College students now 'weaker and lazier'

Concerns over college students' lack of physical exercise are mounting, after a military training instructor said that even teenage boys are showing increasing signs of weakness and laziness, which can only lead to an unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle later on in life.

Wang Tao, a military training instructor at a university in Yunnan province, told Beijing-based Guangming Daily on Monday that up to 20 percent of his male students make excuses to get out of participating in daily exercise routines.

"Ten out of 50 boys ask for rest because they have a 'cold or feel dizzy'," he said. "And they prepare notes to get out of exercising days ahead of time."

The most recent official data regarding the physical health of college students released by the Ministry of Education in 2010 shows that students' lung capacities are at least 10 percent below that of students from 25 years ago, which may explain why students are generally less motivated at sport today.

A report by website chinanews.com last month said that male students run a distance of 1,000 meters 10.9 percent slower than before while female students take 10.3 percent longer to complete an 800-meter course. It added that the data shows more students are developing a culture of staying indoors on their computers to study, without forming healthy exercise habits.

"Both high schools and colleges should arrange physical education classes based on students' real needs, " said Bai Zhen, a physical education teacher at Ningbo University.

But students say that it's not their fault they become so inactive once they start college.

"Teachers don't help us get exercise, and we don't have enough time anyway since we need more time to study," a student told chinanews.com.

Li Hongjiang, Party secretary of Capital Institute of Physical Education and Sports, meanwhile, said that overprotective parents are in part to blame for the problem. He said that moms and dads who keep their children away from strenuous activity out of fear they might get hurt are not doing their kids any favors.