In the late 1960s, Kenneth Cooper introduced a strange word to Americans: aerobics.
A physician and U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, Cooper argued that aerobic exercise could help prevent coronary heart disease. Today, that's common knowledge. Back then, however, it was medical heresy.
When Cooper, now 93, attended medical school in the mid-1950s, he estimates that half of his classmates smoked cigarettes. Of the 102 medical students in his graduating class of 1956, he says that at least 80 have died.
In his book "Aerobics" (1968), Cooper sought to quantify the level and type of exercise needed to improve heart health. He posited that adopting a moderate fitness regimen could reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, dementia, stroke and many other diseases.
After the bestselling book's success, critics sought to challenge Cooper's claims. Henry Solomon, a prominent cardiologist and author of "The Exercise Myth" (1985), wrote that people exercise under "the mistaken idea that strenuous effort promotes health and longevity."
"People in the medical community thought he was crazy," said Tyler Cooper, president and chief executive of Cooper Aerobics and Kenneth's son. "Exercise was perceived to be dangerous to your heart."
Through the 1960s, there was a widespread belief that too much exercise could kill you. When Kenneth Cooper ran (and won) track and cross-country races in his Oklahoma high school, his father refused to cheer him on.
"My granddad would not go to my father's athletic events because he thought his son would die sooner from his athletics," said Tyler Cooper, a physician.
But Kenneth Cooper, a self-described "Oklahoma farm boy," continues to practice what he has long preached.
At 93, he exercises most days. A typical day includes peddling a recumbent bike for 45 minutes, lifting weights for 10 minutes and walking outside. And he oversees a roughly 500-employee group of Dallas-based businesses that promote health and wellness, including a preventive medicine clinic, fitness center and nonprofit research institute.
"It's been an uphill battle," Kenneth Cooper said. "But I've made it my mission to try to 'Cooperize' the world."
Kenneth Cooper: Use A Health Scare For Life-Changing Epiphany
When Cooper graduated University of Oklahoma in 1952, he weighed a healthy 168 pounds. But after intense years of graduate study — earning an M.D. from University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and a Masters of Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health — he ballooned to 204 pounds.
"I was 29 and obese," he recalled. "I had high blood pressure and was prediabetic."
After six years of physical inactivity, a water skiing outing changed his life. Partway through a slalom course, he thought he was having a heart attack.
At the hospital, tests showed his heart was fine. The treating physicians said he was simply out of shape.
"After that hair-raising experience, I lost weight and got into shape," he said. "It was an epiphany."
Cooper changed his career path. Abandoning his plans to become an ophthalmologist or pursue aerospace medicine in the Air Force, he shifted to preventive medicine.
He knew firsthand that losing weight and exercising boosted his health. That led him to dig into the science behind the health benefits of physical activity.
Serving in the U.S. Army and later the Air Force, he ran studies on the physical fitness levels of military personnel. He began to prove the link between exercise and good health.
Stay The Course Like Cooper
In 1970, Cooper left the Air Force and moved to Dallas to launch a new kind of medical practice devoted to comprehensive aerobic fitness. Lacking startup capital, he struggled to convince banks to lend him the money to get up and running.
Unwilling to give up, Cooper finally got a loan from Tyler Pipe & Couplings, a manufacturer for the plumbing industry. Cooper named his newborn son Tyler after the company that came through with the money.
Launching a practice based on preventive medicine was a novelty at the time. Patients trickled in — slowly.
"I was under so much pressure and stress," Cooper recalled. "I was working like crazy to keep this thing going. But it was really tough."
Beset by mounting bills and criticism from the medical establishment, Cooper told his wife Millie, "I can't do it anymore. I'm going back to the Air Force."
"Ken, do you believe from the bottom of your heart that what you're doing will change the world?" his wife asked. "Without a doubt," he replied.
"Then you have no choice but to persevere," she declared. "You can't give up."
Cooper calls that conversation a turning point in his life. He credits Millie for believing in him when it mattered most. They've been married for more than 64 years.
Listen To Patients — And Skip The Lectures
From the outset, Cooper knew that he'd need to persuade patients to embrace exercise as a healthy habit. It was a heavy lift.
"Facts drive decisions," he said. "So after we'd do a comprehensive exam, I'd say (to patients), 'This is your problem. This is what to do to correct it.'"
Rather than set unrealistic goals, he proposed that they take incremental steps to achieve modest gains. For example, he might list specific ways they could lose 10% of their body weight. From there, they'd build momentum to make greater gains.
Cooper resists the urge to lecture patients. Rather than make "should" statements ("You should shape up"), he asks questions and builds rapport.
"You first and foremost have to listen if you're going to help patients," said Camron Nelson, president and chief executive of Cooper Clinic. "He's a very good listener. He's also pointed and not shy in saying to them, 'Let's turn this around.'"
A physician who has worked with Cooper for 23 years, Nelson admires his data-driven approach. Initially, Cooper jotted patient data on index cards to track his research (maintaining patient anonymity).
"In the early years, he'd put all those cards in a shoe box," Nelson said. "Now it's this huge, robust database" that proves the benefits of cardiovascular exercise.
Spread The Praise To Motivate Employees
Cooper's staffers are big believers in the organization's mission to promote health and wellness. And Cooper looks for opportunities to praise them.
"He's a master of motivation," Nelson said. "In every meeting, he credits every single staff person. He affirms them. He compliments them."
After decades of building his brand, he's developed a global following. In Brazil, for example, he became widely known for helping train the country's victorious World Cup soccer team in 1970.
"He's like a rock star in Brazil," said Tyler Cooper. "It was national news how he developed training programs for the team," which included Pele. To this day, Brazilians refer to jogging as "doing their Cooper."
When Tyler accompanied his father to Brazil for a fishing trip in the Amazon, he greeted their guide by asking, "Have you done your Cooper today?"
The guide nodded proudly. Then Tyler motioned to his father and said, "Well, this is Cooper."
Kenneth Cooper's Keys:
- Oversees six health and wellness companies and introduced the concept of aerobics to boost heart health.
- Overcame: Early struggles, including pushback from the medical community, to build a new type of medical practice based on preventive medicine.
- "I've made it my mission to try to 'Cooperize' the world."
