Dallas' "father of aerobics" has new words of wisdom on fitness: Kenneth Cooper, MD, MPH, founder of the internationally renowned The Cooper Institute, a non-profit organization in Dallas dedicated to promoting health and wellness, has just released a new book. Called Grow Healthier as You Grow Older, it's a personal look at the history of the fitness revolution that Dr. Cooper himself inspired, along with a guide for preventive health and fitness and an account of his life dedicated to serving others.

Cooper's 1968 book Aerobics, took a groundbreaking approach to health and lifestyle by focusing on preventive health versus treatment. It helped launch an industry that brought us awesome Jane Fonda exercise tapes and has continued to skyrocket for more than five decades. It would appear that Cooper knows what he's talking about, since he's now 94 years old.

Grow Healthier explains how your health is your responsibility, by making choices over things you can control such as diet, exercise, avoiding tobacco, and avoiding or limiting alcohol — to help reduce the risk of disease and improve health, longevity, and quality of life.

“No medication or therapy can replicate the benefits of an active lifestyle,” says Dr. Cooper in a statement. “Fitness is a journey, not a destination. You must continue for the rest of your life.”

Making minimal changes in your fitness level, such as going from inactive to exercising 30 minutes most days of the week, can drastically improve your health and add years to your life. But Dr. Cooper stresses the importance of selecting the right exercise. Exercise can be used in three primary ways—for rest and relaxation, strength training and figure-contouring, and cardiovascular fitness. All three are beneficial, but only cardiovascular fitness helps increase longevity and prevent disease.

The history of aerobics
Cooper, who coined the word aerobics, worked as a surgeon in the U.S. Army, then transferred to the Air Force where he helped NASA create an astronaut conditioning program. That work led him to develop the 12-minute fitness test and the Aerobics Point System. He also helped develop the treadmill stress test as a diagnostic tool to detect early signs of coronary heart disease.

After opening the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas in 1970, Dr. Cooper moved his research to preventive medicine for the general population. The public private partnership between Cooper Clinic and The Cooper Institute allowed Dr. Cooper to create a world-renowned study of measured fitness.

The Cooper Center Longitudinal Study (CCLS) contains more than 2.2 million person-years of observation from more than 116,000 healthy participants allowing research that informs and directs healthy living and preventive medical care.

He developed FitnessGram and partnered with the National Football League (NFL) to bring this fitness program to millions of students with NFL PLAY60, a program to prevent childhood obesity by helping children get fit. The science behind this work is showcased in Grow Healthier as You Grow Older.

Grow Healthier as You Grow Older is published by Savio Republic and distributed by Simon & Schuster. It will be in stores on Tuesday, June 24, initially in hardcover and Kindle format.