Motivating People to Be Physically Active

Motivating People to Be Physically Active, Third Edition, is a comprehensive guide to methods that are proven to help people reduce sedentary behavior and incorporate physical activity as a regular part of their everyday lives. Research, theories, and concepts of behavioral science are clearly translated into a practical handbook for health and fitness professionals who work in planning, developing, implementing, or evaluating physical activity programs.

Updated with recent physical activity prevalence data and intervention studies, the text will help readers will understand the research on physical activity behavior and gain perspective on the importance of theory-based interventions for the promotion of a physically active lifestyle. Public health recommendations are presented with updated guidance from Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, and new content emphasizes socioecological factors and mediators of behavior change, along with examples of inclusive, low-cost activities that can be performed in a variety of settings.

Based on the five-stage model of motivational readiness for behavior change, the text will help readers learn to measure and assess patterns of physical activity and physical fitness, then apply appropriate interventions in individual, group, work site, and community settings. Relevant for healthy adults as well as special populations, including adults with chronic physical or psychological conditions, the book also incorporates the use of technology-supported interventions such as wearable fitness trackers.

Five case studies of successful community and work site programs offer creative starting points for designing interventions and serve as practical examples for putting theory into practice with stage-specific strategies for motivating a variety of participants. Further assisting readers are reproducible questionnaires, worksheets, and logs that can be used as tools to assist clients with their transition to more active living.

Motivating People to Be Physically Active, Third Edition, is the essential resource for learning to assess readiness for change and design effective intervention programs that will educate and encourage others to lead a more active and healthier lifestyle.

Earn continuing education credits/units! A continuing education exam that uses this book is also available. It may be purchased separately or as part of a package that includes both the book and exam.

Bess H. Marcus, PhD, is a professor of behavioral and social sciences and dean emerita of the School of Public Health at Brown University. She was a professor and the chair of the department of family medicine and public health at the University of California-San Diego from 2011 through 2017. She is a clinical health psychologist who has spent over 30 years conducting research on physical activity behavior and has published over 300 papers and book chapters as well as three books on this topic. She has developed a series of assessment instruments to measure psychosocial mediators of physical activity behavior and has also developed low-cost interventions to promote physical activity behavior in community, workplace, and primary care settings. Dr. Marcus is actively involved on numerous NIH grants on physical activity behavior and public health. Her work increasingly focuses on promoting physical activity in underserved and vulnerable populations. She has mentored numerous students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Citation Award from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) in 2015. She delivered the President’s Lecture at the 2015 ACSM meeting and the Morris/Paffenbarger Exercise Is Medicine Lecture at the 2022 meeting.

Dr. Marcus enjoys staying active by walking with family and friends daily. She also enjoys strength training, yoga, and Pilates.

Dori Pekmezi, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and professor and vice chair in the department of health behavior in the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her research and teaching focus on the application of behavioral theory and technology to physical activity promotion in underserved or at-risk populations. She has published over 100 professional articles and book chapters on these topics and served as principal investigator or co-investigator on at least 15 physical activity research grants. Pekmezi is also a fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine and served as cochair for the professional society’s Physical Activity Special Interest Group.

Dr. Pekmezi stays physically active by playing tennis with her friends and walking her sons to school.