Course Outline for Healthy Aging Older Adults 254
Cardiovascular Swimming for the Mature Adult

Effective: Fall 2024
SLO Rev:
Catalog Description:

HEAG 254 - Cardiovascular Swimming for the Mature Adult

36.00 - 54.00 Hours

May be repeated 99 time(s)
Designed to improve cardiovascular fitness in the older adult. Emphasis on swimming with the aerobic target heart rate training zone. Instruction will also address personal nutrition, hypertension and the prevention of adult type II diabetes. This course is free and students may repeat this course until mastery of the skills is met.
0835.80 - Adapted Physical Education
Pass/No Pass/Satisfactory Progress
Type Hours
Laboratory 36.00 - 54.00
Total 36.00 - 54.00
Measurable Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. Perform competitive swim strokes, and turns at a beginning level of competence;
  2. Describe basic health and fitness benefits that result from swimming;
  3. Apply aquatic safety methods including floating, treading water, and drownproofing technique;
  4. Discuss the origins and dangers of hypertension and pre-diabetes;
  5. Recognize the symptoms of hypertension and pre-diabetes in themselves or a family member;
  6. track their blood pressure;
  7. Identify metabolic syndrome.
Course Content:
  1. How to swim to improve cardivascular fitness.
  2. Target heart rate training.
  3. Equipment and safety of swimming.
  4. Aquatic safety methods including floating, treading water, drownproofing technique, etc.
  5. Competitive swim strokes, starts, and turns.
  6. Health and fitness benefits that result from swimming.
  7. Dangers of hypertension and pre-diabetes
  8. Tracking your blood pressure
  9. Identify problem foods as they relate to diabetes and hypertension
  10. Waist to hips ratio and its relationship to diabetes and hypertension
  11. Identifying metabolic syndrome
  12. Getting the essential tests done with your physician
  13. Shopping and eating in a new way to improve your health
  14. The risks of being sedentary
Methods of Instruction:
  1. Distance Education
  2. Presentation of audio-visual materials
  3. Review
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
  1. Demonstrate the ability to swim butterfly, freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke across the width of the pool (25 yards).
  2. Read the chapter on swimming safety. Be prepared to demonstrate an effective method for treading water.
  3. Describe and demonstrate appropriate technique for a freestyle flip turn and push-off.
  4. Read the chapter on blood pressure and blood sugar. Be prepared to discuss how these two measurements relate to pre-diabetes and hypertension.
  5. Measure blood pressure twice weekly over six weeks. Keep a journal of each day's measure
  6. Keep a 12 week exercise journal. In the journal record daily activity, time spent on the activity, how your felt and your exercise heart rate. Once every two weeks record your hips to waist measure.
  1. Class Participation
  2. Mandatory completion of BAR attendance criteria
  3. Lab Activities
  4. Quizzes
  5. Skills performance examination
Upon the completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. Work within a group, or team, to solve problems
  2. Demonstrate and explain the physiological reasons for performing a proper warm up.
Textbooks (Typical):
  1. Lynn, Alan (2021). High Performance Swimming Human Kinetics.
Abbreviated Class Schedule Description:
Designed to improve cardiovascular fitness in the older adult. Emphasis on swimming with the aerobic target heart rate training zone. Instruction will also address personal nutrition, hypertension and the prevention of adult type II diabetes. This course is free and students may repeat this course until mastery of the skills is met.
Discipline:
Physical Education*