A NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara shared some of his physical exercise routine aboard the International Space Station.
Running on the treadmill, doing squats and lifting weights are challenging activities on Earth, but they can become even more so in space.
According to O’Hara, each astronaut has 2 hours and 30 minutes of exercise scheduled daily in their routine — generally with 1 hour of weight lifting and around 30 to 50 minutes of cardio, including running on the treadmill or cycling.
Physical exercise is essential to reduce the health impact of space travel on astronauts. However, as the lack of gravity in space means that things do not have the same weight as usual, it is necessary to adapt specific equipment to simulate the same effect as the equipment in a terrestrial gym.
“While any exercise routine has its challenges, I found it really enjoyable to have the opportunity to work on my body every day and switch off for a while by listening to music or podcasts, reading, studying for upcoming events, and relaxing on the dome while looking out at the Station and the planet between series”, she said on her profile on X, formerly Twitter.
A little glimpse into our space gym on @Space_Station
We have 2.5 hours of exercise scheduled daily, usually around 60 minutes of weightlifting and 30-50 minutes of cardio (running or cycling). While any exercise program has its challenges, I found it really enjoyable to… pic.twitter.com/B27izDYEaJ
— Loral O’Hara (@lunarloral) July 22, 2024
Loral O’Hara joined NASA in 2017 and has been on the International Space Station since September 2023.
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