Chinese college class helps students lose weight

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You may hear warnings about the "Freshman 15" but it doesn’t have to be a reality among young adults in east China’s Jiangsu Province, as Nanjing Agricultural University has launched a weight loss course for overweight students where they can jog, run and plank.

A group of students were seen measuring their height, weight, heart rate, blood pressure and lung capacity on campus on Friday in order to apply for the course. But only students with a body mass index (BMI) measurement over 28 will be eligible to take the class, according to local media.

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Both indoor and outdoor exercises are included, such as sit-ups, planks and jogging on a treadmill. A daily food journal of the calories they pile up is also required during the semester, and only participants who are able to lose 7% of their original weight can receive full credit.

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The idea for the unconventional class came from the fact that almost 13% of the school’s freshmen and sophomores were deemed obese and overweight, according to instructor Zhou Quanfu. He went on to ask 18 volunteer students to take part in an experimental program and, after proving that exercising can efficiently help reduce fat, the weight loss course officially began.

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Online users found the course so interesting that some of them wanted to share their low-fat diets and help these youngsters pass the class. User @miaomiaoshitaitai on Weibo said, “It’s good that the college is trying to manage an academic-health balance for young people.”

China's colleges have been offering optional classes on a variety of subjects in recent years, including a Tree Climbing course at Northwest University in Xi’an and “Love Theory and Practice” course with dating tips in Tianjin University.

Would you like to take a college class to keep fit? Let us know in the comments on our social media @CGTN!