who else can benefit from an exercise program that’s done in bed?
• People with mobility problems;
• Anyone with arthritis, fibromyalgia, or chronic fatigue;
• Those with limited flexibility and strength;
• Patients recovering from surgery;

a certain physical logic
“(Get Fit in Bed) introduces a complete exercise system in which the flow of movements has a certain physical logic. Earlier smaller movements build tone, strength, and flexibility for later broader movements,” say Tartell and Kavanau.

The exercises are divided into four parts: Exercises on Your Back; Exercises on Your Right Side; Exercises on Your Left Side, and Exercises on Your Stomach. Together, they provide a whole body, low-impact workout that you can do in the morning, evening, or even after waking up in the middle of the night. The exercises are fully illustrated and easy to do.

“but I thought you weren’t supposed to exercise before going to sleep...”
It’s a common belief that exercise done shortly before bedtime deters sleep. Even coauthor Genie Tartell thought so when she heard about the Get Fit in Bed program.

“My initial response was to question the concept of exercising in bed, especially before attempting to sleep,” says Tartell. So she began an experiment. She tried the exercises for fifteen days on her bed before sleep, and was impressed by the results. “My back showed no signs of strain and my sleep was greatly improved,” she says. Then she looked into the research, and to her surprise found evidence that exercising before bed may actually promote rather than deter sleep.

How a karate class and a dust allergy inspired a revolutionary new exercise program...
So, how did Genie Tartell, a nationally known chiropractor and registered nurse, and Ted Kavanau, a veteran newsman and one of the founders of CNN, come together to write a book about exercising in bed? Well, it started with an out-of-shape Kavanau faltering in a karate class and having a dust allergy. He decided to begin an at-home exercise regimen to enhance his class performance, but no matter how many times he vacuumed his carpet he still found his dust allergy aggravated when he got on the floor to exercise. Then he had “what Zen masters might agree was a burst of enlightenment.” The solution would be to exercise in bed, he realized. The results exceeding anything Kavanau could have imagined. He became stronger both mentally and physically, and contrary to common belief, when he exercised at night he enjoyed improved sleep quality. Also, “the exercises created a good foundation for other athletic activity. For example, I always found it effective to do the exercises in bed on mornings before going to weekend karate sparring sessions.” Eventually, Kavanau was awarded a black belt. Then he decided he’d write a book to share the transformative experience of exercising in bed. Fortunately, he had an acquaintance that could provide the medical expertise to make the book a sound resource. Enter Manhattan-based chiropractor Genie Tartell.

Tartell was initially skeptical. After all, exercising before bed is generally not considered conducive to good sleep. So, she was surprised to find her sleep quality actually improved after a trial run of the Get Fit in Bed program. The next step was to see if the program would really enhance fitness. She began sharing the exercises with her patients, some of whom were recovering from injury, and was, again, impressed by the results. “They reported increased range of motion and diminished pain in the affected area, with an increased rate of recovery,” she says. The next success came when she introduced the exercises to patients with chronic skeletal or medical problems and they too saw marked relief.

The results convinced the once-skeptical Tartell to sign on to the project, and together she and Kavanau wrote the ground-breaking Get Fit in Bed. A fitness expert, Tartell also modeled for the photographs that illustrate the exercises throughout the book and provides a number of modifications for those with special conditions.
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TED KAVANAU: From the founding of CNN to getting fit in bed

Coauthor Ted Kavanau was one of the founders of CNN. He was also the first to offer Katie Couric a seat in the host’s chair of a major show.

In Get Fit in Bed he shares his inspiring story of the tough times he encountered after hitting his professional peak.

After retiring from CNN Kavanau settled into a quiet life of financial ease and newfound leisure.

It was short-lived though.

A financial crisis soon caused him to drastically downsize his lifestyle. This included trading in his spacious digs in a high-rise building for a small garden apartment (“cynics might describe it as a basement”).

Too out of shape to keep up with a rigorous exercise program, Kavanau also started exercising in bed (or more accurately, on his cot). The results surprised him. He didn’t just regain a measure of strength and flexibility, he actually achieved a level of fitness he’d never before known.

In his sixties he entered a karate tournament, and in 2005 at the age of seventy-two he fought three rounds in the monthly White Collar Sparring competition at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn.