President & Founder The Cooper Aerobics Center
"The Father of Aerobics"

When Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., published his first bestseller, Aerobics, in 1968, he introduced a new word and a new concept to America. Millions of people started exercising, motivated by his preventive medicine research, persuasive public appearances, and a series of inspiring books. In short, a young Air Force physician who had once been a track star in his native Oklahoma had started a worldwide fitness revolution. During his 13 years of military service, Dr. Cooper served as director of the Aerospace Medical Laboratory in San Antonio and worked with the National Aeronautics Space Administration in conditioning America's astronauts for space. He developed the 12-minute fitness test and the Aerobics Point System, which today is used by military organizations, amateur and professional athletic teams, and many public schools and universities all over the world. Two years after the publication of Aerobics (Bantam, 1968) Dr. Cooper resigned from the U.S. Air Force to pursue full-time exploration of the relationship between exercise and health and longevity.

By 1970 Dr. Cooper's dream was becoming a reality with the launch of The Cooper Aerobics Center. The early clinic and research institute were housed in a two-story Colonial style mansion, surrounded by 13 acres of landscaped lawns and open space for the anticipated expansion. A gymnasium and exercise facilities were added a year later, and in 1979 the medical and research units moved next door into the newly constructed Cooper Clinic, reestablishing the original building as an activity center. With over 2,000 members by 1981, the Aerobics Activity Center (now Cooper Fitness Center) flourished. The 1980s proved to be a time of significant growth with the construction of The Guest Lodge hotel for travelers and the acquisition of an adjacent building, which was renovated to house the nonprofit Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research (now The Cooper Institute). Dr. Cooper next developed an intensive live-in program, Cooper Wellness Program, offering participants four, six, or 13-day sessions for total wellness assessment and lifestyle modification.

The 1990s brought additional development, spreading Dr. Cooper's wellness goals across the 30-acre campus with the creation of The Spa and, ultimately, across the world, with the inception of Cooper Ventures consulting services. Bringing the Cooper message into the new millennium, Cooper Concepts, developer of Cooper Complete multivitamins, launched "Healthy Living with Dr. Ken Cooper," a nationally syndicated radio show. Just a few years later, The Cooper Institute also expanded to encompass a research facility in Denver, Colo. Stretching his international reach, Dr. Cooper has lectured in more than 50 countries and authored 18 books, which have been translated into 41 languages and Braille and total more than 30 million copies sold. In Brazil, running is called "coopering" or "doing the cooper," and the "cooperteszt" is the national fitness test in Hungary.

From the time of his first book in 1968, Dr. Cooper has advocated revolutionizing the field of medicine away from disease treatment to disease prevention through aerobic exercise. The Cooper philosophy, "It is easier to maintain good health through proper exercise, diet, and emotional balance than to regain it once it is lost." has been proven valid in scientific research. The Institute's landmark eight-year study of 13,000 patients and members showed that individuals with a sedentary lifestyle are four times as likely to die from cardiovascular disease as those who exercise moderately.

Today Dr. Cooper, recognized as the leader of the international physical fitness movement and credited with motivating more people to exercise in pursuit of good health than any other person, serves as president and chief executive officer of The Cooper Aerobics Center. He holds a B.S. degree and an M.D. degree from the University of Oklahoma as well as an M.P.H. degree from the Harvard University School of Public Health, and he is certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. A 450-person staff shares Dr. Cooper's mission to educate and encourage optimum health in as many segments of the population as possible.

Dr. Cooper sets an example for maintaining a healthy lifestyle by exercising at The Cooper Aerobics Center on a regular basis, and his wife Millie, daughter Berkley, and son Tyler may also be seen "coopering."