Step Up: Creating a Culture of Physical Activity at Conferences

Carina Nigg, PhD; Linda Trinh, PhD, FSBM; James F Sallis, PhD, FSBM

We are gearing up for the Society of Behavioral Medicine's (SBM) 46th Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions in San Francisco, CA, March 26 - 29, 2025. Though SBM has incorporated physical activity into meetings for years, we want to make it an even more active conference for people of all abilities! Why bother when so many SBM attendees are already active? SBM can be a leader in advancing a culture of active conferences, like how we emphasize healthy food. Plus, attendees who sit all day during sessions tend to lose focus and get drowsy. Both the speakers and audience benefit when everyone is invigorated.

We have put together a variety of activity options so we can create a culture of staying active during conferences. We want attendees to stay energized with movement!

First, mark your calendars for SBM's Stride for Science Field Day Frenzy. Join us on Thursday, March 27 from 6-7:30 p.m. for fitness classes, competition, and fun movement activities. Register here with 100% of proceeds benefitting SBM's Science Communication Fund: https://www.sbm.org/support-sbm/stride-for-science-5k/2025

We will be there, and we hope to see all of you there too!

Here are some tips to stay energized:

• Stand during keynote, paper, and symposium sessions at the sides and back of rooms
• Practice "standing applause" after every speaker to break up prolonged sitting time
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator
• Take a wellness walk. Arrange walking meetings to network, mentor, and meet with fellow colleagues. When you exit the main hotel doors, head east towards Union Square for the best routes.
• As you make dinner plans, invite your colleagues and friends to walk as a group to the restaurant.
• Have an action plan! Schedule physical activity into your conference agenda like you schedule your sessions. Hotel guests have access to the fitness center at both the Hilton and Parc 55 across the street!
• Moderators/Chairs of sessions: “Exercise leadership” by demonstrating a quick movement activity before or after the sessions. Show the audience how to do simple exercises like chair squats, seated leg extension, calf raises, shadow boxing (a few jabs in the air to the left and right). Be sure to consider options that are adaptable for different abilities and for tight spaces. If you need a few more ideas, try incorporating these quick movement breaks here: https://ocw.utoronto.ca/movement-breaks/videos/

Some food for thought for the future of active conferences:

• Place active workstations (walking/cycling) outside the meeting rooms when people are working during the conference. If you have relationships with companies offering active workstations, let SBM know so we can contact them about sponsorship!
• SBM has been getting more networking slots, which is a good thing! Make some of your networking active by standing or walking.  For example, breakfast roundtables don’t always have to be in a room (at least not the full hour).
• Build a physical activity community throughout the whole year, not just at the conference. For example, the International Society of Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH) invites “physical activity pictures” that members send in and featured in their newsletters. We could think about social media posts on the theme of “MovingSBM” where members can post physical activity throughout the year.
• Make physical activity a SIG challenge. How about starting a competition across the SIGs built into the SBM conference app? The SIG with the most steps at the end of the conference gets bragging rights and a prize!
• Bring back the SBM scavenger hunt. Attendees could fulfill certain missions such as taking a selfie at certain places in the conference venue or in the city.

As behavioral scientists, we can be role models for innovating active conferences for active minds, better health, and happier attendees.