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Understanding the dynamic nature of energy balance, and the interrelated and synergistic roles of diet and physical activity (PA) on body weight, will enable nutrition educators to be more effective in implementing obesity prevention education. Although most educators recognize that diet and PA are important for weight management, they may not fully understand their impact on energy flux and how diet alters energy expenditure and energy expenditure alters diet. Many nutrition educators have little training in exercise science; thus, they may not have the knowledge essential to understanding the benefits of PA for health or weight management beyond burning calories. This paper highlights the importance of advancing nutrition educators’ understanding about PA, and its synergistic role with diet, and the value of incorporating a dynamic energy balance approach into obesity-prevention programs. Five key points are highlighted: (1) the concept of dynamic vs. static energy balance; (2) the role of PA in weight management; (3) the role of PA in appetite regulation; (4) the concept of energy flux; and (5) the integration of dynamic energy balance into obesity prevention programs. The rationale for the importance of understanding the physiological relationship between PA and diet for effective obesity prevention programming is also reviewed.

Stuart and Linda are high school teachers, and they have a problem. For a number of years, they have been offering experiential education activities within their classes. They have had little success in convincing other teachers to incorporate these activities into other classrooms. Why can't the teachers see the value in experiential education activities and incorporate them into parts of the curriculum? Why is it that “mainstream” teachers seem so tied to conventional teaching styles and unwilling to try something different? After all, don't we all have the same goal—that of providing students with high quality and relevant learning opportunities?

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