From October 2004 to April 2005 the International Space Station orbited the Earth carrying the first multi-person crew of all Asian descent: Kirghiz Russian flight engineer Salizhan Sharipov and Chinese American commander Leroy Chiao. We asked Chiao
to give us some advice from space.

"Being in space, your muscles don't need to work very hard. There is no gravity to fight against. It's a lot like lying in bed, as far as physical exertion goes. After landing from my first space shuttle mission, which was 15 days, I felt dizzy and very “heavy.” The first time I stood up, it took about five times as much effort as I had expected. I expect the effects to be stronger this time, since I will have been in space for 193 days." 

— Writer Leroy Chiao (with illustration by Patt Kelley)