{"id":26353,"date":"2026-08-07T21:33:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=26353"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:33:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:33:10","slug":"ashlee-henson-has-thrived-as-part-of-the-cooper-aerobics-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=26353","title":{"rendered":"Ashlee Henson Has Thrived as Part of the Cooper Aerobics Community"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The members of the United States Armed Forces are regularly acknowledged and appreciated for their efforts and the sacrifices that they make for the betterment of America and its citizens. If you were to ask any of them how they are able to make that level of commitment every day, they would be the first to tell you that they don\u2019t do it alone. There are countless others who play supportive roles that provide what service members need to be prepared as well as to recover from whatever actions they had to take.<\/p>\n<p>Many of these people work within <a href=\"https:\/\/ph.health.mil\/topics\/healthyliving\/al\/Pages\/ArmyWellnessCenters.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Armed Forces Wellness Centers (AFWC)<\/a>, which are specialized facilities designed to help service members, military retirees, family members, and Department of War (DoW) civilians optimize their physical, mental, and overall health through evidence-based primary prevention programs. Ashlee Henson has spent the majority of her adult life playing a positive role in helping others improve their health and wellness and spent part of her career within the AFWC, being named Director and Senior Health Educator at the AFWC in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Being one of those in a supportive role for the nation\u2019s heroes was a role she never took for granted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was the most wonderful eye-opening environment that I had been exposed to, and I\u2019m so grateful for it,\u201d she said proudly. \u201cI felt closer to the inner workings of our country, hearing and learning about the experiences they had.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:55.36519386835%;\" class=\"ratio-based-placeholder\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"credit\">Ashlee Henson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Running Into a New Passion<\/h2>\n<p>Henson grew up in a small town outside of Charleston, South Carolina, and she was active in both gymnastics and soccer. She figured out what she was passionate about pretty quickly after she started playing the second sport.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFunny enough, I realized that in soccer my favorite part was the conditioning, the running.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Henson embraced running and even started entering 5K races, winning her age group in some of those events. Her high school\u2019s cross-country coach saw her times and advised her to join the team, which she felt was a natural fit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was amazing,\u201d Henson recalled. \u201cI really enjoyed the community aspect of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That passion and joy went beyond the events and camaraderie with her teammates. Henson would start studying more about fitness and how athletes improve, which led her to become a certified trainer during graduate school. Aside from the extra income, Henson thrived in her role of helping people learn and get better.<\/p>\n<p>Henson said, \u201cThat was the coolest aspect of it for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Making The Passion a Career<\/h2>\n<p>Being in the public health field opened a lot of doors for Henson and allowed her to turn her passion into a profession. Following grad school, she found herself working within the AFWC system and being in that role of helping active-duty service members, veterans, and others improve their quality of life. While they would always thank her for what she did, she would return the appreciation and still has that today.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was a big dynamic of gratitude that I will always take with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After leaving the AFWC, Henson was set to take on another role within government, but a hiring freeze prevented her from accepting the job she was originally offered. Meanwhile, her fianc\u00e9 was offered a promotion in his career that would call for him to relocate to Dallas, Texas. They relocated to the Lone Star State and Henson started searching for a new position in that area, which led her to discover a job opening with Cooper Aerobics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter a little bit of research, it clicks. This is Cooper Aerobics, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/athletes-celebrities\/pro-tips\/kenneth-h-coopers-career-has-been-focused-on-service-and-fitness\/\">Dr. (Kenneth) Cooper<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:55.36519386835%;\" class=\"ratio-based-placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ashlee-Henson-at-the-Cooper-Fitness-Center.jpg?quality=86&amp;strip=all\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" alt=\"Ashlee Henson at the Cooper Fitness Center\" width=\"1109\" height=\"614\" data-fallback-img=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ashlee-Henson-at-the-Cooper-Fitness-Center.jpg?quality=86&amp;strip=all\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"credit\">Ashlee Henson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Connected to the Cooper Community<\/h2>\n<p>In early 2026, Henson was hired to join Cooper Aerobics as their Wellness Program Director. This was more than a new job and relocation to Texas for her, though. She now gets to sit under the learning tree of \u201cThe Father of Aerobics,\u201d whose efforts, knowledge, and leadership have inspired and helped multiple generations of Americans and people beyond our borders. While the door she was originally set to enter with her government position may have closed, this door opening has led Henson to a rare opportunity that she embraces every day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m so thankful to be in this environment. Being here has exceeded expectations. I\u2019m excited to see what happens to me just being exposed to an environment like this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Being in the AFWC came with a sense of responsibility and pride, and Henson felt a similar sense of both within the walls of Cooper Aerobics. The patients and members whom they serve are looking to them for guidance to maximize both quality and quantity of life. They also want to know they are learning from those who practice what they preach, which is why Henson takes advantage of the access to the Cooper Aerobics campus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI lift when I can, I run when I can, and I just make sure to treat my body with respect and stay active.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Henson\u2019s community has evolved throughout her life: from teammates on the soccer field and cross-country teams to the military with the AFWC, and now with those who help others become \u201cCooperized.\u201d The common theme throughout every part of her journey is that she has embraced those communities and done her part to make them better. Whether someone is in service, trying to improve their health, or simply looking to live a better life, Henson shared that the community aspect is a vital one. If you find yourself alongside the right people, everyone can benefit and contribute.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou really do need a community in order to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>To learn more about Cooper Aerobics, go to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cooperaerobics.com\/\">their website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>M&amp;F Senior Military Editor Rob Wilkins contributed to this Fit to Serve article.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/athletes-celebrities\/pro-tips\/ashlee-henson-has-thrived-as-part-of-the-cooper-aerobics-community\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The members of the United States Armed Forces are regularly acknowledged and appreciated for their efforts and the sacrifices that they make for the betterment of America and its citizens. If you were to ask any of them how they are able to make that level of commitment every day, they would be the first [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":236,"featured_media":26354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ashlee Henson Has Thrived as Part of the Cooper Aerobics Community - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=26353\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ashlee Henson Has Thrived as Part of the Cooper Aerobics Community - World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The members of the United States Armed Forces are regularly acknowledged and appreciated for their efforts and the sacrifices that they make for the betterment of America and its citizens. 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