Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: Swimming burns less than 400 calories per hour and therefore has very low energy expenditure
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
Swimming is often recommended as a highly effective form of exercise. It is used for fitness, rehabilitation, and sports training. Health education questions may ask which statements correctly describe the benefits of swimming and which ones are misleading, testing a student's understanding of exercise science and energy expenditure.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Swimming is widely recognised as a full body workout that uses multiple muscle groups in the upper and lower body. Because water supports body weight, swimming is low impact and gentle on joints. It is excellent for cardiovascular conditioning and can be combined with other sports for cross training. In contrast, describing swimming as burning fewer than 400 calories per hour and therefore having very low energy expenditure is misleading; at moderate to vigorous intensity, swimming can burn quite a lot of calories and is considered an efficient form of exercise.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Evaluate option A: swimming does engage arms, legs, and core muscles, so it is correctly described as full body exercise.Step 2: Consider option C: water buoyancy supports joints, reducing impact and making swimming suitable for people with joint problems, so this is a genuine benefit.Step 3: Option D correctly states that swimming is good for cross training because it works the cardiovascular system differently from land based exercises.Step 4: Option E notes improvements in cardiovascular endurance and lung capacity, which are typical outcomes of regular swimming.Step 5: Option B claims swimming burns less than 400 calories per hour and therefore has very low energy expenditure, which downplays its effectiveness. In practice, many swimming styles at moderate speed burn around or above this value, making the statement inaccurate and not a benefit.
Verification / Alternative check:
Exercise physiology references and fitness guidelines often rank swimming alongside running and cycling as effective aerobic workouts. They report that depending on body weight and stroke intensity, swimmers can burn several hundred calories in an hour, sometimes well above 400 calories for vigorous lap swimming. This confirms that describing swimming as having very low energy expenditure is misleading when used to characterise its benefits.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A is a recognised benefit; moving through water requires coordinated action of many muscle groups. Option C is correct because water's buoyancy reduces stress on joints, which is why swimming is recommended for people with arthritis or injuries. Option D is also correct; athletes often use swimming for cross training to avoid overuse injuries from a single sport. Option E is true because regular swimming sessions improve heart and lung efficiency. Only option B misrepresents the calorie burning potential of swimming and therefore does not describe a benefit.
Common Pitfalls:
Students may not know exact calorie numbers and might accept any numerical statement as correct. However, it is more important to recognise the general reputation of swimming as an effective caloric and cardiovascular workout. Another pitfall is to focus narrowly on one aspect, such as joint support, and ignore others. Understanding swimming as a comprehensive fitness activity helps in identifying the one misleading statement in this set of options.
Final Answer:
The statement that is not a benefit of swimming is Swimming burns less than 400 calories per hour and therefore has very low energy expenditure, because swimming can in fact be a high calorie burning exercise.
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