In space, I imagine everything’s more complicated, except maybe backflips and remembering what you did last night. I would love to experience the new challenge of everyday tasks like brushing your teeth, going to the bathroom and taking the dog for a walk. In all seriousness, what do astronauts do to stay healthy while they’re in space? What do astronauts eat? How do astronauts exercise? What do astronauts do if they get sick?

One of the biggest problems in keeping astronauts fit and healthy as they travel through the solar system is simply preventing the physiological changes caused by weightlessness. – Dave Williams, director of Space and Life Sciences at the Johnson Space Center

In the weightlessness of space, astronauts suffer from muscle atrophy, bone loss and reduced blood volume. It’s important for astronauts to eat well and exercise while they are in space or their return to planet earth can be dangerously unhealthy.

The video below is a podcast by ESA regarding space food aboard the International Space Station.

In an article about Living in Space, NASA discusses how astronauts stay strong, stay clean, and stay neat in space. In space, astronauts float so their legs and lower backs begin to lose strength. Their bones get weak and thin in the absence of the gentle stress of earthly gravity. To combat this muscle atrophy and bone , astronauts exercise for two hours every day on treadmills, bicycles and in other mysterious ways.

Astronauts can perform strength training to reduce muscle atrophy and bone loss using the advanced Resistive Exercise Device or aRED which uses vacuum cylinders to provide concentric workloads up to 600 pounds. With the aRED, astronauts can perform squats, dead lifts, bench press and less useful exercises.

Space Flys, Crunches and Upper Body Bike

In this video, astronauts use a cable system and upper body bike to perform pectoral flys (with terrible form), sit ups, and upper body aerobics.

Space Squats and Treadmill

In this video, you can see a demonstration of how an astronaut would perform squats and run on a treadmill.

The Medical Officer in the Space Shuttle is trained for first-aid, stitching wounds and giving injections. All astronauts are trained in CPR and resuscitation in case of heart attacks. Medical kits contain medical instruments and medicine for stabilizing patients during a flight back to Earth if necessary.

Resources:
NASA: Living In Space
NASA: Space Medicine
CNN: How Astronauts Stay Fit
Answers: How do astronauts exercise in space?
Jaxa: What do they do if an astronaut gets sick in space?