American Council for Fitness and Nutrition

Scientists, dietitians and fitness professionals have agreed that at its core, maintaining a healthy weight is based on balancing the calories we take in against the calories we burn through physical activity.

To best manage caloric intake, consumers — especially children — should have access to programs that teach them to make informed, healthy nutrition decisions. The American Dietetic Association advises that the focus should be on the entire diet, rather than on specific foods or nutrients.

To address the physical activity needs of a balanced lifestyle, Americans need the means and opportunity for regular physical activity through things like daily PE for children and walker-friendly communities for all citizens.

For your reference, ACFN has compiled a list of scientific studies that demonstrate the critical balance between physical activity and nutrition.

Balancing Fitness and Nutrition
Moderation in Nutrition
The Role of Physical Fitness

Balancing Fitness and Nutrition

Relationship of physical activity to eating behaviors and weight loss in women. Jakicic JM et al. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 2002 Oct;34(10):1653-9. Key finding: The combination of a balanced diet and regular physical activity has a stronger effect on long-term weight loss than either strategy alone.
Evaluation of a healthy-lifestyle approach to weight management. Riebe D, Greene GW, Ruggiero L, et al. Prev. Med. 2003 Jan.;36(1):45-54. Key finding: A program that focuses on a healthy lifestyle rather than weight loss, and which includes healthy eating, regular exercise and behavioral changes, is successful in promoting weight loss and good health.
Activity, dietary intake, and weight changes in a longitudinal study of preadolescent boys and girls. Berkey CS, Rockett HR, et al. Pediatrics 2000;105:E56. Key finding: A decrease in physical activity and an increase in caloric intake result in greater body weight.
Prevalence of attempting weight loss and strategies for controlling weight. Serdula, et al. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA 1999 Oct 13;282(14):1353-8. Key finding: Most people who attempt to lose weight are not combining a balanced diet with physical activity.
Energy and fat intakes of children and adolescents in the United States: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Troiano R, et al. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Supplement to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2000 Nov; 2(5):1343S-1353S. Key finding: For most American children, the average amount of energy consumed from food has changed little from 1970 to 1994, while physical activity has fallen.

Moderation in Nutrition

Position of the American Dietetic Association: total diet approach to communicating food and nutrition information. Freeland-Graves J, Nitzke S. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 2002 Jan;102(1):100-8. Key findings: The value of a food should be determined within the context of the total diet, because classifying foods as "good" or "bad" may foster unhealthy eating behaviors.
Position of the American Dietetic Association: weight management. Cummings S et al. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 2002 Aug;102(8):1145-55. Key finding: The American Dietetic Association emphasizes sustainable and enjoyable eating practices and daily physical activity.
Children’s food preferences: A longitudinal analysis. Skinner et al. JADA. 2002; November; 102 (11): 1638-1646. Key finding: Parents influence children’s early food preferences via their own preferences, which may limit foods offered to children. A high percentage of children’s food preferences are formed as early as two to three years of age.

The Role of Physical Fitness

Physical activity fundamental to preventing disease. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, June 20, 2002. Key finding: Physical activity — along with a nutritious diet — is key to maintaining energy balance and a healthy weight.
Free-living activity energy expenditure in women successful and unsuccessful at maintaining a normal body weight. Weinsier RL, Hunter GR, Desmond RA, Byrne NM, Zuckerman PA and Darnell BE. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2002;75:499-504. Key finding: Women who exercised more maintained a lower weight and reduced their chances of becoming obese.
Decreasing sedentary behaviors in treating pediatric obesity. Epstein LH, Paluch RA, Gordy CC, Dorn J. Arch. Pediatr. Adolesc. Med. 2000; 154:220-226. Key finding: When factors that contribute to a sedentary lifestyle are mitigated, body weight decreases.
Reducing children’s television viewing to prevent obesity: a randomized controlled trial. Robinson TN. JAMA 1999;282:1561-1567. Key finding: Children who spend less time watching television have a lower body weight and fat percentage.
Restricting opportunities to be active during school time: do children compensate by increasing physical activity levels after school? Dale D, Corbin CB, Dale KS. Res. Q. Exerc. Sport 2000 Sept.;71(3):240-8. Key finding: When physical activity is not offered during the regular school day, children do not compensate for lost physical activity opportunities during extracurricular time.
An Epidemic: Overweight and unfit children in California Assembly districts.
California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA). December 2002. Key finding: Data analyzed from the California Department of Education's 2001 California Physical Fitness Test found that the physical well being of students has a direct impact on their ability to achieve academically; higher achievement is expressly associated with quality physical education.