The Future of Wellness Since 1970
About > Our Milestones

Our Milestones

View All Section Pages

Milestones By Decade

Aerobics—The Word that Changed the World
Prior to opening the doors of the original Cooper Aerobics Center, preventive medicine pioneer, Kenneth H. Cooper, MD, MPH, develops the 12-minute and 1.5-mile fitness tests and the Aerobics Point System while in the U.S. Air Force working with NASA. He also created a worldwide fitness revolution with the publication of his international best-selling book Aerobics.
 

Timeline 1970

  • To advance research on the benefits of aerobic exercise, Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper establishes The Cooper Institute 501(c)(3) in June and Cooper Clinic in December.
     
  • Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper uses his aerobics program to lead the Brazilian soccer team to a World Cup victory.

Timeline 1980s

  • The Journal of the American Medical Association publishes The Cooper Institute’s landmark study scientifically proving being fit—as measured by the treadmill stress test—decreases the risk for all-cause mortality by 58 percent.

Timeline 1990s

  • Mirroring the preventive medicine model used at Cooper Clinic, Dr. Tyler Cooper spearheads corporate wellness consulting to help provide corporations and organizations across the country with healthier leaders who in turn run healthier companies.

Timeline 2000s

  • Cooper collaborates with PepsiCo to eliminate trans fats from the Frito-Lay® snack line, creating an international wave other companies have followed.

Timeline 2010s

  • The Cooper Institute develops the Healthy Zone School Program and debuts it in partnership with the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Today, Healthy Zone School Program has touched more than 159,000 North Texas students across 199 schools.