This health program is a place “where fitness meets therapy.”
It’s January, which means the pressure is on to adopt some fancy new fitness routine and promise to prioritize exercise this year. The trouble? Gym memberships can be costly and sweating next to strangers isn’t what everyone considers a good time. Plus, fitness culture is often goal-oriented in ways that can be a bit aggressive, and ultimately unapproachable and unachievable. So when you set out to “get fit in 2024,” if you’re not careful, you could be setting yourself up for failure (or worse).
But don’t worry: If you truly believe you’d benefit from a healthier lifestyle — we’re talking more movement, whole foods, and mindfulness — you’re in luck. We’re rolling out an accessible solution, and partnering with fitness entrepreneur Ryan Cooper for a new weekly series called Going Strong.
Cooper’s the owner of a fitness program called CooperFit — and despite the message his six-pack abs and chiseled arms might be sending, his wellness regimens aren’t limited simply to workouts. He’s got a unique and holistic approach to health, which incorporates training videos, meditation routines, breathing exercises, and nutritional guidance.
We love that his philosophy deviates from traditional “gym bro” culture — because men’s fitness spaces can and should focus on your emotional well-being, too. Though Cooper’s programs are inclusive of all genders, his version of masculinity includes self-love and engagement with your inner life.
Regardless, Cooper really just wants to help you feel good. He describes CooperFit as “a safe space for those looking to rebuild confidence and courage to make empowering decisions that serve their life and those around them.” And before we launch our series, we want you to get to know him a little better — you’ve gotta understand the guy before you welcome him into your daily routine, right?
“I initially came to New York when I was 21, as a fashion model,” Cooper informs us (though, after one look at him, that isn’t a shocking detail at all). “I was a builder by trade before that, in New Zealand, but I got scouted and came to New York to shoot for DKNY. That was a very different scenario for a boy who grew up on a tiny island in the South Pacific.”
“Then I started acting,” Cooper says, “and I had some lovely success.” If you’re a sucker for fun holiday flicks, you may have seen him in Lifetime films like Christmas on Ice and Christmas a la Mode. He also played Carrie’s physical therapist in And Just Like That. (Carrie Bradshaw tasked him with helping her accomplish her post-surgery goal of wearing high heels again.)
But a critical movie role starring opposite Scarlett Johansson was a surprisingly crucial stepping stone toward his fitness career. When preparing for his role as a hunky stripper in the 2017 comedy Rough Night, Cooper had to undergo a significant body transformation: “I had to put on 30 pounds in two weeks. So I had a very interesting crash course into the science of food and weightlifting, and I was really fascinated by that.”
That fascination with fitness intertwined with a pre-existing health concern: “I’ve had back problems my whole life,” he says. That challenge gave Cooper additional insight that ultimately helped inform the philosophy of CooperFit, which is accessible to people of all ages and fitness levels. When Cooper’s daughter was born, he bought a friend’s fitness business and coached clients in the gym for a couple of years.
When the pandemic forced Cooper to move toward at-home workouts he was able to reach a wider range of clients: “Once the pandemic hit, my love of fitness and helping people birthed what CooperFit is today,” he says. “I could consolidate my 17 years of staying in shape for clients to have a very easy, streamlined approach to getting healthy.”
That said, Cooper’s adamant that CooperFit goes much deeper than those standard training videos that you might half-heartedly try to keep up with on YouTube. He calls his philosophy “where fitness meets therapy,” because he says that addressing the whole body is the most stable path toward health.
“In the gym, I noticed that a lot of people struggled to get fit because of their mindset or because of their habits outside of the gym — they’d show up but they were stressed or weren’t careful with their diet. So I wanted to incorporate breath work and stretching because if the body’s not loose, it can’t build the muscle to where it needs to be. I also wanted to utilize cognitive behavioral patterns that might need to shift to help people reach their goals.”
Cooper taps into a range of modalities, incorporating breath work, yoga, Pilates, and strength training into his routines. And given that he works with clients across the globe, CooperFit’s intended to be ultra-accessible. “I want you to be able to do it anywhere in the world, without having a gym. All you need is a couple of very cheap dumbbells to facilitate a healthy body.”
To kick things off, we’re sharing one of Cooper’s invigorating meditation sessions designed to fill you with positivity (a hot commodity when you’re staring down all those new year’s resolutions). It’s just a quick six minutes, which means that instead of scrolling on your phone in between meetings, you’ll gain some much-needed peace of mind. That sounds like a pretty good trade to us.
His Positive Pump meditation is a great place to start: In it, Cooper asks, “How are you entering this week? Will you let the day, the week, or the month overwhelm you, or will you make the choice to navigate with patience and peace?” And that’s accompanied by an affirmation: “Today I honor my highest self…Today I will do my best.” Here’s the full 6-minute meditation, for whenever you need some zen:
In our Going Strong series, Cooper will be delivering regular installments of his mindful lifestyle content, including a mix of refreshingly specific workouts designed to address common concerns. (If you have neck pain, please stay tuned.) Plus, he’ll be sharing delightfully creative, junk-free recipes that will help you expand your explorations in the produce aisle. And since Cooper truly believes that “to get calm, we have to have breath in place,” he’s supplied us with some breathing techniques that may seriously reset your mindset. If you’re left wanting more, he’s also providing a huge, exclusive discount on his full programs for Katie Couric Media readers who want to continue working with him: Just use the code KCM50 to get 50 percent off any package on the site!
Ready to feel stronger, mentally and physically? Just follow our lead.
