Staying fit on Earth is a challenge. For NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, it's a daily mission 250 miles above the planet. A recent video from the International Space Station shows the specific equipment she uses to combat muscle and bone loss in zero gravity.

So, the woman we are talking about is Jessica Meir, a NASA astronaut and scientist, who is on her second mission at the International Space Station, orbiting at an altitude of 250 miles above Earth.

She is serving as the spacecraft commander for the SpaceX Crew-12 mission this time. During Expedition 74, Meir is serving in a team that also has Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, conducting long-duration scientific research.

However, what is making headlines is Meir's claim approach of staying fit that does not always require fancy equipment and facilities. It only requires the desire to do so.

Celebrating that moment, on April 6, the official Instagram account for the Women’s Health and Fitness certification by GGS shared a clip of Meri explaining how she works out daily, with the caption: “Women are literally out of this world. 🚀🌍.”

In the video, Meir, who is at the International Space Station, said, “Exercise is part of our daily routine up here… to make sure that we can maintain our bone density and our muscle mass. The ARED, the Advanced Resistive Exercise device, is how we lift weights in space.”

So, let's see what exercises she performs in space to stay fit.

Weight Lifting

Yes, it sounds impossible to lift weights at that height, but ARED makes it possible. Meir said, “You can set up various configurations on ARED to pretty much accomplish any standard weightlifting exercises you would do in a gym.”

She also said that astronauts can do any exercise, including deadlifts, squats, and bench press, on the ARED. She added, “Right now, I'm set up for sumo squats today.

And squats are some of the most important exercises we can do to maintain the loading on our lower bodies, so as to ensure that we maintain our bone density and our muscle mass. So sumo squats, here we go”.

And just like that, she started her movement.

Apart from weightlifting, Meir also discussed her movements for healthy cardiovascular activity.

Jessica Meir Discusses Her Cardiovascular Movements in Space

Meir, who believes in cardiovascular health, said, “We have two options for this. We have the CEVIS, the cycloergometer, basically a stationary bike built specifically for space.”

According to her, NASA also provided them a treadmill for a rear harness to keep “you down and in contact with the treadmill”.

While doing her movement, she added, “Today I'm on the CEVIS, so I'm doing one of the protocols that our trainers have set out for us.”

In the video, it was observed that the bicycle designed for space has no seats and no handlebars. Instead, she explained, “We have these little handrails up on the sides and on the bottom to help hold you down, to kind of help you when you really ramp up the wattage, can help keep you in contact and be able to drive your bikes a little bit further. So, today's the CEVIS day.”

So, even 250 miles away from Earth, Meir shows that discipline is the key to staying fit.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil