On April 16, 2007, Sunita “Suni” Williams ran the Boston Marathon. But she wasn’t in Boston. She wasn’t even in the United States.
Inside the International Space Station, more than 250 miles above sea level, the NASA astronaut became the first person to run a marathon in space.
Williams, now 59, found her endurance tested again in June 2024 after the Boeing capsule that brought her to the International Space Station malfunctioned. Her expected eight-day trip with fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore lasted nine months. The pair splashed down safely in Florida on Tuesday evening, and traveled to Houston that night.
While in space, astronauts must exercise two hours per day, every day, according to a NASA pamphlet, as zero-gravity conditions can cause “bone and muscle deterioration” over time. Williams worked out first thing as part of her morning routine — waking up at 5:30 a.m. GMT and “running, cycling, and weightlifting” until 7:30 a.m., according to ESPN. (NASA did not immediately respond to CNBC Make It’s request for comment on the amount of control Williams had over her schedule.)
Wilmore and Williams will now have to spend 45 days re-acclimatizing to Earth’s gravity, NPR reports. Their new routines will include a “personalized recovery program” of two hours per day that they spend exercising with personal trainers.
In uncertain and potentially challenging situations, such as the one faced by Williams and Wilmore, maintaining structure can help.
“Routines provide us with a sense of stability,” the Ontario Psychological Association says. “This element of routine can be particularly powerful as something to lean on during times of stress or uncertainty.”
Exercise specifically can be a cornerstone of a healthy routine, contributing both mental and physical health benefits, studies indicate.
“There’s some research that suggests that rhythm can help center people and calm them down,” Joel Dvoskin told CNBC Make It in 2023, when he was a psychologist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.
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Working out in the morning can also help people who want to make sure they follow through on their workout plans, especially those who, unlike astronauts, are not required to exercise daily. There are usually far fewer potential scheduling conflicts before the day properly begins.
“Exercising first thing in the morning ensures that you’ll have the time for it,” organizational psychologist Travis Bradberry wrote in 2017.
But most important is the fact you are exercising at all.
“For most of us who want to exercise for general health effects, the best time is the time that works best for your lifestyle and allows you to perform it regularly,” cardiologist Erik Van Iterson told the Cleveland Clinic’s website last year.
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