Contemporary higher education increasingly demands the integration of aesthetic and holistic development into physical education. Aerobics, with its unique combination of rhythmic movement, music, and physical expression, provides a promising but underutilized platform for cultivating students' artistic appreciation. This study aims to identify structural and pedagogical barriers to artistic appreciation in college aerobics teaching and to propose an evidence-informed framework for overcoming them. A systematic narrative review of published literature was conducted. Sources were selected from academic journals in physical education, educational technology, and pedagogy published between 2021 and 2024. The review was contextualized within current Chinese educational policy frameworks, including the Outline for Building a Strong Education Nation (2024–2035) and policies on educational digitalization and the integration of sports and academia. Four primary barriers were identified: 1) instructors' insufficient interdisciplinary and aesthetic competencies; 2) restrictive learning environments and inadequate infrastructure; 3) underutilization of digital teaching tools; and 4) outcome-focused assessment systems that neglect expressive and creative dimensions. Development trends reveal a shift toward technology-enhanced instruction, integrated sports-education policy, and process-oriented evaluation. The findings support a three-pronged reform: enhancing educators' aesthetic literacy and digital competencies; creating immersive, technology-supported learning environments; and implementing multifaceted, formative evaluation strategies. Incorporating cultural narratives and experiential learning further deepens aesthetic engagement. The proposed framework offers a practical pathway for redefining aerobics pedagogy in higher education. Future research should focus on empirical validation of these strategies and the role of emerging technologies in scaling aesthetic education.