Shed Those Holiday Pounds, the Astronaut Way

Sure, the space program has all kinds of interesting and useful technological spinoffs. But we just don't hear enough about the way NASA helps us shed those extra holiday pounds.

Today at noon Eastern Time on NASA TV (jump quick, and you can still catch a bit of it), astronaut Clay Anderson and others are offering a few fitness tips, spacewalk-style.

It's an odd sideline for a group better known for high-tech and science achievements than aerobics. But it has a certain logic – astronauts are required to work out as much as two hours a day while living in long periods of weightlessness, and go through rigorous training programs to regain muscle mass once they return to Earth.

Here's Anderson on exercising while in space, sounding just like any fitness guru:

"You have to attack it incrementally," Anderson said. "You have to stay with it. Every day you have to figure out a way to get yourself to do it. You have to set a goal that motivates you, whether it is new clothes, a class reunion this summer, losing 20 pounds - or being in good shape when you land on Earth."

Maybe this year we'll see a surprise bestseller – "Lose 30 Pounds, the
Astronaut Way." It's a shame we can't all work out in zero gravity, though.

NASA Astronauts Offer Fitness Tips, Inspiration For New Year [NASA]

(Image: Astronaut Sunita L. Williams puts on harness pads aboard the
International Space Station, in preparation for using an exercise device called the Interim Resistive Exercise Device (IRED). Credit:
NASA)