Activity 8: Astronaut antics - (For teachers) Explore and

Mission X: Train Like an Astronaut EXPLORE AND DISCOVER Learning Objectives Students will: safely carry weighted objects from the Exploration Area back to your Base Station to improve aerobic and anaerobic fitness; and record observations about improvements in aerobic and anaerobic fitness during this physical experience in their Mission Journal. Introduction Have you exercised your heart today? Most students exercise their heart and don’t even know it. If students have played soccer, basketball, hopscotch, jumped rope, gone swimming, or rode their bike to school, they have exercised their heart. The heart is a muscle that works better when it is strong. The heart can become stronger with regular physical activity and exercise. It is important to get involved in physical activity in order to get, and keep, the heart and other muscles physically fit. Get your body moving and make your heart stronger. Exercise is essential to maintaining cardiovascular health, bone strength, and strong muscles. There are two types of exercise: aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic and anaerobic exercise work together to give you a healthy heart and body. Aerobic exercise involves the use of oxygen to produce energy, whereas anaerobic exercise makes the body produce energy without oxygen. You may be asking yourself which of these two types of exercise is most important for the body. The literal meaning of aerobic is oxygen. An aerobic exercise includes any activity that uses the large muscles of the body such as your arms and legs. These muscles should be moving in repetitive motions for an extended period of time. The ideal activity should last at least 20 minutes and have constant movement. Aerobic activity helps reduce stress, increase blood circulation, strengthen the heart and lungs, as well as help build up endurance. It also helps strengthen bones, burn fat, and lower blood sugar. Find a fun aerobic activity you enjoy doing for at least 20 minutes a day and you will find you have more energy and feel healthier. Anaerobic activities build agility as well as strengthen and tone muscles. However, anaerobic activities are not as beneficial to the heart and lungs as aerobic activities. Anaerobic activity has been shown to increase your longevity. For example, resistance training increases bone mass, reduces muscle loss, and improves balance. It is important to have an exercise routine that incorporates both aerobic and anaerobic activities; this will balance your fitness regimen. Both types of exercise will help maintain muscle, improve bone density, and optimize the cardiovascular system. This will provide benefits of optimal physical fitness. Exercise is important to people on Earth, but it is essential for astronauts who travel into space. Astronauts don’t feel the effects of gravity; therefore, astronauts don’t have to use their muscles as much during normal everyday activities in space. On Earth, every time you take a step, you lift the weight of your body using your muscles. In space, astronauts experience microgravity. This makes them feel weightless. Moving around is an effortless task in a microgravity environment. Imagine floating around the room and moving objects around with one small push. It sounds like you would need to possess extraordinary strength, but in reality, astronauts begin to lose strength and their muscles become weak. Astronauts also experience decreased bone density, loss of muscle mass, heart and blood vessel changes, and shifts in fluids. www.trainlikeanastronaut.org Explore and Discover – Educator Guide 1/11