The road to fitness

While parents and educators worry that children have been doing too little exercise, a sixth grade class from the Chaoyang School of the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China in Beijing finished their 100th 5-kilometer morning jogging program on Saturday to celebrate their upcoming graduation.

Starting in September 2021, under the organization of the class' parents association, the students embarked on their initial run in the Olympic Forest Park in northern Beijing.

To enhance their physical fitness, perseverance and endurance, the program is organized every Saturday morning with the guidance of a parent who is selected to be the coach.

Their first run proved that the beginning is always the hardest. After running for hundreds of meters, some students felt shortness of breath or nausea, while some couldn't continue at the midway stage and had to lean on each other for support to reach the finish line. Despite the challenges, their efforts have never ceased over the past three years.

National surveys have shown a rapid increase in the prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents across the country.

According to data released at the 10th China Obesity Science Conference held in the capital last month, one in five people aged 6 to 17 is overweight or obese, up from one in 20 in 1995.

Besides weight issues, lack of exercise also leads to the prevalence of myopia at school. According to data released by the National Health Commission in September, the overall myopia rate among children and adolescents was 51.9 percent in 2022.

Noticing the possible connection between the decline in physical exercise and health-related issues, a series of measures, such as the nationwide "double reduction" policy, have been released to relieve students' academic pressure and increase their exercise time.

Introduced in 2021, the "double reduction" policy aims to reduce the after-school tutoring and homework burden on students.

Recently, the Ministry of Education asked schools to make sure students have 10-minute breaks between classes.

The sixth grade jogging program may provide a solution to help students find time amid heavy academic burdens and ubiquitous electronic screens to experience health, happiness and friendship through physical activity.