From the time our mothers told us as kids to eat our vegetables and our middle-school physical education teachers told us to run up and down the basketball court, we have known for a long time that vegetables and exercise are good for us. Nutrition and exercise are inextricably linked to our body weight, health, and even our mortality. However, the recommendations we hear so often to eat healthily and exercise need to be revisited because, it turns out, the subject is not as straightforward as you think. For example, research shows that low cardiorespiratory fitness is such a strong risk factor of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome that not even a healthy diet can diminish the risk. However, most people think that one’s body weight and health have a lot more to do with nutrition than to exercise. This controversial and insightful presentation explores the impact of nutrition and exercise on body weight and health to answer the provocative question, Can you outrun a donut? 

Dr. Jason Karp is a run coach, exercise and sport scientist, bestselling author of 16 books and more than 400 articles, and TED speaker. He is the 2011 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year and two-time recipient of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition Community Leadership award. His run coaching certification was obtained by fitness professionals and coaches in 26 countries before being acquired by ISSA. In 2021, he became the first American distance running coach to live and coach in Kenya, and he has served as a sports science and coach consultant to the Chinese Athletics Association.