As the holiday season fills calendars and energy levels wane, healthy routines often slip aside. But Dallas-based wellness pioneer Dr. Kenneth Cooper offers an empowering reminder: creating lasting health doesn’t require extreme resolutions — only small, intentional choices practiced consistently.

Dr. Cooper, internationally known as the “Father of Aerobics” and a longtime Dallas resident, has spent more than five decades transforming how the world views fitness, preventive medicine and longevity. Now at age 94, he continues his mission through his newly released 20th book, Grow Healthier as You Grow Older, a practical and personal guide to achieving better health, improved vitality and extended lifespan.

Though his influence spans the globe, Cooper’s work is deeply rooted in North Texas. Since founding the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas in 1970, he has built one of the world’s most respected preventive health institutions, shaping global standards in fitness while serving the local community he calls home.

Central to Cooper’s philosophy is “Getting Cooperized” — a set of eight realistic guidelines that encourage individuals to take responsibility for their health and make progress without feeling overwhelmed. These steps include exercising most days of the week, making healthy food choices, maintaining a healthy weight, taking appropriate supplements, scheduling regular physical exams, managing stress and prioritizing sleep, avoiding tobacco and moderating alcohol.

Rather than advocating dramatic lifestyle changes, Cooper recommends starting with just one step. This approach allows individuals to move into the new year feeling supported rather than pressured, making healthier living both achievable and sustainable.

At the core of Cooper’s message is prevention. “It’s a whole lot cheaper and more effective to prevent disease than to find a cure,” he explains. He urges people to recognize that many of the most powerful health factors — including movement, nutrition and lifestyle habits — are within their control.

Cooper also highlights the critical role of cardiovascular fitness. While strength training and relaxation practices are beneficial, only consistent cardiovascular exercise has been scientifically proven to significantly extend lifespan and reduce chronic disease risk. Even modest improvements, such as moving from inactivity to 30 minutes of exercise most days, can dramatically enhance energy, heart health and quality of life.

In Grow Healthier as You Grow Older, Cooper blends decades of research with personal insight, offering readers what he calls a strategy to “square off the curve” — maintaining strong health until the later years rather than enduring prolonged decline. The book also reflects on his remarkable career, which includes developing the Aerobics Point System, partnering with NASA on astronaut conditioning programs, and pioneering early diagnostic tools such as the treadmill stress test. His research legacy includes the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study, one of the most extensive fitness studies in the world, and youth wellness initiatives like FitnessGram and NFL PLAY60. Recently inducted into the Health & Fitness Association Hall of Fame, Dr. Cooper remains a living example of the principles he teaches.

For more information visit CooperAerobics.com.