Req 9 — Fitness Benefits
What Is Aerobic Exercise?
Aerobic exercise is any physical activity that raises your heart rate and keeps it elevated for a sustained period. The word “aerobic” means “with oxygen” — these activities use oxygen to fuel your muscles over time, unlike short bursts of intense effort (like a sprint or a single heavy lift).
Common forms of aerobic exercise include running, cycling, dancing, hiking, and of course, swimming. Health experts recommend that young people get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day, and aerobic exercise should make up most of that time.
Health Benefits of Regular Aerobic Exercise
Your counselor will want you to explain the major health benefits of regular aerobic exercise. Here are the key ones:
Cardiovascular Health
Aerobic exercise strengthens your heart muscle. A stronger heart pumps more blood with each beat, which means it does not have to work as hard at rest. Regular aerobic exercise lowers resting heart rate, reduces blood pressure, and decreases the risk of heart disease — the leading cause of death in the United States.
Respiratory Fitness
Your lungs become more efficient with regular aerobic exercise. You take in more oxygen per breath and deliver it to your muscles more effectively. This improved lung capacity means you get less winded during physical activity and recover faster.
Weight Management
Aerobic exercise burns calories. Combined with healthy eating, regular aerobic activity helps maintain a healthy body weight. It also boosts your metabolism, meaning your body burns more calories even when you are resting.
Mental Health
Exercise releases endorphins — chemicals in your brain that improve mood and reduce stress. Regular aerobic exercise has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve sleep quality, and boost self-confidence.
Bone and Muscle Strength
Weight-bearing aerobic exercises (like running and hiking) strengthen bones. All aerobic exercise improves muscle endurance and helps maintain lean muscle mass.
Disease Prevention
Regular aerobic exercise reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and metabolic syndrome. It also strengthens the immune system, helping your body fight off illness.
Why Swimming Is Special
Swimming is not just another form of aerobic exercise — it has unique advantages that make it favored by doctors, physical therapists, and athletes alike.
Full-Body Workout
Swimming engages nearly every major muscle group in your body simultaneously. Your arms, shoulders, core, back, hips, and legs all work together with each stroke. Few other exercises provide such a complete workout in a single activity.
Low Impact, High Reward
When you are in the water, buoyancy supports about 90% of your body weight. This means swimming puts almost no stress on your joints, bones, and connective tissues. You get all the cardiovascular and muscular benefits of intense exercise without the pounding that running and jumping inflict on your knees, ankles, and hips.
This is why swimming is called a “low-impact” exercise — and it is a huge advantage for:
- People recovering from injuries
- People with arthritis or chronic joint pain
- Athletes cross-training to reduce overuse injuries
- Older adults who need joint-friendly exercise
Therapeutic Exercise
Doctors and physical therapists prescribe swimming and water-based exercises for a wide range of conditions:
- Joint injuries and surgery recovery: The water supports the body while allowing full range of motion.
- Arthritis: Warm-water exercise reduces joint stiffness and pain.
- Back pain: Swimming strengthens the core muscles that support the spine without compressing it.
- Asthma: The warm, humid air around indoor pools can be easier on the airways than cold, dry air during land-based exercise.
- Neurological conditions: Water provides resistance for strengthening while reducing the risk of falls.
Lifelong Activity
Swimming is one of the few sports you can do from infancy to old age. Unlike high-impact sports that become harder on the body over time, swimming actually becomes more beneficial as you age. Many competitive swimmers continue racing into their 70s, 80s, and beyond through Masters Swimming programs.
Mental and Emotional Benefits
The rhythmic nature of swimming — stroke, breathe, stroke, breathe — has a meditative quality. Many swimmers report that time in the pool helps them clear their minds, reduce stress, and improve focus. The combination of physical exertion and rhythmic breathing produces a calm, centered feeling that swimmers sometimes call “swimmer’s high.”
Preparing for Your Counselor Discussion
Your counselor will ask you to explain these benefits in your own words. You do not need to memorize medical facts — focus on understanding the big ideas:
- Aerobic exercise strengthens your heart, lungs, and muscles while reducing disease risk and improving mental health.
- Swimming is uniquely valuable because it provides a full-body workout with almost zero joint impact.
- Swimming works as therapy because water supports the body, allows pain-free movement, and provides natural resistance.
- Swimming is for life — you can swim at any age, any fitness level, and in nearly any community.
