Developing an Exercise Program to Improve Physical Fitness and Mental Health among University Students in Xi'an

Background and Aim: A university education is an important time to promote the healthy development of teenagers. It also plays a crucial role in cultivating exercise habits among undergraduate students. However, in the field of exercise, we have observed a downward trend in proactive engagement, where students do not have access to exercise programs. This study aimed to foster the healthy growth of undergraduates by improving their physical fitness and reducing anxiety through a well-designed exercise program. Therefore, the main objective of the research was the development of an exercise program to improve health-related physical fitness and reduce anxiety for students at Xi’an Physical Education University. Materials and Methods: The research methods included a literature review on the physical fitness of 1000 students with low physical fitness and high anxiety at Xi'an Physical Education University. Researchers surveyed the anxiety levels of forty-five university students with high anxiety using a specified sampling method. The results of the physical fitness test and anxiety were obtained through a semi-structured questionnaire and the draft exercise program was developed based on experts' deep interviews. Subsequently, researchers implemented an experimental exercise program. Finally, the exercise program was confirmed through a survey. Result: The research results were obtained after conducting in-depth interviews with experts. Subsequently, researchers carefully designed and evaluated an exercise program using the IOC's scoring criteria. This exercise program was then implemented in an eight-week experiment. After the students engaged in this exercise program for eight weeks, the results of all physical fitness test items reached the passing level. Additionally, thirty-one students no longer felt anxious, and the number of students experiencing mild anxiety dropped to fourteen. Conclusion: There are many students whose physical fitness scores are unsatisfactory, unqualified, and who experience anxiety. After eight weeks of physical exercise, the anxiety scores of 31 students were within the normal range, and the anxiety scores of 14 students had been reduced to low levels of anxiety.