Angela Horner, is a personal trainer who specializes in working with the active aging population at Cooper Fitness Center.
Angela Horner’s journey into fitness is one of passion and purpose. Sitting down with Taylor Gabhart, she shared how fitness became her second career, fueled by a deep love for health and wellness. With an undergraduate degree in health promotion and wellness, a graduate degree in lifestyle health sciences and coaching, and currently pursuing her doctorate in functional health, Horner has dedicated herself to a holistic approach to well-being.
“I really like the full gamut of not just fitness, but nutrition, sleep, all of the lifestyle pillars that are now coming into vogue, which is really nice,” said Horner.
Her focus at Cooper Aerobics is on the active aging population, a group she finds both personally and professionally significant. Having just turned 65, Angela sees firsthand how fitness impacts aging.
“We’re all getting older, and we can use this as a tool to actually help us age better,” she shared. “I have really reaped the benefit of all the years and decades that I’ve contributed to my own fitness and wellness, and I feel really good about turning 65.”
One of the programs she champions is Move.Laugh.Connect., which evolved from a Parkinson’s program started by Dr. Kenneth Cooper over 20 years ago. Today, the program is ideal for older adults with limited mobility and stability, adults desiring to improve brain health and fitness, and adults desiring to move, laugh and connect with others.
“We work on gait mobility, strength, we even do some dancing because music is very good for Parkinson’s disease,” she explained. “I would say what makes us unique is that we treat our population like we do every other population and bring them into a room where all the other classes are taught.”
Horner emphasized the importance of movement for older adults beyond just physical fitness.
“If you can’t move well, it’s going to affect your daily life — cleaning, cooking, lifting the laundry basket,” she said. “If you lose mobility, you risk becoming sedentary, which affects everything from nutrition to social connection.
She also highlighted the gym’s role in encouraging and educating older adults, creating a space that fosters confidence rather than intimidation.
“I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to take someone who’s 60 years old with health conditions, help them get stronger, and see how much it improves their mental health and confidence,” she shared.
With Dr. Cooper’s emphasis on balancing aerobic and strength training as people age, Horner stressed the importance of personalizing exercise recommendations.
“Nobody ages linearly; Use guidelines, but meet people where they are,” she said.
Her mission is clear: empowering people to age with strength, confidence and joy through movement.
