weight.

Cait & Marty often enter the water feeling creaky as the Wizard of Oz Tin Man yet emerge much more limber and often with less joint pain. And the water’s resistance means you are building muscle while doing cardio work.

The myriad water classes offered in most cities range from shallow-end aerobics and Tai Chi to stretching and deep-water running (using a flotation device). Deep-water workouts can help keep up your strength while recovering from surgery or an injury - with no adverse impact on your legs.

Over the years, Cait and her water aerobic buddies have become good friends outside of the pool and Cait credits their enthusiasm for keeping her motivated and making the classes that much more fun!

Click here to read a review of MaryBeth Pappas Baun’s Book Fantastic Water Workouts.

Click here to see what the Arthritis Foundation has to say about water workouts for strength, balance and flexibility.

Eds. Note: The image of our bathing beauty was sent to us by our friend Lisa K. It’s from a Hallmark card captioned, “I think the ruffle really makes a difference. Don’t you?”

As many as one woman in four and one man in 15 over the age of 50 can expect to suffer a fracture during their remaining years. Knowing the underlying causes of falls can help you take the steps experts recommend to prevent them.
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