how astronauts stay fit, on and off the planet

(CNN)--
Clay Anderson, an astronaut from NASA Omaha, said that in space it\'s like being Superman every day.
He spent five months last year at the International Space Station, where he flew for breakfast, work and bathroom.
But floating in zero
NASA experts have learned that G may have some serious consequences for the human body, including the weakening of bones.
In fact, research has shown that space travelers lose an average of 1 to 2% of their bone mass each month, according to NASA data.
One way for astronauts to fight bone loss is through strength training.
They got some help on a new machine delivered by the space shuttle Endeavour this week, which docked with the International Space Station on Sunday.
The Advanced Resistance movement device, referred to as aRED, functions like the weight machine of the gym on Earth, except for the lack of traditional weight.
But a vacuum cylinder. -
Cans with vacuum air--
This provides up to 600 pounds concentric workloads, NASA said.
NASA coach Mark Guilliams says the device is a bit like a bicycle pump, just the opposite.
For example, if you squat, the vacuum is pulled out when you stand up, and when you squat, the vacuum pulls the bar back to its normal position.
Between the vacuum tank and the rod, there is a small flywheel that rotates in the opposite direction, and when someone raises the rod, artificial gravity is generated.
Astronauts can do up and down.
Physical exercise, such as squatting, dead lifting, heel elevation, bicep curls, and lying on the device, NASA said.
\"In the movie Transformers, it looks like something that shows up on some kind of big monster,\" Anderson said . \". \"It\'s huge.
\"The existing motion devices on the space station have a mechanism that is more similar to rubber bands.
\'The farther you pull the rubber band, the more power you generate, \'says gillimes.
The limitations of the device make it a bit boring, Anderson said.
The new equipment will allow astronauts to do more kinds of exercises than the old equipment.
Anderson says it\'s a bigger size to weigh.
Assuming astronauts work about two hours a day, it will be used almost often during the day, he said.
The International Space Station is also equipped with treadmills and bicycles, Geely said.
So, what\'s the difference between exercising on Earth and exercising on the international space station?
Anderson said: \"When you run out on the Earth, every time you take a step, you will have 195 pounds of the time to hit the sidewalk . \" Anderson weighs 195 pounds kilograms on Earth.
\"At zero gravity, you try to suppress you with white-skinned trees.
\"There are clip seat belts on the treadmill to hold astronauts, so the less clips used, the more power around the legs, which makes running more difficult,\" he said . \".
He said that the use of previous exercise equipment on the space station is not much different from the cable TV in the weight room on Earth.
\"You are basically pulling against a gear or jar, not lifting a large piece of iron,\" he said . \".
\"I think they feel very similar.
\"Both before and after space travel, astronauts will carry out the same type of sport that athletes and other people who move on Earth are familiar with,\" gillimes said ---
Aerobic exercise such as running and lifting weights.
He said that two or three times a week for flight-trained astronauts to exercise for two hours at a time, but in unplanned times they would go for a run.
But people who want to leave this planet must be in a very good state, right?
Gillimes says this is not the case. -
As long as a person is in good health and has no cardiovascular disease, he or she can theoretically become an astronaut at NASA, even if he or she is not in good health.
For Anderson, space travel is \"physically easy\" and he plays football in college and has been playing sports all the time.
\"Space walks are really tired because they ask him to use his forearm, hands and upper body, which is not much exercise on Earth.
\"On Earth, you tend to use your large muscle group, and in space you tend to use your small muscle group,\" he said, \"especially in space walking, you use almost your forearm and your hand. \".
Anderson said he lost only 4% of his physical mass in the 152 days he left the Earth, compared with the expected 12 to 16%.
He also exercised twice. and-a-
In 151 days, he said, he worked half an hour a day, accounting for 152.
On last November, Anderson returned to Earth on the shuttle Discovery and left the orbiter with a little help. It took him about 24 hours to walk and stand normally.
He attributed this rapid recovery to his frequent use of the exercise equipment on the space station.
Fighting bone loss is one of the challenges facing the space program, especially given the goal of the Mars mission.
Anderson said an ongoing study is measuring the number of astronauts staying on the international space station to eat and exercise.
He said the experiment will determine what dietary supplements astronauts should take in addition to eating food, as well as the appropriate levels and types of exercise they should receive.
\"I think they have made some progress in figuring out how to keep people healthyto nine-
He said, \"while experts are still a long way from solving a round of bone loss problems --
A journey of about two years.