The Father of Aerobics to Address New Health Care Professionals

Graduates from every school and campus will have a special treat as they are officially named health care professionals at 10 a.m. Saturday at the United Spirit Arena in Lubbock.

Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., founder and chairman of the Cooper Aerobics Center, will serve as keynote speaker and welcome the graduates into the world of health care.

The Father of Aerobics

In 1968 when he published his first bestseller, “Aerobics,” Cooper introduced a new word and a new concept, launching a worldwide fitness revolution. At the time his book was published, only 100,000 people were jogging in America. Thanks to the work and influence of Cooper, that number has risen to more than 30 million.

For more than 40 years, Cooper has dedicated his life to the fitness of America, completing his medical degree at the University of Oklahoma and his master’s degree at Harvard University School of Public Health.

From Flight to Fitness

Cooper completed 13 years of service in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force, serving as a flight surgeon and director of the Aerospace Medical Laboratory in San Antonio. He is responsible for the development of the 12-minute and 1.5-mile fitness tests and the Aerobics Point System, all used today by military organizations, amateur and professional athletic teams, law enforcement agencies, and many public schools and universities around the world.

After publishing “Aerobics,” Cooper resigned from the military to focus his attention on the relationship between cardiovascular fitness and health and longevity. In 1970, Cooper’s lifelong work came to fruition with the opening of Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, where he serves as chairman of its eight health and wellness companies and a nonprofit for research and education named The Cooper Institute.

The Doc Heard 'Round the World

Cooper has lectured in more than 50 countries and is most famous in Brazil for having trained the 1970 Brazilian soccer team to a World Cup victory. In Brazil, running is called “coopering” or “doing the cooper.”

From the time of his first book, 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.

Cooper has also been influential in the adaptation of American diet. His collaboration with PepsiCo and eliminating trans fats from its Frito-Lay snack line started an international wave that other companies are now following. On the back of Baked Lay’s packages, you’ll find this quote from Cooper, “Fitness is a journey, not a destination. It must be continued for the rest of your life.”